Like this idea? Brightwaters to join Facebook

Coming soon to Facebook: the Village of Brightwaters.

Village officials have agreed to create an official Facebook page, which could show up on the behemoth social media site as early as next month. Trustee Denise Gibson, who proposed the idea at a recent board meeting, said the page had the potential to “vastly improve our communications” with the public.

“We could use it for our benefit,” Gibson said. “We control it.”

While most towns on Long Island use Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the public, social media use among villages and hamlets, which are mostly staffed by part-time employees, is rare. Brightwaters officials said the page would give the village broader reach beyond the 300 or so residents on the village email list.

Facebook users would have the ability to “like” the page, or not, but village officials say they’re still mulling whether they would allow users to comment on posts, which would contain village news and announcements. Village officials will likely ask a volunteer to run the site.

Mayor Joseph McNulty signed off on the proposal, saying he liked the idea.