MEA Launches Facebook App To Integrate Its Social Media Handles.
The External Affairs Ministry of the Government of India newly introduced an app that brings websites and various social media handles of over 170 Indian missions on a common platform. The initiative (app) that is aimed at increasing the ministry’s public outreach, has been established in cooperation with Facebook, will help people link with Indian missions abroad and the Ministry of External Affairs through a range of social media platforms without having to access individual websites.
"The app is a one-stop shop to find social media handles twitter, YouTube and websites of all Indian missions abroad," said External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
Speaking on the occasion, Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director of Facebook for India and South and Central Asia, said no "terrorist contents" are allowed by Facebook as it does not allow valourisation of terror.
The MEA uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Gplus, Soundcloud, Flickr to reach out to people as part of its social media engagement. People through the app can just tap on the map of the country to get access to all social media platforms of the mission rather than searching for websites, twitter, and Facebook pages handle of individual missions.
Ankhi Das said the launch of the app is an example of "consumerization of foreign policy", putting power in people's hand.
Talking about the power of Facebook, she said: “100 million hours of video gets posted to it every day, while the number of average posts is a staggering 2.3 trillion”. She said Facebook has over 155 million users in India.
Swarup said “the app, hosted on Facebook pages of MEA and Indian Diplomacy, will help people in distress to contact the missions without any hassles. "I think it is also in sync with the activism that our Foreign Minister herself has shown on Twitter where every night she reaches out to people who send out their messages (for help)," said Swarup.
Source: NDTV
Source: NDTV