Government agencies still shy to use social media tools. Most of them slowly and cautiously step into the virtual world. Recent statistics show that more than half of all government agencies use social websites. The majority of them decided to board the social media ship in order to establish a better connection with public and spread awareness about their services and initiatives.
However, many of government agencies are skeptical about social platforms. They worry that sharing on social websites can cross the line of confidentiality. As a result, governments around the world use social media mostly to spread news on daily basis.
The most popular platforms among government agencies include Facebook, Twitter and blogs. In this article we will focus on how government agencies can use these online platforms.
This social network is used almost by all government agencies. They prefer it because of its many features and tools. Agencies post updates concerning different projects, as well as some breaking news. In addition, government agencies like to use Facebook because the network allows them to share unlimited number of videos and photos. In that way, the agencies don’t need to create an account on other social platforms which are developed only for media uploading and sharing.
Compared to Facebook, Twitter is less preferred by government agencies. The first drawback that they find about this social website is the instant communication and feedback. Twitter users engage faster and easier than those in FB. If a government agency tweets something by a mistake, it will quickly reach many people and possibly the media too. Even if agencies quickly delete the unwanted message, the damage would be already done.
Another reason why Twitter is not that popular among government agencies is because, unlike Facebook, it is less visual and less media-friendly.
But despite all that there are still many agencies that tweet. That is due to the large number of people who use this social network.
Blogs
Government agencies use blogs to publish more detailed news and updates. Then they share the blog posts in the social networks. Gov agencies make the more major announcements on this social channel. Also, they often post special press releases on their blogs.
It is curious to see whether government agencies will continue to use social media. Are the risks more than the benefits? Not if governments use social media wisely.
*By New Media Group – the most powerful independent content marketer and social media services provider in Dubai and the wider region. The firm publishes www.dubaichronicle.com, www.bride-wedding.info and it is preparing the launch of www.abudhabichronicle.com. For inquiries, please write to Info@newmediagroup.biz.
