I enjoy using social media as a way to keep in touch with old friends and co-workers. I also find it the best way to keep up with what my grand and great grandchildren are doing.

There are very few rules for what one can post there. What may be posted is set by the person or group which sponsors a particular page, and in most cases there is no checking of facts or claims. For this reason, I do not recommend it for fact finding.

Instead, I use established media outlets and news sources which are, for the most part, reliable. There is always the possibility for editorial bias, so I usually check a question on two or more sites.

In Fountain Hills, we have two good sources, The Times and, perhaps best of all, the

Town’s website at fountainhillsaz.gov. It offers a nearly limitless opportunity to learn and keep in touch with what is happening, who is doing it, how much it costs, how I apply and where I can get the forms needed. Access is free and you can easily register as a user, which enables one to be kept informed with regular reports which you can sign up to receive. The website also has the complete Town budget as well as the reports for the state-required annual audits. Where appropriate, there is also a history of past financial events listed by year.

The Times encourages letters and is quite lenient as to content, but does edit or reject personal attacks or defamatory statements about a person or business. See the letters page for the complete policy language. Remember: Register, study the candidates and vote on Aug. 2.