SHORELINES

25 Shor e l i n e S | 2014 Vol :3 "This is a valuable tool for the people who live on or visit our lakes," said Matt Bowden, vice president of Environmental Affairs. "The mobile- friendly site and app provide instant access to lake information for people on the lake or those thinking about driving down for the weekend. This is a big leap forward in providing information people want." For years, the lakes information pages on the Alabama Power website have been among the most visited, as those who live on and visit the lakes have a vested interest in what is happening on them. Alabama Power manages 11 reservoirs and 14 hydroelectric dams on the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers. "Many activities around the lake are impacted by water levels on our reservoirs and generation schedules. Anglers, homeowners and visitors all access the lakes website to plan their time at the lake," Bowden said. Visitors will find APCShorelines.com a more visual site offering a variety of information and content, including: 1. Website – APCShorelines.com features custom web pages for each reservoir with current water levels, generation schedules, weather conditions and interactive maps. The site connects the lake community through a blog of updates, stories, photos and videos about each lake. 2. Shorelines App – The Shorelines app is available for download in Apple and Android stores. Users can access lake levels, points of interest, fishing spots and blog content from their cellphone and tablet devices. Users can also subscribe to daily alerts from the app. 3. Social Media – Shorelines uses social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share information and connect with the lake audience. Visitors can access these separately or through the website for up-to-the-minute information about Alabama Power reservoirs. 4. Email Alert System – Users can subscribe to daily emails communicating lake levels, generation schedules, news and updates from their preferred lakes. The new email system also delivers the most recent blog content to each user based on their lake preferences. In addition to providing the lake audience with a new platform for information, this digital system will help Alabama Power learn how to better serve them. "We live in a time where our customers have more choices for news and entertainment, where we can no longer rely solely on traditional media to reach them," said John Hudson, vice president of Public Relations and Charitable Giving. "This platform enables us to provide customers with information in a variety of ways, using new technology to reach them." — ALLISON WESTLAKE " T H I S I S A B I G L E A P F O R WA R D I N P R O V I D I N G I N F O R M AT I O N P E O P L E WA N T I N T O D AY'S O N -T H E - G O W O R L D." — M AT T B OW D EN, V ICE P R ESID EN T O F EN V IR O N M EN TA L A FFA IR S AT A L A B A M A P OW ER

• Cover