LAYTON — Are you LinkedIn? Do you use Facebook? Or are Twitter or Flickr more your style?

Just possibly it’s a video you want to share or view on YouTube.

“Social Media” is what all of these Internet sites are all about – and they’re used daily by millions of people worldwide.

And the Davis County Convention & Visitors Bureau is “plugged in” to these sites, all part of its mission to get the word out about Davis County.

“If we don’t sell Davis County to the outside world, people won’t have any reason to come here,” says the CVB’s Director of Sales & Marketing, Kathi Dysert.

That’s because Davis County isn’t a place known on the national or world stage. It’s not a Las Vegas, Disneyland, New York, or the like, she said.

“We’re here to sell our destination,” whether it’s to meeting planners to fill hotel rooms and meeting venues such as the Davis Conference Center, or families planning their vacations, Dysert said.

“Somebody from Minnesota may want to visit the ‘Wild West,’” and to them, Davis County, and particularly Antelope Island, may epitomize that, she continued.

Staycations are also getting more popular as the recession continues, drawing people from Southeastern Idaho, Southwestern Wyoming, or Southern Utah, for example.

The biggest way to get that and many other messages out about the county comes through Internet-based media, said Web Administrator Ralph Johnson.

“We get between 300 and 1,200 requests per week for information,” he said. That ranges from ski information in the winter to details about Lagoon, the Legacy Event Center and its horse/dog and other shows, Cherry Hill, golfing, and much more.

An assortment of videos are posted, and continually updated, on YouTube, Johnson said. They highlight the bison, the bison roundup, the Antelope Island Balloon & Kite Stampede, and much more.

An electronic newsletter highlighting events of interest is another way to attract visitors. “We want people to give us their email addresses so we can send them a quarterly newsletter highlighting what’s available here during the different seasons,” Johnson said.

“This is the new information highway,” Dysert said, as the CVB theoretically tries to “scream” its message to the world – competing with other venues across the state, nation and world for attention.

“It’s an exciting new component to spreading our message, making our presence known to the world,” said CVB CEO Barbara Riddle.

Spreading that word may mean electronic contact with meeting planners, but eventually still comes down to the personal interaction.

For example, a group of 40 people connected via LinkedIn from the Salt Lake area were hosted by the CVB and Hilton Garden Inn, last week. Most were unfamiliar with what the county has to offer and may hold meetings and other functions here, as a result of their visit, Dysert said.

The CVB’s website, www.davisareacvb.com is also being continually updated. “It’s a challenge making the right people aware of what we offer,” Johnson said. “Our goal is to site awareness,” leading to future tourist/meeting visits.

For more information, visit the above-listed web site or call 801-774-8200.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com