Photo credit – Elshad Asafov – Atlas Engineering

 

The BBC’s service in Azerbaijani, BBC Azərbaycanca, has expanded its reach with the launch of a dedicated channel on WhatsApp.  The Xəbərin olsun! (Be in the know!) account is open to Azerbaijani-speakers, wherever they are, from 14 November 2017.

 

To join the group, users need to add +447548711235 to their WhatsApp contacts list and send a message simply saying “BBC”.  The BBC will then contact them with the terms and conditions of using the channel.

 

Around 60% of the traffic to the website bbcazeri.com comes from social media.  BBC Azərbaycanca Editor, Konul Khalilova, comments:  “Via this new chatapp channel we will deliver news stories that inspire and engage our audience.  We already see a growing following on Instagram – a platform of choice for young women – and our engagement rate on Facebook is also quite high. We will do our best to make our new channel a popular addition to Azerbaijani-speakers’ social-media habits.”

 

BBC Azərbaycanca connects with its social-media audiences on Facebook (with weekly Facebook Lives), Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.  Bringing the BBC’s coverage of global and regional events and developments, the service puts the developments in Azerbaijan and the wider region in the global perspective and offers a special focus on international developments which affect Azerbaijan and the region.

 

BBC Azərbaycanca is part of the BBC World Service.

(Source: BBC press release)