Hillary Clinton, e-diplomat, embraces new media
Hillary Clinton, e-diplomat, embraces new media
Washington: Her videos aren’t quite viral yet and she’s not tweeting, but secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton is embracing new media, using the Web to promote the US agency and her role as the nation’s top envoy.
Clinton’s State Department has embarked on a digital diplomacy drive aimed at spreading the word about American foreign policy and restoring Washington’s image. Part of a broader Internet outreach by President Barack Obama’s administration, Clinton’s Web efforts already have outpaced those of her predecessors.
Clinton’s team has built on e-diplomacy innovations developed during George W. Bush’s presidency:
They have revamped the department’s Web site (www.state.gov) and the Dipnote blog (https://blogs.state.gov and https://twitter.com/dipnote) with a fresh array of features, graphics and colorful posts.
Users can track her foreign travel on an interactive map (https://www.state.gov/secretary/trvl/map/?trip_id=5).
They can keep up virtually with her every move through Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/statevideo).
They can pose questions through an “ask-the-secretary" column (https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/ask/secretary/117297.htm) that recently was revised to “text the secretary." (https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/ask/secretary/120236.htm)
“New media is critical in this new era of diplomacy, where smart power and expanded dialogues are essential to achieving our foreign policy goals," said Cheryl Mills, Clinton’s chief of staff.
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