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Innovations in Foreign Policy

The Consulate General of Germany in New York hosted a Digital Diplomacy meetup event yesterday featuring Andreas Sandre in discussion with Mashable's Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff. Andreas presented the main ideas in his newly released book - Digital Diplomacy: Innovations in Foreign Policy, and Lance asked some tough questions regarding the nature of diplomacy and how digital is shaping its future. 

(Andreas and Lance looking dapper)

One of the main takeaways was the potential for big data as it applies to everything - from how countries can help citizens to how governments can help other governments through tools built from collecting, analyzing and sharing big data sets. Andreas also describes this as the road to "Digital Diplomacy 3.0". If "Diplomacy 2.0" was about "Transformational Diplomacy" in real-time then its next-gen version is about collaboration and working together across sectors to explore how digital technologies (beyond social tools) can make a positive impact on diplomacy and shape the future of diplomatic trade craft.  

(View of the UN from the German Consulate) 

I had the pleasure of first meeting Andreas in 2012, shortly after I began working as a practitioner. The idea of Digital Diplomacy was fairly new at the time (after all, it usually takes about 5 years for the public sector to catch up to developments in the private sector, as Lance was quick to point out in the discussion). Andreas was, and has since been, one of the leading influencers in this space. I eagerly read his white-paper-turned-book, Twitter for Diplomats, published online by the DiploFoundation and this very tumblr was inspired by Andreas himself. During our first meeting in Georgetown, I mentioned that I was saving a lot of articles on the subject of Digital for Diplomacy and he encouraged me to share them on tumblr, which I eventually did a few months later. Therefore, this "curated repository of knowledge on digital diplomacy" is largely thanks to Andreas and his e-diplomacy blog!

(Posing with Andreas)

I've also had the pleasure of meeting Lance previously, when I worked in the private sector (which now seems like a lifetime ago!). During Social Media Week 2012, I helped to organize a panel on "Social Sharing and the Art of Doodling" featuring Lance (an avid doodler), Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), Bettina Korek (For Your Art), Erin Sparling (Wall Street Journal), Doug Jaeger (School of Visual Arts), and moderated by Jessica Lawrence, Managing Director of the New York Tech Meetup. Lance was a great addition to that panel and it was wonderful to see him speak again, this time in conversation with Andreas. 

(Andreas and Lance in discussion)

Many thanks again to the team at the German Consulate for organizing this event, and to the speakers, and of course, also to the attendees from the Digital Diplomacy Meetup. We had representatives from governments across Europe, the US State Dept, and Asia, and it was a real treat to see that interest in this topic continues to grow. 

(Pictured with my counterparts from Denmark and Canada!)

I'm looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for "Digital Diplomacy 3.0". Though my professional development has been focused on social media as a tool for public diplomacy, I am personally excited to see how digital in all its forms will continue to shape society, and by extension governments. 

Check out the German Consulate's Storify to see mentions of last night's event!

And if anyone has an idea for an upcoming Digital Diplomacy Meetup or Digital Diplomacy Coalition event in NYC, please feel free to reach out! 

#digital diplomacy #german consulate #andreas sandre #lance ulanoff

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Digital diplomacy: UN’s Department of Political Affairs in 140-character bursts

The Department of Political Affairs’ presence on social media is relatively new but clearly growing. DPA joined Twitter, the platform that now counts the vast majority of the UN’s 193 Member States as participants, in 2012. The Department, along with the ever greater number of government officials active on Twitter, are all staking a distinct claim in the burgeoning digital diplomacy universe.

As the DPA Twitter account nears 100,000 followers, Politically Speaking looks at how some in the UN use this powerful platform.

Read More

#DPA #UN #twitter #social media #digital diplomacy #united nations

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Contest and conquest: Russia and global internet governance #igcbp15

As I begin to prepare for my online course in Internet Governance with the DiploFoundation, I have begun to seek out articles on how IG is impacting diplomacy and foreign affairs. Recently, I came across this paper by JULIEN NOCETTI published in International Affairs Volume 91,  Issue 1, pages 111–130, January 2015. I thought it was worth the share. The full text can be found on Wiley Online Library.

Contest and conquest: Russia and global internet governance

BY JULIEN NOCETTI

Article first published online: 15 JAN 2015

DOI: 10.1111/1468-2346.12189

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-2346.12189/full

ABSTRACTION (excerpt):

For more than a decade, Russia's foreign policy has sought to challenge the international consensus on a number of issues. Today, as the international internet ecosystem is becoming more volatile, Moscow is eager to shift the western narrative over the current global internet governance regime, in which the United States retains considerable leverage. In a context wherein states increasingly forge links between cyberspace and foreign policy, this article explores Russia's deepening involvement in internet governance.

An excerpt from the article:

"This growing politicization of ‘all things digital’ illustrates three major current trends. First, many governments are attempting to exert sovereignty in cyberspace in the same way as they do in physical domains. The fact that private companies are dominant in this complex ecosystem is unsettling to many policy-makers, as is the unfettered internet access of their fellow citizens.

Second, governments are struggling to keep up with the pace of technological change, with technology evolving faster than law-making efforts; this disparity is calling into question the very nature of the Westphalian nation-state and its capacity to adapt to current challenges, leading to a profound reconfiguration of government-to-government and government-to-citizen relationships in the twenty-first century.

