Pol eyes YouTube for city life

BOSTON. Residents getting information about city government on YouTube? One city councilor hopes to make the idea a reality.

Councilor Rob Consalvo, who is known for looking off the beaten path to incorporate new technologies to city life, wants to explore using YouTube to broadcast public service announcements on the popular Web site to reach more teenagers and young adults.

“We thought if we really wanted to reach out to young adults, we needed to go to where they are,” said Consalvo, who yesterday called for a hearing.

Consalvo said the city could use the new Boston Neighborhood News (BNN) studio to film the announcements, which he envisions spanning topics such as education, voting and summer jobs.

The site has been used for similar reasons elsewhere in the country, such as for information about taxes and driving test tips in California and emergency planning in Virginia.