Earlier this month, the Government of India’s Ministry of IT & Communications released a social media strategy framework draft (pdf link). Given the GoI’s reputation as a laggard when it comes to technology, this was a bit of a surprise.
Some of the content of the document, though, is very pertinent and well-researched. In particular, it lists out common netiquette practices that can be very useful for first-timers(that you’d expect Government departments to be).
- As social media demands literally 24*7 interactions, some responsiveness criteria may be defined and a dedicated team may be put in place to monitor and respond.
- There should be congruence between responses on social media and traditional media.
- Identity: Always identify clearly who you are, what is your role in the department and publish in the first person.
Government organisations are exploring the use of social media for public engagements for disseminating information, policy making, recruitment, generating awareness, education etc. about public services. Therefore, Social Media may be used for:
- Seeking feedback from citizens
- Re?pronouncement of Public Policy
- Issue based as well as Generic interaction
- Brand Building or Public Relations
- Generating Awareness and education on National Action Plans and implementation Strategies
Of course, it’s one thing to list out principles (which have likely been researched from other sources on the web), and another to apply these.
As yet, we haven’t seen many examples of Government agencies using social media actively. True, there have been instances of active use (Delhi police, Census 2011, Indian Diplomacy) – yet, we have some way to go before we see widespread adoption by agencies.
What do you think? Does this justify the iPad that every Indian MP is getting (and will now consumer a lot of social media content)?
[Guest article by Shamanth Rao.]
Related: Avoid Yahoo/Gmail – Central Govt. to Officials
Insight: Government 2.0 – About Communication and Power [Future Forward]