Third, there is a developing sense, underpinned by demographic factors, that the internet environment is quickly becoming more international and less western-centric. Over the next decade, the internet’s centre of gravity will shift to the east and south. Even in 2012, 66 per cent of internet users were living in the non-western world, and the number of users across the globe is expected to rise  from 1.9 billion in 2010 to 3 billion by 2016. But there are also profoundly political factors involved: an increasing number of governments are no longer comfortable with the current system of internet governance and are seeking to challenge the historical dominance of the United States in the cyber domain."

In conclusion...

"This article illustrates an unquestionable trend: internet governance has become an increasingly divisive foreign policy issue."

READ THE FULL TEXT HERE

Julien Nocetti 112 International Affairs 91: 1, 2015 Copyright © 2015 The Author(s). International Affairs © 2015 The Royal Institute of International Affairs.

#internet governance

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#SocialUN recaps & video

The UN's first-ever Social Media Day was a huge success. Congrats to the Department of Information's Social Media Team on such an amazing event! More than 9,000 tweets (and counting) used the #SocialUN hashtag.

You can now watch the five sessions online here.

Keynote address by Adam Snynder

Tweeting from the top: Ambassadors and digital diplomacy

Making the most of social media platforms

Turning moments into movements

Social media trends for 2015

Check out the UN's Storify summarizing online activity from #SocialUN and see more at: http://blogs.un.org/blog/2015/02/03/recap-from-un-social-media-day/#sthash.B2fnBG3s.dpuf

#social media #un #united nations #new york #nyc #digital diplomacy #socialUN

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Interested in #DigitalDiplomacy? Tune in Friday for #SocialUN!

UN Social Media Day:

schedule and more

REPOST FROM UN BLOG Posted on January 26, 2015

The first “UN Social Media Day” will take place at UN Headquarters in Conference Room 3 on Friday 30 January 2015. All are invited to join the conversation online by using the hashtag of the day: #SocialUN!

Anyone with a UN grounds pass is welcome to stop by for one session or to stay for a full  day of panel discussions and briefings by high-profile speakers about the constantly changing social media landscape.

The event aims to provide participants with new knowledge and inspiration, as well as acting as a working guide to the exciting – and sometimes challenging – social media environment.

During three panel sessions, social media professionals, digital diplomacy practitioners, academics, and experts will share their experiences, discuss trends, showcase best-practices, and provide insights into their work.

The event will be opened by Maher Nasser, Acting Head of the Department of Public Information, followed by a keynote speech delivered by Adam Synder of Burson-Marsteller on the results of the latest “Twiplomacy” study.

The three panels will be:

“Tweeting from the Top: Ambassadors and Digital Diplomacy”

“Making the Most of Social Media Platforms,”

“Social Media Trends for 2015”

Three short talks will also take place showing how three different organisations have used the power of digital media to create online movements through strategic storytelling and community generated content.

A detailed programme with information on all panels and presentations can be found here.

To answer your questions about the use of social media, “Social Media Medics” will be available on-site to answer one-on-one questions. There will also be a chance to get a professional profile picture taken and meet staff members working on social media accounts at the UN throughout the day’s event.

While the event is primarily aimed at a UN audience, all panels and sessions will be webcast live via UN Webcast and on the UN YouTube channel.

This one-day event is jointly organised by the UN Department of Public Information’s Social Media Team, the Consulate General of Canada, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, the New York Chapter of the Digital Diplomacy Coalition, the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, and the Consulate General of Switzerland.

- See more at: http://blogs.un.org/#sthash.e5WvUx12.QE5JH8wn.dpuf

#social media #digital diplomacy #united nations #UN #new york #socialUN

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Top 10 #PublicDiplomacy Stories of 2014 from @PublicDiplomacy

As Published by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Top 10 Public Diplomacy Stories of 2014: CPD's Picks

Jan 14, 2015

1.    The Rise of Digital Warfare Digital communication technologies were an increasingly potent weapon in global conflicts this year: supporters of both Israel and Hamas took to social media to galvanize their virtual troops, a Twitter-based hashtag battle arose between the U.S. and Russia after recent events in Ukraine, and ISIS employed social media for recruiting purposes while the U.S. waged social media campaigns against them.

2.    The Pope’s Progress Pope Francis had a busy 2014. He continued to make headlines with his progressive speeches denouncing homophobia and racism, helped broker peace between the U.S. and Cuba, and attempted to mend relations between Israel and Palestine in his landmark trip to the Middle East.

3.    Cuba in the Spotlight Cuba took the lead with its pioneering “Ebola diplomacy,” in which Cuban medical professionals hit the ground in West Africa before help arrived from any other nation. The Cuba-U.S. rapprochement in December was the cap to a remarkable year.

4.    China’s New Silk Road More indication of China’s expanding global footprint: the unveiling of two ambitious economic diplomacy initiatives, known as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Through these efforts the Xi administration envisions expanded ties with China’s neighbors.

