Russian Authorities Embrace Skype And Video Calls
by
on May 04, 2009,
If you happened to think that Russia was kind of left behind in terms of internet development (same as I did myself - I have to admit), you will probably have to think again as today I have bumped into a pretty interesting example of how advanced our Russian authorities can be.
The news today is that one individual Russian government authority - the Federal Migration Service in Pskov, one of the Russian cities - is now making a huge step online by letting the officials carry out public service using video calls feature of Skype.
The service is in charge of all migration issues and usually there is a long line of people waiting for a chance to talk with the official in charge of their particular problem. Now the authorities will make it somewhat easier as part of the people will be able to have a discussion without waiting in a line of people - sitting behind of their computers with Skype installed.
The first such video session will take place on Wednesday and in the future applicants will be able to attend such sessions bimonthly, each session lasting an hour. To enjoy the power of a video talk to an official, you will have to submit a request online on their website. Such a request will result in an email notification containing the time assigned to you for a video call (which will not last longer than 10 minutes per one person).
The service is even generous enough to let everyone know from their official press release their Skype handle - so anyone can add them as a contact and bug them with their calls, text messages or video calls at just about any time, no matter if the time is right for a video call or not. Honestly, given how many people have reason to dislike the authorities, in particular those in charge of immigration issues, I think this is too brave of a step and the outcome is difficult to predict here.
Another problem here is that Russian authorities are known for their corrupt practices so it is no wonder that Russian people are already wondering if they will have to bribe the officials via Webmoney - a popular Russian analog of PayPal - instead of passing cash under the table at a face-to-face meeting.
But even if this is still a somewhat awkward step - given how the entire thing is arranged for and how little time people will have at these video conferences - I believe it is good for the country that the officials are willing to embrace such ideas: after all, eventually they will learn how to do everything right.
Via (in Russian)
