Government of India uses Facebook to Promote Census 2011

In a bid to raise awareness amongst the population, the Government of India had taken the initiative to launch a Census 2011 Facebook page.

The page does not only promote Census 2011. It also allows people across the country to discuss and converse with officials. I particularly like how the message was simply communicated: “You count therefore we count.”

The page has been in operation for a week and has gotten more than 500 fans so far. These are not the fans that have come via contests or free deals. They are people who care about the country and are here to make a difference (at least in my opinion). The feedback has been great so far.

“A very innovative way to reach out to youngsters… hats off to u guys,” said Shweta Rathour a fan of Census 2011.

Another fan, Swati Bhatnagar said, “I really appreciate the work done by the government. It really feels nice that whole India will be a part of Census and understand its importance. Good source to reach GenX […] and also a very good way to reach every household through children. All of us should support such a tremendous effort taken by the officials and come forward to help and do our bit.”

Varsha Joshi, director, Census Operations, Delhi, revealed that the page is being monitored by the officials so that they can respond to queries via comments and post information to generate conversations. With almost 20 million Facebook users in India, the social networking site becomes a natural choice to engage with the population.

Joshi said, “I keep the page open when I am in office and follow the queries. I answer them and post information that may be of interest to the visitors. Other officers, too, keep track and post their comments there.”

She said that Facebook is being increasingly accessed by the youth and the upwardly mobile section of the society, and it was necessary to reach out to them. “The census page attempts to take away the indifference among people and make them understand why it is so important to be counted. That is why there are posts giving out information about the census,” Joshi added.