5.    The Grand Games 2014’s FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics offered opportunities for host countries (Brazil and Russia, respectively) to raise their global profiles. Both countries faced significant domestic and international challenges in their efforts to host the games; the resulting media attention appeared to be mixed, or fleeting at best.

6.    The First U.S.-Africa Summit The inaugural gathering of U.S. and African leaders took place in Washington over the course of three days this past summer, sending a strong signal of deepening diplomatic and economic engagement between the U.S. and African nations.

7.    Revival of Russia’s Media Machine Russia launched Sputnik–not a space satellite, but a multimedia news outlet with a global reach. Alongside RT (Russia Today), Sputnik represents Russian efforts to provide international audiences with a counterpoint to Western media narratives.

8.    Malaysia’s Crisis Management The two Malaysian Airlines disasters offered case studies in the public handling (or mishandling) of international tragedy, highlighting the need to manage crises through multinational collaboration in an increasingly global context.

9.    Germany, More Popular Than Ever With a growing role in European and global affairs, Germany’s public appeal led it to a new ranking at the top of the 2014 Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index. Victory at the FIFA World Cup added to the nation’s soft power appeal.

10.    Modi's Savvy Global Outreach Since Narendra Modi came into office, his public diplomacy efforts have been tireless and exemplary. Dubbed India’s “Fast Track Diplomacy,” Modi’s international visits and use of social media have raised India’s profile on the world stage.

In February, CPD will publish its Annual Review of Public Diplomacy, a full report and analysis of last PD trends in 2014.

METHODOLOGY: On a daily basis, CPD aggregates English-language public diplomacy (PD News) stories from around the world. This year, we collected more than 2,433 stories which were subsequently used to identify the major public diplomacy events of 2014. To select the top ten, we convened a panel of international experts and asked each to choose the most significant PD stories of 2014 from a list of 50. From the panelists’ choices, we ranked the top 10 stories based on the number of votes, comments, and global PD significance.

To narrow our list of 2,433 stories to 50, we took into account the following factors: the frequency of the story’s coverage in various news sources, the implications of the public diplomacy event, the credibility of sources, and the frequency of an actor’s participation in public diplomacy activities (either as the initiator or receiver of public diplomacy). CPD staff then reviewed the stories to ensure that the full spectrum of PD content across the broadest geographical regions was represented and that they included various types of PD initiatives (cultural, governmental, non-state activities, etc.).

#public diplomacy

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Top Digital Diplomacy Moments in 2014

#twiplomacy #digital diplomacy #world leaders #foreign affairs #digital

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#DigitalDiplomacy @Tumblr

Looking forward to tonight's event at Tumblr for the official launch of the Digital Diplomacy Coalition New York chapter! It seems we're having issues with the livestream but a video will be available after the event for those who can't join us this evening. Follow #DigitalDiplomacy and #DDCNYC on Twitter!

Upcoming Trends in Digital Diplomacy

Join us at Tumblr in New York for a panel discussion to explore trends in digital diplomacy to predict where we are heading and how technology is impacting international relations and international organizations.

RSVP Here

Tuesday, 28 October, 6pm-8pm

Tumblr 35 E 21st Street 10th Floor  New York, NY 10021

Panelists: 

Jim Rosenberg – Chief of Digital Strategy, UNICEF

Liba Rubenstein – Director of Strategy and Outreach, Tumblr

Emily Parker – Digital Diplomacy Advisor and Senior Fellow, New America Foundation and author of Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices From the Internet Underground

Moderator:  Carne Ross – Founder, Independent Diplomat and former British diplomat

Opening Remarks by Canadian Consul General John F. Prato will begin promptly at 6:15PM. A networking reception will follow the panel discussion.

Please RSVP by 27 October.

#digital diplomacy #tumblr #ddc #ddcnyc

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Tumblr’s low budget infomercial on net neutrality! Read our comments to the FCC here. 

#internetslowdown #net neutrality #fcc

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#DigitalDiplomacy, @DigiDiplomats & the #DDCNYC

In the summer of 2012, I started the Digital Diplomacy New York Meetup. I had spent the previous months at work researching the digital strategies of different foreign ministries. After meeting comms teams at the various consulates, I realized that while there was an interest and a desire to share best practices for digital diplomacy, no such network existed.

The UN system had digital technology working groups but many of the Consulate Generals had never met with each other to discuss how they use social media as a tool for public diplomacy. So I set out to establish the meetup (coincidentally "on brand" for the Swiss to bring everyone together), and we hosted our first event with featured speaker Ryan Davis, former Social Media Director at Blue State Digital. Since then, we've grown to over 70 group members from over 17 member-states and have invited speakers from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Google + for workshops and discussions.

In many ways, the Digital Diplomacy Meetup was inspired by the Digital Diplomacy Coalition in Washington. Through my research, I had heard of the organization and had reached out to the founding members for insight into each of their embassies social media policies. We had entertained the idea of a chapter in New York but it wasn't until recently that the dream became a reality.

This month I am thrilled to announce that the DDC New York Chapter is officially launching in October 2014. We are organizing an informal "pre-launch" happy hour at Hopsoda  (next to the Bohemian National Hall / Czech Consulate) with the Digital Diplomacy Meetup group, the UN system working groups, and others interested in the umbrella topic of digital diplomacy.

