Public servant scrambling to follow the Narendra Modi-led government’s diktat for all ministries to open official Facebook ,Twitter and YouTube accounts are sarcastically turning to a set of guidelines issued by the previous government to brush up their social networking skills.
The new government at the Centre has asked officials to use the guidelines for social media drawn up in 2012 by the department of electronics and information technology as the ministries rush to meet the deadline of August to embrace social media.
Every ministry is setting up a team of three-four officers which will deal with a social media cell, with a nodal officer who will be in-charge of posting updates on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, said a senior government official.
According to the officials, the ministries will update their social media platforms with new content at least once every week.
He further said that this would be “institutionalized” by integrating it with the existing communication structure.
The guidelines issued under the Congress-led UPA government had “encouraged” all government departments to use social media while only the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the external affairs ministry had a presence on Twitter at the time.
Though, no other ministry obliged. This is set to change under the Modi government. “The government’s work needs to be amplified through social media,” the official said.
The ministry of home affairs has already joined the social bandwagon with the twitter handle @ HMOIndia and the PMO posted thumbs up message on YouTube also by releasing a video on its one month in office last week.
As per the guidelines, all accounts must be created and operated in official capacity only and as social media demands round-the-clock interactions, some criteria for responsiveness must be defined and a loyal team put in place to monitor and act in response.
“There should be congruence between responses on social media and traditional media,” the guidelines say.
The guidelines specify that “not all posts/comments“by others need to be responded to immediately and individually.”
Furthermore, wherever a response is required all posts should be kept short and to the point. Relevant provisions of IT Act 2000 and RTI Act must be adhered to. All significant occasions as far as possible may be broadcast using social media.