05:45 pm
State Department Watch: The Bizarro Blog
I have found this blog’s Bizarro, its Spock with a beard: the State Department’s blog. Believe it or not, it’s called Dipnote.
Heh.
I couldn’t make that up if I tried.
Is Foggy Bottom completely lacking in irony?
The main problem with Dipnote is that it’s boring, boring, boring, boring. Watching paint dry is more interesting boring. Ferris Bueller’s teacher droning on and on is better boring. PTA meeting is less torture boring. Tax audit is more fun boring.
Sorry, thought I was in one of those Yoplait commercials there for a second.
Almost none of Dipnote’s features are interesting or revealing (except in the sense that it shows the degree to which the Department can grind the originality out of anything). I’m guessing that the mandarins at State have put so many clearance filters on this thing, that almost nothing of any value can get through.
Earlier this week, as Russia was pounding Georgia and Dubya was ogling volleyball babes visiting Beijing, Dipnote led with. . .wait for it. . .a story entitled “Youth Questions Lead to Environmental Action.”
Today is International Youth Day, and this year’s theme is appropriately titled, “Youth and Climate Change: A Time for Action.”
A few weeks ago the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, Claudia A. McMurray, spoke to a group of about 400 high school students. These kids were from a number of different countries, as well as throughout the United States, and were one of several groups this summer that have come to the State Department to hear policy speeches on the U.S. government’s top issues. Assistant Secretary McMurray highlighted our Bureau’s work on climate change, illegal wildlife trafficking and illegal logging. She spoke about the U.S. commitment to developing a global solution to climate change that is both environmentally effective and economically sustainable, an agreement that would include participation from all major economies, including the United States.
That’s right: to the State Department, having an Assistant Secretary talk to high schoolers is considered action on climate change. Whoa. What risk takers.
Those poor, poor kids. They may never hear the words “State Department” again without screaming.
So what exactly does State think they’re accomplishing here? The material is virtually unreadable. Most of the posts appear to have been written by interns, fellows and junior public diplomacy officers (although, to be fair, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Sean McCormick has put his name on a few pieces). About a third are merely a rehash of The Condi’s statements and op-eds. And almost all the comments come from about a dozen regulars, most of whom are Americans. And some of the commenters would be regarded as trolls on any other site.
It’s not really clear who their audience is, why they’re writing, or what they think they’re accomplishing. I presume this must be a public diplomacy initiative, since it is still illegal for the U.S. Government to disseminate its “propaganda” domestically. Yet they don’t seem to be reaching very many people (or at least they’re not showing up on Technorati or Google Analytics — something they might want to try to fix).
The posts are all over the place, displaying no common viewpoint or perspective, except maybe “look at this nice thing the State Department is doing.” That’s too bad, because I think there is potential value in the Department having a blog. But it has to be more than this.
And I’m not sure they really understand the purpose of either blogging or social media. On July 17, Editor-in-Chief, Heath Kern Gibson posted the following:
U.S. State Department and Social Media: Tell Us What You Think
[snip]
Last year, along with the creation of the Department’s own YouTube Channel, this blog signified the Department’s foray into social media. Since then, the Department has created a Flickr photos profile, began microblogging using Twitter, distributed audio and video podcasts to iTunes and others using ten RSS feeds, and last week, launched the Department’s first official Facebook page. We encourage you to explore these products and let us know how we can better utilize them.
There have been many books and articles written on the relationship between traditional media and foreign policy, with the question often asked as to what degree the news media influences foreign policymakers and vice versa. What has not been discussed as much is the impact of social media on policymaking and the foreign affairs community.
It may not be quite clear yet as to what impact social media will have exactly on foreign policymaking. What is evident, though, is that foreign policy does not operate in a vacuum, and it must incorporate or respond to changes in communications. We are interested in your thoughts on how social media — how these changes in communication — will affect foreign policymaking in the years ahead.
Two words I never thought I’d see together: diplomats tweeting.
Unfortunately, Gibson almost immediately got smacked down for even posing the question. Five days later, Gibson’s boss, Assistant Secretary Sean McCormick responded:
Many of you raise an important question about the ability to influence large organizations, in this the case the State Department, through social media. Of course, there are a variety of ways this happens every day on sites not related to the government. We are different because of the relatively closed nature of the policy-making process (this applies across different administrations) so we acknowledge our limits up front. What that does not mean, however, is that you or we should accept those limits as immutable. One way in which I hope this blog evolves to involve you more is in bringing to our attention events (breaking or slowly unfolding). When we receive such information, it is my hope that we can internalize, analyze, and, when possible, act on the information. We are a ways from that model now, but over time culture changes. When I refer to culture in this case, I mean the State Department. It is an inherently conservative (and by that I mean slow to accept and implement change) culture. In less than a year, though, I see change with more posters coming forward to us with material they want to share with you.
I will work with you on the flip side of the equation, in which your feedback or suggestions make their way in to our decision-making processes. I’m reading a great book now, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies . While the book is directed at use of social technologies in business, I can see some parallels on which we can draw, especially in modifying internal processes.
In other words, don’t get your hopes up — nothing in this building is going to change anytime soon. And if you want it to change, it’s your responsibility to push us to change, because we won’t do it on our own.
That does not bode well for either the future of this blog or the ability of the Department to respond to evolving technology. Good luck, Mr. Gibson. You’re going to need it.
Photos: Wikipedia, via a GNU Free Documentation License
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