The event is Monday, September 22 -  between the Social Good Summit and UNGA - as we hope to attract and invite those in town to learn about the DDC network, the New York and Ottawa chapters, and the headquarters of DDC Global in Washington, DC.

The happy hour is a cash-bar, no reserved seating, open invite. We're asking people to RSVP on Eventbrite so we can track numbers but please share this link and help us to promote the work of the DDC in New York!

#DDC #digital diplomacy #digital diplomacy coalition #digital diplomacy meetup #UNGA #social good #hospoda #nyc

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ISIS Pushes #SocialMedia Battle With West

*Sophisticated Campaign Includes Gruesome Video, Nutella Meme*

As Published in the Wall Street Journal. By Natalie Andrews And Felicia Schwartz. Aug. 22, 2014 12:40 p.m. ET

The gruesome James Foley execution video released this week by Islamic State marks the highest-profile offensive by the militant group in a social-media battle with the West that has escalated in recent months.

The Islamic State—also know as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS—has developed a sophisticated social-media strategy, complete with high-resolution videos and hashtag campaigns, striking for their contrast with the grainy Osama bin Laden videos that the al Qaeda leader would periodically release to television networks during his years in hiding.

"It's an old game that's being played in a new way," said P.J. Crowley, who served as assistant secretary of state for public affairs during President Barack Obama's first term. He says the Islamic State's methods, while sophisticated, may backfire due to their gruesomeness.

The execution video released this week by ISIS served to show that the group was serious about its ransom demands and to sow more fear as it fights to establish a caliphate in the Middle East. The video also sparked an intense scramble by social-media services such as YouTube and Twitter TWTR +1.30% to take down images and video of the killing and to slow its spread.

Phillip Smyth, a researcher of jihadist groups at the University of Maryland, said he started seeing a rise of social-media activity by the Islamic State and its sympathizers in June.

The Islamic State's media strategy shows various sides of the militants. In July, ISIS media arm Al Hayat released a video with English subtitles on social media showing young children breaking their Ramadan fast with militants. A week later, Al Hayat published a video to coincide with the Eid feast closing Ramadan on July 28 that ended with a mass execution. Al Hayat also publishes an online newsletter translated into English.

J.M. Berger, editor of IntelWire.com, has followed jihadists' social-media efforts for years, and says there are thousands of accounts on Twitter tied to the Islamic State. Some users claim to be militants, others claim to be supporters, and others say they aren't connected to the group—which also helps them avoid being banned on social media. The accounts repost one another's tweets and send messages to various government accounts, media or even celebrities with images of beheadings and threats to the U.S.

ISIS backers also take a lighter touch. When Robin Williams died, an Islamist Twitter user and ISIS backer known as @Mujahid4life posted a tweet about loving the movie "Jumanji" as a child. Soon, the jihadist was tweeting about his taste in other movies—"The Lion King" was his favorite Disney DIS +0.51% film. His account has been deleted.

Last week, ISIS supporters started a meme, posing with jars of Nutella in ISIS-occupied areas in Syria and Iraq. Mr. Smyth says these memes are organized and planned in online forums and then rolled out on social networks as a deliberate strategy to make the Islamic State seem more friendly and familiar to Westerners.

The two-faced push makes for shocking contrasts. At about the same time ISIS-tied accounts were tweeting about Nutella, a photo of a child holding a decapitated head was distributed on Twitter, primarily by ISIS supporters. It was quickly condemned by Secretary of State John Kerry, who called the image "utterly disgraceful," saying "it underscores the degree to which [ISIS] is so far beyond the pale with respect to any standard by which we judge even terrorist groups."

The State Department engages with terrorists and would-be recruits daily through its Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, which was created by an executive order in 2011. The U.S. initially used online forums to counter ISIS propaganda, but it moved its message to Twitter late last year, sending its first tweet in December 2013. In July, the State Department said it increased its messages targeting the Islamic State. Earlier this week, the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications created a Facebook FB -0.03% page.

The efforts target "fence sitters" rather than committed militants, and hope to prevent them from being recruited by the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations, said Will McCants, a former State Department official who helped to create the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications.

"One of the challenges that the State Department faces is how do we get enough eyeballs on what we are saying without drawing attention to people that shouldn't be drawn attention to," Mr. McCants said. "You don't want to engage with every Joe Jihadi out there, because you don't want to elevate their profile."

In its Twitter account, Think Again Turn Away, the State Department regularly uses hashtags that the Islamic State has adopted to reach more people, such as #CalamityWillBefallUs. ISIS supporters use the hashtag to tweet pictures of the terror attacks on 9/11. The State Department responds with news articles about U.S. airstrikes.

On Wednesday, when Twitter accounts tweeted that members of the Yazidis religious minority were converting to Islam, Think Again Turn Away tweeted: "Anything to avoid beheading."

Rank-and-file American social-media users troll ISIS as well. When Islamic State supporters tweeted using #AMessagefromISIStoUS with a picture of an ISIS flag on a cellphone in front of the White House, many Americans used the same hashtag to threaten back, bragging of U.S. military power. When grisly images of Mr. Foley's beheading spread online, the hashtag #ISISMediaBlackout trended, with users telling people to stop giving ISIS attention and share photos of Mr. Foley's life instead.

