(This post was published on Pluggd.In on September 21, 2011).
A new media users manual for netas?**
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 that can be very useful for first-timers(that you’d expect Government departments to be).
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– 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.
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Identity: Always identify clearly who you are, what is your role in the department and publish in the first person.
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Two important aspects of social media are its:
– Viral characteristic
– Demand for instant gratification.
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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 havent 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?
