Indian External Affairs Minister tweets!
A news item in today's TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com) caught my attention. More than a news, as it was a view in the Editorial page, it upped my ante. According to this view, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, the newly appointed MOS External Affairs and a former Under- Secretary General, United Nations is a frequent user of the micro blogging site, Twitter. And this has ignited a debate worthy of views and counter views on the editorial page of the nation's no. 1 newspaper!
Though both the views agree some amount of risk is involved with this kind of communication, the liberal view feels that with restraint, state secrets can remain the same-secrets. The other, more conservative view is more harsh in its stance and casts a shadow over Tharoor's seriousness of his responsibility as an important minister.
This, to me, sounds ludicrous enough to pity the writer for her lack of enthusiasm to adapt to a changing universe. She goes to the extent to advice Tharoor to "So stop twittering, Tharoor. Just do the work you’ve been entrusted with. " As if Twittering will eat away all the precious time the External Ministry has! Either the writer is unaware of the fact that social networking sites are blocked from the ministry's network and that Tharoor uses his blackberry to tweet or she has some personal agenda to settle. Otherwise she won't sound as desperate as she does in condemning him.
I believe it is high time people understand Twitter as just another means of communication that saves you an incredible amount of time while keeping in touch with your friends and.... well followers. Just like an injudicious use of speech can put you in a spot, an indiscreet tweet can land you in a big smudge. Having said that, I am sure a person of the stature of Mr. Tharoor understands his responsibility more than the counter-view-writer seems to think.
Twitter has come up in the past year or so as one of the more prefered choice of interent users worldwide. Due to its stipulation of using 140 words or less for a message, it is easy on eyes, ears and mind. No wonder, youth in India too have embraced it with open arms. This is the diaspora Tharoor must be targeting at Twitter for striking a relation of transparency and new ideas. I am sure if more Indian ministers can come forward-with the help of bureaucrats- on social sites like Twitter, a whole new paradigm of Trust Marketing can take place which can go a long way in developing a strong Government-Public partnership. Such a relationship is highly desired in a democracy like India since only then we, as a nation, will be able to weed out corruption from the system. Mere responsibility without accountability will lead the nation nowhere.
I am positive about the enormous impact Social Networks can have over how we the people will like to be governed. I also aspire to see more transparency in our Government through open interactions and in my opinion, Twitter presents a great platform for the same. Panic buttons be damned.
For more on Social Networking Marketing, please visit http://www.sidtech.biz.
Though both the views agree some amount of risk is involved with this kind of communication, the liberal view feels that with restraint, state secrets can remain the same-secrets. The other, more conservative view is more harsh in its stance and casts a shadow over Tharoor's seriousness of his responsibility as an important minister.
This, to me, sounds ludicrous enough to pity the writer for her lack of enthusiasm to adapt to a changing universe. She goes to the extent to advice Tharoor to "So stop twittering, Tharoor. Just do the work you’ve been entrusted with. " As if Twittering will eat away all the precious time the External Ministry has! Either the writer is unaware of the fact that social networking sites are blocked from the ministry's network and that Tharoor uses his blackberry to tweet or she has some personal agenda to settle. Otherwise she won't sound as desperate as she does in condemning him.
I believe it is high time people understand Twitter as just another means of communication that saves you an incredible amount of time while keeping in touch with your friends and.... well followers. Just like an injudicious use of speech can put you in a spot, an indiscreet tweet can land you in a big smudge. Having said that, I am sure a person of the stature of Mr. Tharoor understands his responsibility more than the counter-view-writer seems to think.
Twitter has come up in the past year or so as one of the more prefered choice of interent users worldwide. Due to its stipulation of using 140 words or less for a message, it is easy on eyes, ears and mind. No wonder, youth in India too have embraced it with open arms. This is the diaspora Tharoor must be targeting at Twitter for striking a relation of transparency and new ideas. I am sure if more Indian ministers can come forward-with the help of bureaucrats- on social sites like Twitter, a whole new paradigm of Trust Marketing can take place which can go a long way in developing a strong Government-Public partnership. Such a relationship is highly desired in a democracy like India since only then we, as a nation, will be able to weed out corruption from the system. Mere responsibility without accountability will lead the nation nowhere.
I am positive about the enormous impact Social Networks can have over how we the people will like to be governed. I also aspire to see more transparency in our Government through open interactions and in my opinion, Twitter presents a great platform for the same. Panic buttons be damned.
For more on Social Networking Marketing, please visit http://www.sidtech.biz.
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