A big challenge for groups like ISIS is keeping content online. Services including Facebook specifically ban terrorist activity in their terms of service and, along with Twitter and YouTube, will work to remove graphic content. On Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Marnie Huff said the State Department itself reported the beheading video to social networks citing its graphic content, not its ISIS connection.

Militants try to distribute content broadly to stay ahead of deletions. By the time one account is deleted, the video and images have already been reposted, creating a game of Whac-A-Mole for the social networks. Militants also shift bases: IntelWire's Mr. Berger said official ISIS accounts have been deleted from Twitter and he has seen roughly 90 ISIS-related accounts disappear. But he's now seeing ISIS pop up on the open-source network Friendica and on diaspora*, a software-based decentralized network.

On Wednesday, diaspora* posted a blog post saying it has removed accounts connected to ISIS and will continue to monitor the group.

#ISIS #state department #social media #james foley

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How Social Media Is Fueling the Israel-Palestine Conflict in Gaza

As Published by Sanjay Sanghoee in the Huffington Post

Ever since Israel began its offensive against Hamas in Gaza, both the press and social media have been abuzz with opinions about the conflict. While the opinions of professional journalists have been somewhat balanced, the rhetoric on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms has been anything but, devolving into one-sided rants and conveniently picked news items that support a particular narrative.

The problem is that the conflict in the Middle East is not just a military one but a political and cultural one as well, and the latter is easily inflamed by rhetoric and public opinion. What the millions of people on social media are doing, in effect, is adding fuel to an already raging fire and making it harder for Israelis and Palestinians to hold a real dialogue about their disagreements.

While the bloodshed in the region is certainly tragic and must stop, it is disturbing that those who deplore it refuse to recognize that there are still two sides to this conflict. Israel is being depicted as a sole aggressor but the reality is that Hamas, the terrorist group that muscled its way into Palestinian politics after 2005 and which has sidelined more moderate Palestinian factions, is just as responsible for the carnage taking place today.

Whatever some people might like to imagine and propagate, Israel is not genocidal. The Israeli army, unlike Hamas, does not kill for the sake of killing. Hamas has been firing rockets into Israel indiscriminately for many years and digging tunnels under Gaza to create terror. Any nation dealing with a group like Hamas would eventually be forced to take action against it.

What makes this situation even more difficult, however, is that Hamas has cunningly placed its military apparatus near civilian centers, and dug tunnels under schools, mosques, and other places which are filled with innocent people. That does not mean that Israel does not have a humanitarian obligation to take this into account, but the fact that Hamas is using its own people as human shields is truly deplorable.

And yet, Palestinian sympathizers are so mired in their own form of willful blindness that they cannot bring themselves to acknowledge this. The danger is not simply that their views inflame the anger between the two sides further but that the problem between Israel and Palestine cannot be solved until both sides back down completely. There is no doubt that Israel needs to reconsider its occupation of Gaza and without that there cannot be a lasting peace in the region, but neither can there be détente when Hamas keeps firing rockets into Israel. Whether those rockets fall in open or congested areas is irrelevant -- they are an act of violence and precipitate war.

What I personally find most frightening is that otherwise levelheaded people lose their minds when addressing this topic and rush headlong into supporting one side solely on the basis of cherished prejudices as opposed to looking at the larger picture. They also conveniently forget that all humans, regardless of their history, religion or culture, have the right to defend themselves when consistently attacked.

I realize this applies to both sides but then that's exactly my point.

As long as there is a narrative out there that demonizes one side and does not even acknowledge the other's wrongdoing, the crisis in the Middle East can never be solved. The hysteria over the Israel-Gaza conflict right now is a perfect example of such myopic and one-sided thinking. Loss of human life is a tragedy no matter who dies, but when people choose to criticize one side while conveniently ignoring the crimes of the other, they are not helping to stop the tragedy but simply deepening the line in the sand between already inimical parties.

That is not standing up for what's right -- that is at best self-indulgent and at worst destructive. Sanjay Sanghoee is a political and business commentator and the author of two novels (available below). Follow him @sanghoee.

#israel palestine conflict #social media #israel #gaza #palestine

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House passes DHS bill to enhance social media use in disasters

As Published By Billy Mitchell · Wednesday, July 09, 2014 in FedScoop

Communication during emergencies has changed drastically in the past decade, evidenced by the use of tools like Twitter to spread important information during natural disasters. Taking advantage of that shift, the House of Representatives voted 357-19 Tuesday  to pass legislation requiring the Department of Homeland Security to form a social media working group that would provide guidance and preparedness for social media use during times of national crisis.

Sponsored by Rep. Susan Brooks — the Republican chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications in the House — the Social Media Working Group Act of 2014 amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to account for how important social media has become to mass emergency situations. Citing her use of Twitter during a tornado warning recently in her home state, Brooks said the same communication can be used to effectively spread word during a terrorist attack.

“We’ve seen how vital social media is becoming in preparedness and support efforts, particularly with Super Storm Sandy and in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings,” she said on the House floor Tuesday. And just last week when Hurricane Arthur ruined Fourth of July plans for Americans on the east coast, the Federal Emergency Management Agency used social media to spread word of evacuations and response plans.

