Government getting social media communication going

Old President Nelson Mandela's (93) health scares this weekend send Twitter into overdrive. South African officials made savvier use of social media to keep the world informed on the global icon's latest medical condition.ttp://twitter.com/#!/sapresident

"It's a sign of a modern government embracing a modern era. The government has been more organised this time, and their social media activities are an example of that," said Matthew Buckland, publisher of South African technology trend site Memeburn.

"By the presidency breaking the news themselves and releasing the statement on Twitter, people followed by retweeting the presidency's statement and referring back to this as the original source of the news," he said.

What I find interesting, and relevant, is the mental exercise – thinking back four to five years, before Facebook, Twitter and social media and we will realise how those mediums have, and continue, to radically change the relationship between government and citizens.

When we consider how the government treated Mandela’s hospitalised last year for a respiratory infection, a virtual news blackout sparked panic in a public relations blunder for those handling the legacy of one of the world's best-known people.(http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Nelson-Mandela-Security-stepped-up-at-hospital-20110126)

We can this time around argue that the presidency took control, announcing his admission and giving an update, it is about realizing that your voters might just be a step ahead!