Today Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the green light for the video channel of the Federal Government on YouTube. As opener an integrated online dialog gives citizens the opportunity to ask questions to the chancellor directly.

The start is complimented by a video in which government spokesman Steffen Seibert calls on the public to participate in the dialog. From 19th October to 7th November citizens will have the possibility to use the channel to submit questions to the chancellor either online in text form or as video. YouTube users will vote on the questions, and from 14th November the top ten questions will be answered by the chancellor in a video interview.

]init[ is responsible for the concept, the design, and the implementation of the YouTube Brand Channel which has been created on behalf of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government that has been using this platform for the first time. The channel offers a variety of options to receive information on the Federal Government’s policies and to involve citizens.
Today, digital communication and transfer of information do not only happen on classical websites. More and more contents are produced for the publication in social networks and are directly communicated within them. Therefore it is the aim for up-to-date online communication to reach the users where you find them. With its engagement on YouTube as second Social Media Channel after twitter the Federal Government shows its willingness to use the new media for direct dialog.

www.youtube.com/bundesregierung bundles the videos of the Federal Government like for example the podcast, with which the Federal Chancellor broke new ground in digital government communication already in 2006. Furthermore ]init[ , in cooperation with the Press and Information Office, produces videos matching in form and content to the new YouTube environment. Current political topics are communicated on multimedia-basis and reportages make a glance through the keyhole on the work of the Federal Government possible. Amongst others you can accompany government spokesman Steffen Seibert during his daily work. The YouTube channel will be gradually further developed in the coming months and will also show videos of Federal Ministries.