British Embassy launches social media service for Brits in Spain

Brits in Spain can now turn to Twitter and Facebook for information from the British Embassy

Now of course we all know that VIVA is the number one source of information for Brits living in or moving to Spain, but sometimes it helps to take a look at what the little guys are doing just to keep us on our toes.

And as it turns out, last week the British Embassy launched a concerted social media offensive for Brits in Spain, designed to impart essential information to the estimated 800,000 or so Brits who call Spain home…

The Embassy’s new Twitter and Facebook accounts will be regularly updated with the kind of information that is sure to prove occasionally useful for expat Brits. Such updates could include consular advice on what to do if you lose your passport for example, to more wide-ranging embassy information, such as new policies or government rulings that may affect Brits in Spain.

The Twitter handle is @BritsliveSpain, while on Facebook the page to follow is “Brits Living in Spain”. The new British ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, has also revealed details of his own Twitter account – @SimonManleyFCO – which will also be updated with official slices of information direct from the ambassador himself.

Following the announcement of the Embassy’s rather tech-savvy and proactive approach to sharing important information, Mr. Manley said: “These days, whether we are young or just young at heart, we are all going digital.

“Our new Facebook and Twitter channels are the perfect way for Brits living in Spain to get more information about the issues that matter, and to comment on them so that we can engage better with our nationals living abroad.

“I would really encourage Brits in Spain to search out our new channels, ‘like’ or ‘follow’ them, and reap the benefits of a new way of communicating with each other and with us.”

It is thought that the new channels – launched last week to coincide with the new ambassador’s inaugural visits to Barcelona, Alicante and Málaga – will also host open forums too, enabling Brits to discuss among themselves the issues that matter to them.

It’s a smart move from the British embassy. By making available to Brits information that may answer a number of questions they have, they are not only making life more stable, transparent and settled for Brits in Spain, but they will also offset a fair chunk of inquiries, the majority of which can be easily and swiftly answered via Twitter or Facebook.

Living as a British expat in Spain has its occasional challenges of course, so it’s great to know that the British government has identified the need to service an open dialogue with the hundreds of thousands of Brits for whom Spain is now home.