BY REBECCA PALMER

Clipper Editor

BOUNTIFUL — The UTOPIA fiber-optic network is giving away free T-shirts and offering four prizes for posting 60-90 second videos about the service on Youtube.com.

The “I am UTOPIA” contest at utopianet.org/contest is part of an effort to bolster social media efforts, said Jason Russell. who was hired in June as spokesman for the municipally owned service.

The contest also a way for the network to start telling positive stories about the real effects of fast internet to users, and therefore to shift the conversation away from the organization’s ongoing political and financial troubles. Russell said.

The first prize will be either a 42-inch LED TV or 16 GB WiFi iPad 2, and will be decided by user “likes.” At least 50 videos must be submitted to make this prize available.

All entrants, who need not be UTOPIA subscribers, will receive the free shirt.