Last April, we were thrilled to be able to say that 100,000 people out there liked us.

Specifically, they liked our Facebook page, which hopefully means they follow it for updates on road conditions, state transportation news and the occasional bird sighting.

But this past weekend was an equally exciting benchmark. Because not only are we now closing in on 110,000 likes, but also because Sunday marked a decade of our page.

That's right. Back on January 10, 2011 we created our page and a couple days later started putting things out there into the digital ether. You can see our first two posts to the right. They were put out within 30 minutes of each other, and were just plain text with no images. And, no one responded. Because our page was new and didn't have any followers, no one even knew we were posting!

But despite being maybe a bit unrefined compared to what you'll see today, you'll notice these first posts cover topics we still write about. Making sure drivers Know Snow is something of an annual wintertime mission for us. And we continue to want everyone to know how to access MVD services, including at AZ MVD Now.

Today, our Facebook page remains a go-to source for transportation news, major road closures and upcoming construction work. But we also make sure to sprinkle in dog sightings, construction photos, and fantastic photos from odd locations all around the state.

And, like all social media, it's where we have the best chance to interact with you – the traveling public. More than a few of your queries about seeing this-or-that while driving have been turned into blog posts, like this one from June 2011, only six months after our page started!

We won't venture a guess as to whether Facebook will eventually go the way of MySpace, Vine or Google Plus, but no matter what people are using a decade from now, we'll be there to help Arizona drivers arrive safely home. 

That and post about random saxophone players.

Around the country this week, traffic safety stakeholders are recognizing National Teen Driver Safety Week. Count the Arizona Department of Transportation among them.

Earlier this month, ADOT launched the distracted driving awareness campaign, “Distracted Drivers Terrify Me.” The campaign, especially the 30-second videos, was designed to reach a younger audience, including teen drivers. How many other distracted driving campaigns have you seen that feature a venomous snake handler or rodeo bullfighter? Check out all four videos at azdot.gov/terrify.

Let’s be honest: it’s not easy to engage people about safe-driving habits. Everyone knows it’s dangerous to speed, drive impaired or distracted. But people still do these things and they’re among the leading factors in fatal crashes every year. At ADOT, we try to come at these issues from unconventional angles. That’s one of the reasons we display quirky traffic safety messages on our overhead signs. We hope that by being a bit different, the message will resonate with drivers.

We’re trying something new with our distracted driving campaign. To help engage teens in the distracted driving conversation, we've created a couple ways they – or anyone – can contribute on social media. 

Instagram

Teens on Instagram can promote and participate in our campaign by adding a sticker to their stories that says, "Distracted Drivers are Terrifying." You can find ADOT Instagram stickers by searching “ArizonaDOT” on Instagram or visit our verified Giphy channel at giphy.com/ArizonaDOT. We also have video instructions on how to find and use stickers in our Instagram highlight named “Stickers.”

Facebook

To add a frame to your profile picture on a desktop computer:

1. Go to facebook.com/profilepicframes.
2. Click this link.  
3. Click "Change Picture" to save the frame to your profile.

To add a frame to your profile picture on a mobile device:

1. Click on this link. 
2. Click "Change Frame.”
3. Tap "Use as Profile Picture." 

ADOT's Facebook page has hit a big milestone as the 100,000th person has decided to click that "Like" button.

While being told someone new likes you is always a nice ego boost, what this represents is even better.

Because all those likes mean you see our page and posts as valuable, worth your time and helpful. And that's everything that those who oversee our social media accounts strive to be. While Twitter is our vehicle for immediate, up-to-date traffic information, Facebook is a great tool to get the word out about upcoming construction, highway closures and the latest transportation news. It's also a great space to share photos and videos, even our weekly "Where in AZ?" quizzes.

We've even been known to crack a joke or two and point out when we happened to catch a bird, or a dog or even a lightning strike on camera. 

There have been a lot of transportation-related posts up on our page over the years, but here are some of the highlights:

• Do dust storms make you wax poetic? Then you might remember early on when we held a Haboob Haiku contest on our social media channels to promote dust storm safety.
• We also had a puppy named "Dottie" in honor of us after employees at our Traffic Operations Center found the poor pup on State Route 51. Not only did they get her safely off the freeway, but the resulting attention from the posts on our social media led to her adoption as well.
• Of course, there was that one time on New Year's Day 2015 when we joked about maybe spotting a family of sasquatches along State Route 260 near Heber. 
• Speaking of New Year's Day, this message board from a couple years later really struck home, as it is now our most liked post ever.

So what's next? Well, there's a lot more to post about transportation and we'll keep doing it, just as long as you like.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

If you’ve been wondering why you haven’t received certain ADOT Facebook updates in your news feed, we have an answer: It’s Facebook, not us. What we mean is we’re still posting the usual helpful info, but due to a new Facebook algorithm that's been widely reported, you may not be seeing ADOT's updates as you had before.

This algorithm is prioritizing posts from friends and family over organizations such as ADOT. So if you want to make sure you’re seeing ADOT information no matter what, here's what you can do:

1. Head to the ADOT Facebook page and click on “Following.” It’s located right under our cover video.
2. After you click on “Following,” drop down to “See First” and make sure it’s check marked.
3. In that same drop down menu, under “Notifications,” make sure you have a check mark next to “On.”

We definitely aren't suggesting that ADOT's Facebook posts are more important than those of your family and friends. But we wanted you to know there is a way, should you want it, to make sure you see ADOT posts in your Facebook feed.

Of course, if you want customized notifications on your phone about major traffic incidents, download the ADOT Alerts app. You’ll received updates on major, unscheduled traffic incidents customized to your location at the time of the incident.

By Steve Elliott / ADOT Communications

As you can probably tell by this week's ADOT Blog blitz about our Twitter account, we're all quite excited about @ArizonaDOT surpassing 200,000 followers, far more than any other state agency in Arizona.

While we tweet and tweet and tweet in celebration, we also hope you like – and "like" – ADOT's Facebook page, facebook.com/AZDOT. Our Facebook likes have grown by leaps and bounds over the past year-plus to more than 50,000, and there's a reason for that: We're sharing more content, more images, more video, more posts to inform you not just about traffic conditions but all things ADOT.

If it's snowing in the high country and you'd do well to let our plows do their work before venturing north, we'll often share media from the scene, such as the picture above as well as the video below by Mark Trennepohl, ADOT's winter operations manager, who narrates as he documents conditions and the efforts of our plow drivers.

If State Route 88 is closed due to a boulder on the road, our Facebook page may show you that boulder with a dash of ADOT humor.

And you'll find Facebook-only features, such as Where in AZ on Sundays.

Our Facebook page is a perfect complement to ADOT's Twitter presence, allowing you to spend a little more time with posts and interact with others. If you don't already "like" us, please do. ADOT Facebook is well worth your time.