U.S. Department of State

Secretary Clinton To Hold Global Town Hall

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures during a town hall style meeting at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Jan. 26, 2010. [AP File Photo]

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On Tuesday, January 29, 2013, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will hold a Global Townterview at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. A “Townterview” is a mix of a town hall and a television interview. The concept was first introduced by the Secretary when she entered office as a way to broaden people-to-people engagement.

This will be her 59th town hall and an opportunity to engage with young people around the world in advance of her last day as Secretary of State on Friday, February 1.

In partnership with media outlets from… more »

Under Secretary Tara Sonenshine Responds to Your #AskState Questions on Twitter

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine, @TSoneshine, participates in a Global Twitter Q and A on December 5, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” comes to us from the Office of Digital Engagement’s Jeff Jackson and shows Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public AffairsTara Sonenshine participating in a “Global Twitter Q & A” on December 5, 2012.

During the event, Under Secretary Sonenshine answered questions submitted on Twitter in eight languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French,… more »

DipNote Turns Five

Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Mike Hammer responds to questions from the State Department's official Spanish Twitter feed on January 24, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Mike Hammer serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.

Five years ago tomorrow, the State Department launched DipNote — the first-ever, U.S. Cabinet-level blog. On a day quite similar to this one, with the Public Affairs team fully immersed in the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, my predecessor Sean McCormack pledged that the blog would open a new window into the world of American diplomacy. Much has changed around the globe over the past five years, but one constant has been more and more people are getting their news and information through social media. So, we are committed to using our blog as a means to inform and engage the American people and those around the world.

This commitment is underscored by the fact that more than 1,000 men and women of the State Department and USAID have contributed their stories to the blog — more than 4,700 total entries to date. We owe a debt of… more »

Ambassador Rice at the London Olympics

Members of the U.S. Presidential Delegation to the Closing Ceremonies of the London Olympic Games -- Ambassador Susan Rice, White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes, Michelle Kwan, Curtis Pride and Reggie Love -- pose for a photo tweeted by Ambassador Rice in London, August 11, 2012. [USUN photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Alex McPhillips serves as Associate Director for Digital Media at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Thanks to continuing innovations in sports broadcasting and social media, it was easier this year than ever before to catch a glimpse of the Olympic Games from just about any vantage point — from above the mat to underwater to behind the scenes with the First Lady. Over a brilliant final two days in London, Ambassador Susan E. Rice, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, used technology to give fans a view from the crowd.

With Storify, we bring you the very best… more »

RT @US2EU @AlecJRoss: @StateDept working to harness the power of connectivity for good through 21st century statecraft. ‪#digdip21

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State Department Spokesperson Toria Nuland responds to questions posed in English and Arabic during a Twitter Briefing at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2012. [Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard responds to questions submitted on Twitter to @StateDept on World Refugee Day at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., June 20, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Engaging Youth in the ‘Most Wired Place on Earth’

Students use smart phones in Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 3, 2011. [AP File Photo]

About the Author: Andy Jay serves as Assistant Information Officer at U.S. Embassy Seoul.

Ambassador Sung Kim may be one of the most sought-after interview subjects in South Korea, but it is surprisingly easy to access him — if you are a Korean university student.

Last week, Ambassador Sung Kim spoke to a standing-room only house of some 130 local undergraduate students for Seoul’s 27th Embassy Youth Forum.

The regular forum, also called “Real People Talking” (RPT), gives young people a chance to sit down with U.S. government officials, often at fairly senior levels, for face-to-face conversations. Each event spotlights an American guest — in this case, Ambassador Kim — who conducts a panel discussion with five to six Korean students, moderated by the embassy’s Public Affairs Officer. The in-house audience can also ask questions, many… more »

January 2012 Designated “21st Century Statecraft Month”

The U.S. Department of State has designated January 2012 as 21^st Century Statecraft month. Twenty-first Century Statecraft complements traditional foreign policy by harnessing and adapting the digital networks and technologies of today’s interconnected world.

The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Missions abroad have developed a range of initiatives to showcase U.S. diplomatic leadership in leveraging digital networks and technologies in service of its foreign policy goals. Throughout the month of January, U.S. officials in Washington, D.C. and at U.S. Missions abroad will host digital engagements across multiple social media platforms on a wide array of issues to directly connect with the public on foreign policy issues that matter to them. Next week’s engagements include the following events:

The Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Innovation Alec Ross will participate in a Live at State video web chat with journalists and bloggers from around the world to discuss 21^st Century Statecraft on Tuesday, January 10 at 09:45 a.m. EST. You can watch a live webcast of the discussion on video.state.gov.
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince will hold a Twitter Q&A via @USEmbassyHaiti to discuss our ongoing partnership with the people and government of Haiti two years after the earthquake in January 2010. The discussion will take place on Wednesday, January 11 at 11:00 a.m. EST.
The U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna will hold a Virtual Town Hall about nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear security, and nuclear safety on Friday, January 13. You are invited to submit and post your questions any time between now and then. Chargé d’Affairs Robert Wood will provide answers via video during the week of January 23. The Bureau of International Organization Affairs will post the video responses on its Tumblr page devoted to U.S. engagement with the United Nations and other international organizations.
The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat will showcase the public’s photography in celebration of World Wetlands Day on February 2. Now through January 20, submit your best wetlands photographs via Flickr.
In 2012, U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the beginning of the Peace Corps program in Malaysia. From December 31-January 31, the embassy will gather via Facebook photographs and stories related to the Peace Corps era in Malaysia (1962-1983). Follow @usembassykl for updates, as some of the photographs and stories will be featured in a Peace Corps 50th Anniversary publication and photo exhibition.

In addition, Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland will take questions from the public selected from the Department’s 10 official Twitter feeds (Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Urdu) and answer them from the press briefing room each Friday during the month of January. Questions can be submitted using the hashtag #AskState.

Stay tuned to www.state.gov, the DipNote blog, @StateDept on Twitter and the U.S. Department of State’s official Facebook page for additional engagement opportunities on our social media platforms throughout 21^st Century Statecraft month.

U.S. Embassy in Wellington Embraces 21st Century Statecraft »

Ambassador Huebner types on his blackberry in Wellington, New Zealand, April 2011. [Embassy Photo]

By: David Huebner , U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

@DavidHuebner, February 24, 2011: President #Obama just finished talking with Prime Minister Key to assess whether more assistance is needed. #eqnz #CHCH Thursday, 24 February 2011 12:22:58 p.m.

That is one of the many tweets I posted during the hours and days immediately after the Christchurch earthquake. Yes, I am the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. And yes, I tweet regularly, sometimes several times a day…