This hilarious hokkien music video “Jiak Pa Buay” shows how storytelling is used digitally by Singapore Government (courtesy of Gov.SG YouTube)
How does the public sector use digital and social media marketing? Which government agencies are leading on the digital front?
Before we get there, do you know that Singapore was ranked no 3 in the United Nation’s annual survey of e-Government initiatives in 2014 (after South Korea and Australia)?
Courtesy of The Straits Times
Today, 1st of September, is Nomination Day for Singapore’s 17th parliamentary elections.
Also known as the General Elections 2015 (GE 2015), a total of 89 parliamentary seats were up for grabs. They are divided into 16 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 13 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs).
Between 11 am and 12 noon today, electoral candidates from the nine political parties as well as independent candidates have filed their nomination papers at the nine Nomination Centres located around the island.
By now, everybody agrees that the Internet is the biggest and most disruptive force in the 21st century. It switches our world order and democratises power like nothing before.
Every aspect of our lives – the information we consume, the governments we vote for, the way we work, the way we learn, and the way we enjoy – is influenced by the Web.
Want to play a part in shaping how government can better serve you through social technologies? Got a burning desire to change the delivery of essential services? Why not participate in the first ever Singapore GovCamp?
Taking place on 19th Jan (Wed) on NUS Campus, Singapore GovCamp hopes to “connect the Government with the general public and private sector to communicate, collaborate and co-create government citizen services, improving and expanding citizen engagement and empowerment.” Its the first time that such a platform has been mooted so I guess it should be pretty interesting.
Came across this interesting post by Seth Godin on his experience in applying for a VISA at the Indian Consulate. Totally agree with Godin that little touches like this make a world of difference to the way people perceive a country before they travel there for whatever purposes. I guess this is why in branding and marketing, every single customer touchpoint matter, right from the start (warm welcome) of the experience till the end (fond farewell).
“..Many of the chairs are broken, leaving sharp steel platforms on which to crouch. And there aren’t enough chairs, broken or not. The signs are confusing, the two clerks are protected by a sheet of glass a full inch thick (which is twice the thickness of a typical bank’s) and the little machine that dispenses deli-style tickets is broken.
Fixing the consulate would be easy. I’d start by putting in phone lines to a call center in India and making it easy for anyone waiting to get questions answered by a helpful person with plenty of time to invest in the conversation. I’d buy some comfortable chairs. I’d invite airlines and hotels to have brochures or even better, a booking agent right there in the waiting area. I’d hire seven more clerks. And I’d definitely lose the glass.
The more important issue is this: this is a business. They take in more than $20,000 a day in fees, but even more important, the way they market themselves has a direct and important impact on travel decisions. No visa, no trip. Big hassle, no trip. Given that every single person traveling to this vast country must deal with the consulate first, think of the leverage… Just a small influence on the quantity or quality of travel to India would be huge.”