The city of Takeo in Saga prefecture, Japan has decided that it will use a Facebook page as the website of the city government. That’s a pretty big commitment to a social media platform that may or may not be gaining traction in Japan, isn’t it?
But not so fast. Upon closer inspection you’ll notice that the page, located at Facebook.com/takeocity, is more or less just a wrapper for the content still hosted from the old Takeo city website. The cities original URL, city.takeo.lg.jp, now redirects to the Facebook page though, so clearly city officials want their citizens to go there. But why?
Well, much like the city of Rockville, Maryland moved its newspaper to Facebook in the hopes of being “where the people are,” so too does Takeo get a “built-in audience” as a result of this shift. Of course, given that Facebook is relatively new to Japan, it’s a much smaller one.
But the social layer that Facebook provides already seems to be engaging the public, as updates (sent automatically via the RSS Graffiti app) are being liked and discussed . Photos and other media are being posted, as Facebook provides the infrastructure for that as well. The website could enable significant reach for tourism campaigns too.
According to PC World, some users expressed concerns over Facebook’s
real identity policy. But the city’s mayor Keisuke Hiwatashi pointed out one obvious benefit:
When people give their opinions or ask questions, they should take responsibility for this as adults, and this should be done using their real names.
The page reportedly cost 630,000 yen or about $8200 to create (Eat that, Malaysian Government!). Lets stay tuned and see if there are any other cities who follow.
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
