„WE WANT TO KNOW HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGES THE WORLD”

CHISINAU, March 14. Journalists, bloggers, responsible persons for public relations and government communicators participate in a seminar with the topic “Using social networking (Social Media) to ensure a transparent and accountable Government”. The training, organized by the e-Government Center, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, is moderated by Jana Hrdinova, specialist at the Center for Technology in Government of the University at Albany in New York.

The issues addressed within the event include effective communication with the public, engaging audiences, using social networks to promote the institutions, ensure an open, transparent and accountable government.

Jana Hrdinova spoke about the types of social networks and the impact of new media platforms. She made an example of using social media by American governments which were convinced of their usefulness after seeing that they can instantly communicate with the citizens, especially with the young.

“If you want to make a new law known to young people, for example, you don’t have to publish press releases, but you need to use social networks like Facebook or Twitter to announce it. On the other hand, by using social networks, you engage citizens in the government process, you bring them closer to the state institutions, and thus they can contribute to improving policies”, Jana Hrdinova said.

Hrdinova recommended communicators always having a well defined plan when requesting the citizens’ opinions, in other words knowing what to do with them, how to use them in the government process. "Even if it is difficult to change the people’s opinions about the process while the number of the negative ones prevails, the citizens' opinions are valuable for the governing bodies because these always make them more responsible”.

“Social networks have lately become an essential tool of communication. There we find people, news, events, data. Journalists monitor the processes and investigate social media. Communicators promote their institutions, conduct opinion polls and surveys. We all want to know the benefits and risks of our staying on social networks. How to interact effectively with the public and how to behave so as not to violate professional ethics. Our colleagues at the Center for Technology in Government, University at Albany, USA have extensive experience in the field. That is why we invited them to share it with us”, said Ilona Spataru, Communication Coordinator at Center for Electronic Government.

The participants in the event were also interested in the manner they can effectively use the resources offered by social media in their activity.

Elena Capatina, communication specialist at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection says that she wants to know more about the way how the audiences can be socially engaged.

“We want to know how social media changes the world”, blogger Maxim Pulber says. “It is important for us to know as much as possible in this issue. I hope to successfully punt into practice what we have learnt at the seminar”.

My presence here is due to the desire to find out why public institutions and politicians do not use social media to the maximum”, Arcadie Grosu from the NGO “Media Point” states. “Public institutions need such trainings to be closer to the citizens in order to provide information so that the citizens know about what the authorities do with a single click, without knocking their doors”.

I don’t think the journalists can deal today without their presence on social networks, the journalist Irina Ropot from the public TV channel Moldova 1 concludes: “We are there to inform us, monitor and exchange the views, that is why we need to know exactly how to behave properly on new media platforms”

The training “Using social networking (Social Media) to ensure a transparent and accountable Government” is the third event organized by the e-Government Center on Social Media and open government.

The Jane Hrdinova’s visit to Moldova takes place within the Programme of experts managed by the U.S. Embassy in Moldova, aimed at providing technical assistance in field of administration of social networks for e-Government Center.

The e-Government Center is responsible for developing and implementing e-Government Agenda through wide application of information technologies and communications. The institution aims to support the reform of the public sector, to improve the authorities’ performances and transparency of state institutions, to increase access to information and to promote digitized services (e-Services).

For more information, please contact the e-Government Center, contact person: Ilona Spataru, PR and Communications Coordinator, e-mail: ilona.spataru@egov.md, tel. 250-234, 250-544