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HK SAR Govt Needs More Staff to Manage Facebook Page |
| Source: |
www.futuregov.asia |
| Source Date: |
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 |
| Focus: |
Electronic and Mobile Government, Citizen Engagement, Internet Governance
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| Country: |
China |
| Created: |
Jan 13, 2011 |
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The Hong Kong government has been hiring more employees to manage the content of the Chief Executive’s Facebook profile and the massive bulk of feedback the page is receiving.
Two people have been recently hired specifically for these purposes, according to Ronald Chan, an advisor to the Hong Kong Chief Executive (CE, pictured).
Currently, the CE’s Facebook profile (www.facebook.com/UpperAlbertRoad) has 23,326 followers who are given free reign in commenting on status and video updates at the site.
“People do not realise the effort we take responding to public feedback,” said Chan.
Another challenge in using this form of social media is how to compete with other interesting alternatives for the public’s attention.
The moderators of the CE’s Facebook page, led by Chan, spend enormous amounts of time brainstorming on new ways to engage the public through the site.
“Managing CE’s Facebook profile and his other new media platforms now takes more than half of my time,” said Chan.
The Hong Kong government has called on the services of famous public figures to appear on videos posted on the site to make the discussion of public affairs more attractive to readers.
As expected, not all feedback posted on the site has been positive. The page has had its own share of criticisms and insults, but Chan expected this to happen upon its inception.
Chan said the site’s moderators let negative comments remain on the page because they may reflect the true interests of the public and the issues the administration may not be responding to adequately.
Chan said that the site has become essential to the administration for it has allowed citizens to gain “a better understanding of government policies” and to give instant reaction to government initiatives and public issues.
“With Facebook, we are able to communicate with the public far more quickly, far more directly and far more frequently than we used to,” he said.
The CE echoed this sentiment in his recent annual policy address, where he mentioned that the Hong Kong government will utilize new media to enhance interaction with the public and engage the community.
“We at the CE’s Office believe the use of social media is also inevitable for the government,” said Chan.
This approach has proven to be useful in actual instances in the past, as when the administration formulated a new housing scheme.
“Through the feedback from the followers of the Facebook page, the administration was able to know the concerns of the public, which was addressed by the CE in a succeeding video posted at the site.
While not all Hong Kong citizens are Facebook users, Chan credited the local media in helping spread the popularity of the CE’s page and its contents. In the future, the Hong Kong government plans to explore other modes of social media, such as the Sina Weibo, a microblogging tool.”
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HK SAR Govt Needs More Staff to Manage Facebook Page The Hong Kong government has been hiring more employees to manage the content of the Chief Executive’s Facebook profile and the massive bulk of feedback the page is receiving
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