Abstract

There are multiple communication tools to cultivate relationships between governments and the public. Thanks to the development of new technologies, social media has become one of the most significant tools of communication because it allows for interactivity between the two. As such, governments are increasingly using social media tools to connect with their citizens, and by doing so, they can build positive relationships which are crucial for public relations. This study will examine Turkish governmental communication strategies that cultivate positive relationships with their publics on social networking sites by conducting a content analysis. Overall, Turkish metropolitan municipalities used relationship cultivation strategies on their Facebook pages. However, some of them were more commonly used than others although metropolitan municipalities generally focused on publishing information that was not enough to draw and maintain attention. Therefore, metropolitan municipalities need to focus on developing interactivity on their social networking sites.