IRD cited for ‘effective use’ of Facebook

A Gartner analyst singled out the Inland Revenue Department for effectively using Facebook to inform people hit by the recent earthquake about tax relief, impact of a potential loss of tax records, changes in tax status and donation opportunities. #8220;This is a very good practice,#8221; says Andrea de Maio, of the Inland Revenue – Canterbury Earthquake Facebook page. #8220;No thrills and frills, no feedback allowed, no engagement for the sake of engagement, just a stream of very focused news and information of the kind one would expect from a revenue agency.#8221; Di Maio is a vice president at Gartner and his research focuses on the public sector particularly on e-government strategies and Web 2.0. #8220;A lot of government agencies around the world are using Facebook as a cooler (they wish!) alternative to their websites,#8221; Di Maio writes in a recent blog. #8220;As a consequence, the value added they provide is limited, which is reflected into low number of friends / followers and modest interaction.#8221; To comment on this article, please email the editor.

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