“Social media is transforming the way the nation is communicating before, during and after a disaster,” Brooks said. “[C]itizens are turning to Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram for public safety information, to comfort survivors and request assistance.”

During two hearings last year, the subcommittee “focused on this new reality,” Brooks said, and the biggest takeaway “was that during and after a disaster, there needs to be better communication between the public and private sector.”

Rep. Donald Payne, a Democrat whose home state of New Jersey was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, co-sponsored the bill. Before the legislation passed the House, he recalled how social media “galvanized ordinary citizens into action” along the Atlantic Coast in 2012 and after the Boston Marathon bombings last year.

“In the wake of the Boston bombings, Boston residents used Google Docs to let marathoners know that their homes were open to those who were unable to return to their hotels,” Payne said. “After Hurricane Sandy, survivors posted the horrific images of homes washed away on Twitter and Facebook to help the world understand the strength of the storm.”

He said the bill would ensure that those disasters become learning experiences. Specifically, it would “authorize the social media working group that sits with the science and technology directorate to facilitate the exchange of best practices and lessons learned related to the use of social media during disasters,” Payne said.

Brooks added that in addition to promoting best practices, a DHS social media working group would improve public-private dialogue on preparedness and response and submit an annual report to Congress on its findings.

“In today’s day and age where new social media platforms and technologies can change the game almost instantly, we must ensure our first responders are nimble enough to adapt to an ever-changing landscape,” she said. “This group is but one way to facilitate this.”

- See more at: http://fedscoop.com/house-passes-bill-dhs-social-media-working-group/#sthash.mcsJLZWw.dpuf

#Social Media Working Group Act of 2014 #DisasterResponse #DHS

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#Twiplomacy 2014 via @luefkens, @B_M

In case you missed it!

All the World’s a Tweet

The Twiplomacy Study 2014 found that the vast majority (83 percent) of the 193 UN member countries have a presence on Twitter. More than two-thirds (68%) of all heads of state and heads of government in have personal accounts on the social network. However, the Twitter craze is not evenly spread around the globe.

All European countries except San Marino and all South American countries except Suriname now have an official Twitter presence. Only three countries in North America do not embrace Twitter communications, Barbados, Nicaragua and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In Asia, Africa and Oceania 78.7%, 77.4% and 62% of their respective governments are using the micro-blogging service. The 32 countries without an official Twitter presence can mainly be found in Africa, Asia and in the central Pacific.

Read more here.

#twiplomacy #digital diplomacy

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#DigitalDiplomacy: U.S. ambassador to Switzerland @AmbSuzi takes oath on e-reader

As Published. By Hani Shawwa, CBS News, June 5, 2014, 6:39 PM

Suzi LeVine was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein on May 30, 2014. Honoring American innovation and entrepreneurship, Ambassdor LeVine becomes the first American Ambassador to take take the oath over an electronic device. ​State Department photo.

It's a first in digital diplomacy.

When the new U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Suzi LeVine, was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden last Friday, she placed her hand on an e-reader, preloaded with a copy of the U.S. Constitution. She is the first U.S. ambassador ever to take the oath on an electronic device.

According to the Washington Post the e-reader was a Kindle from Amazon. Sorry, Apple and Samsung!

LeVine is no stranger to tech. She was a former intern at NASA and an exec at Microsoft and Expedia. She also co-founded the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington.

She chose to take her oath on a digital device out of a desire to honor American innovation and entrepreneurship, the State Department said.

Vice President Joe Biden swears in Suzi LeVine as the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein at the Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., on May 30, 2014. Ambassador LeVine is joined by her husband, Eric LeVine, and their two children, Sidney and Talia.

State Department photo.

© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

#digital diplomacy #switzerland

[digitaldiplomats-blog-blog]

Brand #USA: “Discover America, Land of Dreams”

This evening I attended a presentation on Nation Branding, hosted by the American Business Forum on Europe, featuring guest speaker Christopher Graves, Global CEO of Ogilvy PR. It was a dynamic talk, featuring examples of nation branding around the world, and he touched on the results of a (relatively) recent effort by the US government working with tourism to produce a campaign to brand the USA. (video below, produced in 2012).

Read more about it in this article from The Atlantic:

Rebranding America: Can the U.S. Sell Itself to International Tourists?

Facing new competition from countries like Brazil and Turkey, the U.S. has launched its first national tourism campaign overseas. Is it working?

By Michael Scaturro Jan 14 2014, 5:02 PM ET

BERLIN — Recently, a curious bit of programming popped up on German television, sandwiched between a dating show and the news: a commercial promoting the United States, in the form of Rosanne Cash singing America’s praises under the Brooklyn Bridge.

While ads for American products like iPhones or Coca-Cola are a staple of advertising abroad, rarely is the U.S. itself the product on display. But if there were ever a time when America needed to make a sales pitch for itself abroad, this was it. In Germany, as a result of the NSA spying scandal, trust in the U.S. government has fallen from 76 percent in 2009 to 35 percent today. The trend is in keeping with eroding pro-American sentiment elsewhere in the world.

