State Department bureau spent $630,000 on Facebook 'likes'

[Macduff]

State Department officials spent $630,000 to get more Facebook "likes," prompting employees to complain to a government watchdog that the bureau was "buying fans" in social media, the agency's inspector general says.
The department's Bureau of International Information Programs spent the money to increase its "likes" count between 2011 and March 2013.
"Many in the bureau criticize the advertising campaigns as 'buying fans' who may have once clicked on an ad or 'liked' a photo but have no real interest in the topic and have never engaged further," the inspector general reported.
The spending increased the bureau's English-language Facebook page likes from 100,000 to more than 2 million and to 450,000 on Facebook's foreign-language pages.

State Department bureau spent $630,000 on Facebook 'likes' | WashingtonExaminer.com


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow. Those sequester cuts must have been devastating.

 

[Macduff]

So let me get this straight: the State Department couldn't adequately fund embassy security but they found money for this?

 

[slslady1]

not surprising. It's all about media now. Who can buy the best and most coverage.

 

[Djinn]

If you read the document, the project is considerably more involved than "Facebook likes."

 

[keymanjim]

Why does the state department have a facebook page? Why does any government agency have social media page?
Don't they have webpages of their own?

 

[Djinn]

Why does the state department have a facebook page? Why does any government agency have social media page?
Don't they have webpages of their own?

Many agencies use Facebook because it has built-in mail, notification, and calendar systems - plus lots of other features. It beats having to pay for such functionality.

 

[johnflesh]

Many agencies use Facebook because it has built-in mail, notification, and calendar systems - plus lots of other features. It beats having to pay for such functionality.

This is not accurate whatsoever. (the functionality statement) Such functionality has been around for years before Facebook for free. Ask Google.

 

[slslady1]

yet there is $630K spent on it?

 

[keymanjim]

Many agencies use Facebook because it has built-in mail, notification, and calendar systems - plus lots of other features. It beats having to pay for such functionality.

But, they keep BOTH!
We are paying for them to keep their own page AND for someone to monitor their facebook page.