People and places

BEST SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORT BY A NONPROFIT Hoogland Center for the Arts 420 S. Sixth St., 523-2787 Springfield’s Hoogland Center for the Arts arrived on the social media scene about a year ago, and they’ve really taken advantage of the ability to connect with fans instantly. They won “best social media effort by a nonprofit” this year, thanks in large part to Lara Lebeck, deputy executive director at Hoogland. With more than 1,600 “fans” and new posts all the time, the center’s Facebook page has become the easiest way to get information about the various activities within its walls. “Being a not-for-profit, we don’t have a lot of money to send mass mailings out,” Lebeck says. “Facebook is a great way to get a lot of messages out to a lot of people quickly. It’s been really exciting. We get a lot of feedback, and now we know what our patrons are saying.” Check them out at facebook.com/hooglandcenterforthearts, and watch for their upcoming Flickr and YouTube pages.