The “Discover America, Land of Dreams” ad campaign is the product of a joint venture between the U.S. government and tourism industry. The entity behind the campaign is called Brand USA, and it aims to attract international tourists who have been turned off to America as a vacation destination.

“After 9/11, we secured our borders, but made America unwelcoming,” Anne Madison of Brand USA told me. “People abroad saw the U.S. as a ‘been there done that’ country.”

Madison said America’s share of global international travel dipped 30 percent in the first decade of the new century—this despite an otherwise growing global tourist sector. The ramifications for the economy were clear. “International tourism is the number one services export that we have. And yet, until this campaign, we were the only developed country that lacked a national tourism campaign.”

International tourists to the U.S. directly support about one million jobs, and the tourism industry generates almost 3 percent of U.S. GDP. The country’s nearly 70 million international tourists spent $166 billion in the U.S. in 2012, and an estimated $179 billion in 2013. The Obama administration, which launched Brand USA in 2010, wants the U.S. to attract 100 million international tourists and $250 billion of their cash annually by 2021.

Brand USA functions as a public-private partnership—in 2013, 339 travel-industry partners contributed $139 million in services and cash; it also took in $100 million through a $14 fee levied by the Department of Homeland Security on visitors from countries that qualify for visa-free travel to the U.S. The television ads debuted in 2012 in Canada, Japan, and the U.K.—since those countries’ tourists have traditionally spent the most money on trips to the U.S— and the campaign also features videos of native-language narrators giving tours of various American locations deemed of interest to respective audiences: a Chinese woman recommends outlet malls in California, a German man kayaks around Virginia Beach, a French woman tours New Orleans.

Cash’s catchy song, “Land of Dreams,” is the campaign’s centerpiece. The commercial, directed by Dave Meyers, of Katy Perry’s “Firework” fame, features lush images of Cash singing with Brazilian-American artist Bebel Gilberto and sitar players. There are frequent cutaways to images of Americana, including a blonde woman tip-toeing through the Everglades, two smiling Muslim women strutting down a Manhattan street, a man of Asian descent riding a Harley-Davidson through a redwood forest, friends enjoying dinner in Napa Valley, a bi-racial couple celebrating their wedding in New Orleans, and a gay couple embracing on a trolley in San Francisco.

So, is the campaign working? Madison says yes.

Intent to travel to the U.S.—an industry term meaning the likelihood of a person booking a trip within the next few months—has risen by 22 percent in Canada, 12 percent in the U.K., and 14 percent in Japan since 2012, Madison said. (Data for other countries targeted by the campaign is expected in early 2014.) Overall, international visits to the U.S. have rebounded since their dramatic fall after the 9/11 attacks and dip in 2009 during the height of the global economic crisis; indeed, in 2013, more international tourists visited the U.S. than ever before.

The next phase of the project is to train U.S. border guards to be nicer to visitors, and to improve the visa application experience at U.S. embassies around the world. “In the coming year, we are going to be putting more and more energy into making the U.S. more welcoming,” Madison explained.

But John Kester of the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization suggested that America’s image problem has more to do with negative news—the NSA spying scandal, for instance—than brusque border agents. “People are influenced by the news, but you can try to counterbalance some of that,” Kester told me. “The problem with the U.S. was that it was lacking an image overall—so negative news has tended to define the image.”

Kester noted that America’s visitor numbers—while strong today—could be even higher were it not for the country’s ‘lost decade.’ But he applauded the campaign, and cited South Africa as an example of another country that solved a similar image problem stemming from apartheid and a high crime rate. “South Africa was primarily defined by negative news until the country decided to make soccer center stage,” he said, referring to the country’s winning bid to host the 2010 World Cup games.

Though the U.S. boasts strong regional brands—“I Love New York” comes to mind—Kester agreed that the country needed to create a national brand strategy in the face of competition from new markets.

“Now we have these new locations that serve as a bridge between Asia and Europe, and many other countries—think of Dubai, Istanbul,” Kester said. “They are underpinned by the building of strong airlines like Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways. Nowadays, they are in a central position—though, in the past, they were more on the fringe.”

It’s hard to quantify the extent to which newly popular locations like Turkey or the United Arab Emirates have cut into visits to the U.S. But experts say that Turkey’s emergence as a major tourist destination offering a combination of urban and beach tourism (it is now the world’s sixth-most-visited country, while the U.S. is in second place behind France) is serving as a model for other countries like Brazil, which benefits from strong positive brand awareness despite ranking only 44th on the list of the world’s most-visited countries.

A recent study appears to corroborate this. Niklas Schaffmeister of the marketing consulting firm GlobeOne, in Cologne, Germany, looked at Germans’ views of BRIC nations and found that Brazil ranks much higher as a potential vacation destination than previously thought. This suggests that Brazil could one day vie with the U.S. and Mexico for Europeans’ tourist dollars.

“We found that 33 percent of Germans had a favorable view of Brazil as a tourism destination,” Schaffmeister said. “The perception of Brazil–rightly or wrongly—is that the country is a spirited, happy place that runs well and will grow into a strong future tourism destination.”

Just like South Africa, Brazil is using soccer to improve its international reputation by hosting the World Cup in 2014. And the effort appears to be working—especially among Germans who spend about $84 billion a year on foreign trips, second only to the Chinese ($102 billion).

