Social networking (SN) has become the new online rage. Blogs, wikis, feeds and social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.These social networks are useful they can be used to benefit the government by providing and creating ways to recruit, engage, connect and retain employees.
They can also provide an opportunity to facilitate strategic knowledge sharing across organizations and government agencies.
Several government agencies are taking advantage of these Web 2.0 tools for recruiting and talent management, as well as improving job performance. For example, Facebook as a method of attracting college students to apply for internships or jobs. The National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) created a Facebook network for employees to achieve better talent management as a way to share knowledge, build collaboration and improve employee engagement. Internal social media networks can facilitate staff feedback and the sharing of information.
Social Networking sites provide new opportunities to public in which they can make use of social networks for their benefit, like expressing their own opinions, find others with similar interests and experiences, and share and learn in a virtual environment.
Artists can debut albums, film-makers showcase their creations, anybody can sell whatever they wish, advertise local events, things to do and places to go, share viral videos…
Young people want to express themselves, are socially highly interactive and mobilize around issues very quickly for example; the ongoing crisis of the Arabic countries is the results of these social networks
There are some great examples of innovative use of social media in public services, including the highly-regarded Patient Opinion site but there are growing signs that social media is beginning to be used by more public bodies for staff communication and collaboration.
As a Source of information, social media can be used to assess the reaction of the audience on particular issues/ burning issues due to the fact that people they air their views in various forums. For example Jamii forum; through that, the journalist can make an analysis on a certain issue which is burning ones, so through these various and continuous day to day programmed journalist had access and opportunity to analyze the contribution ideas, feelings, opinions or suggestion of public which later on can improve media content.
To conclude we say that, we have seen that Social networking (SN) which comprises Blogs, wikileaks, Twitter, Face book and LinkedIn have become the new online rage. Moreover have provided creative ways to recruit, engage, connect and retain employees. They have also laid down importance overview by providing an opportunity to facilitate strategic knowledge sharing across organizations and government agencies. Due to these facts both Government and journalist should take strong measure to provide more encourage to the public on the basis of use of these SN as among of one way of freedom of expression process. This will create many ideas outlets which is crucial from various perspectives from public and later on work on it.
These SN will provide more widely knowledge to be available, encourage selective exposure processes whereby people search for information which is consistency with their existing views. This may turn result in creation and strengthening of homogeneous groups. But, also government should keep in touch with these SN so that they are used in the way that they promote civility, social capital and democracy participation rather than political alienation and extremism.
Students from Tumaini university
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Dar es Salaam