But also like South Africa, Brazil struggles with corruption, poor infrastructure, high levels of crime, and one of the world’s worst rates of air pollution. And then there are policies that make little sense, like requiring U.S. citizens to apply for a tourist visa (many European Union passport holders can travel there without a visa). These drawbacks are keeping Brazil’s pristine beaches and soaring landscapes from seriously competing with U.S. tourism attractions—for now. 

Back in the United States, critics of Brand USA say the Discover America push is unfair because it levies a tax on international visitors for the very ad campaign meant to attract them. They also take issue with government involvement in the funding of tourism promotion abroad, and maintain that the travel industry could fund the program on its own.

But country-branding expert Tom Buncle notes that government funding for tourism promotion is standard practice. He points out that Germany, which in a recent BBC poll ranked as “the most popular country in the world,” spends more than $150 million a year promoting its image abroad, and a further $350 million on its international television and radio networks. On the whole, Buncle likes the Discover America campaign, which he said serves as an “umbrella that for the first time ties together the U.S.’s image.”

“When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘How do you brand a country as diverse as the States?’” Buncle told me. “It’s not like with consumer brands, like Coke and Dr. Pepper—which don’t want to be seen together. Washington state and Florida want to be seen side by side. This campaign manages to do this well.”

While Buncle says the campaign should help attract visitors who are favorably inclined toward the U.S., he’s doubtful that it will improve America’s image in the Middle East. And this could be a weakness in the campaign, since the Middle East has experienced one of the world’s highest rates of outbound tourism growth over the past 20 years. Figuring out how to pitch the U.S. to travelers in wealthy Gulf states—who are increasingly visiting countries like Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland for leisure and medical treatment—could become more of a priority once in-bound visitors from Europe and Japan reach saturation.

“Especially in places like the Middle East, where there’s this deep psychological conflict between the delights of an American lifestyle and the politics of the U.S., you can't change all the negative perceptions with a marketing campaign,” Buncle explained. “But you can speak to those who are well-disposed to the U.S.”

But John Kester of the UN’s tourism agency says the organization has found that, despite tensions between the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries, interest in visiting America is strong.

“It’s a love-hate relationship, and yet many people would want to travel to the U.S., despite the hassles,” Kester noted. "The Middle East isn’t a large source market right now, but that could certainly change in the future.”

An official at the U.S. International Trade Administration told me that the government is discussing ways to market the U.S. as a high-end medical tourism destination to potential visitors from Gulf states. But the official, who asked to remain anonymous, also noted that the agency is battling to maintain the funding it already has—and would need more cash before it could expand its tourism promotion in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“Despite the fact that we’ve had a surplus in tourism exports every year since 1989, people in Washington just don’t take travel and tourism seriously,” the official told me. “International tourism is one of the few industries in this country that has an export trade surplus. But we don’t get any respect. We’re like Rodney Dangerfield.”

“That being said, this administration is giving us some attention,” the official added. “They’re finally looking at tourism as an economic driver, a creator of jobs.”

#brand usa #tourism #america #US #nation branding

[digitaldiplomats-blog-blog]

#ThatsCold! Russians, US in Hashtag Battle with #UnitedforUkraine and #RussiaIsolated

By @dana_hughes

As Published on ABC NEWS, Apr 25, 2014 12:54pm

A tweet by State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki Thursday night sparked snarky Twitter responses about the diplomacy of a hashtag – but the tweet really is more evidence of a brewing social media Cold War between the U.S. and Russia.

  Psaki was responding to the Russian Foreign ministry hijacking the State Department’s #UnitedForUkraine campaign by posting its own version of events while using the hashtag.

  #UnitedForUkraine isn’t the only hashtag to be reappropriated by Russia. In the last few weeks, State’s #RussiaIsolated hashtag regarding Russia’s actions in Crimea sparked a series of tweets from Russian embassies around the world mocking the campaign by tweeting positive messages about Russia and including #russiaisolated.

Pro-Russian groups have also started a series of parody accounts, such as @russiaisolator. And pro-Russian social media troll Psaki and state’s @ukrprogress accounts, immediately posting critical and sometimes crude tweets in response.

      State has admitted it is playing catch-up to Russia on social media propaganda, with the undersecretary for public diplomacy, Rick Stengel, a former journalist, telling CNN that Russia’s been building up its social media presence for the last 10 years.

In response, the U.S. has started the New Ukraine Task Force, a social media hub in Russian to talk to Russian speakers in Eastern Ukraine and in Central Europe, who State says are being bombarded by Russian media.

The campaign is also spearheading the English posts and hashtags that are trying to help counter the influence in greater Europe of RT, the Russian government-owned television station formally called Russia Today that is distributed around the world, including the United States. Secretary of State John Kerry called the channel a “propaganda bullhorn” Thursday. RT denies the accusation and formally called for an apology today.

However, with RT’s reach of 85 million households around the world and no regulations as to how the Kremlin is allowed to influence Russian media, the U.S. government faces challenges in matching Russia’s media reach without violating U.S. freedom of press laws and values.

SHOWS: This Week World News

#ukraine #russia #unitedforukraine