DIPLOMATS AND THE DIGITAL ERA

The aim of this article is to crowdsource its content, which will be later published online. If you want to contribute ideas to this article, please:

1) add your first and last name, social media handle (only one, preferably Twitter), and affiliation in the byline (no anonymous edits please);

2) add paragraphs (feel free to add it anywhere in the article) or correction/edit (please add it in red or other color);

3) add your advice for ambassadors and diplomat at the end of the article by numbering it...

CROWDSOURCING ADVICE FOR AMBASSADORS AND DIPLOMATS ON HOW TO HARNESS THE DIGITAL ERA

by Andreas Sandre and Matthias Lüfkens (@Luefkens), Burson-Marsteller, Digital Practice Leader.

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Kevin

EXAMPLE: John Doe (@johndoe), Director of the International Institute

Crowdsourcing is booming. From the efforts to map damages in stricken areas after Hayian in the Philippines, to engaging the public in the discovery and preservation of history, crowdsourcing platforms are becoming everyday tools in many sectors. And why not for diplomacy -- or rather, digital diplomacy?

Wikipedia is one of the most successful results of crowdsourcing, with millions of articles compiled by millions of users. As of September 2013, Wikipedia was ranked as the 9th most popular site on the internet for desktop & mobile platforms with 116,835,000 visitors. Of these, about one out of 15,000 contribute five or more edits, and of those, a stable 10% contribute more than 100 edits each month.

Inspired by Wikipedia, in 2006 the U.S. Department of State’s Office of eDiplomacy -- celebrating its 10th anniversary this year -- launched Diplopedia, an internal knowledge-sharing platform, one of the many crowdsourcing projects it runs today. Diplopedia is an online encyclopedia of foreign affairs information that can be edited by any of its users.

"To be effective, today's diplomat must convey a deeper understanding of his or her country beyond the international headlines," reads a 2010 study on Diplopedia by Rice University. "When you allow staff to create and edit entries, you are allowing a greater product that can be easily shared over time."

Many governments, think tanks, and foundations are now using crowdsourcing platforms to gather and assess information. The idea is to include more voices in the process, whether it’s for crowdsourcing ideas for new initiatives or to include the public in the policy debate.

This is the reasoning behind this article, whose content is crowdsourced from users on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

There are many articles and blog posts out there on how to use digital tools to build and engage networks and make the diplomatic process more inclusive -- and I have written extensively on social media and innovation in foreign policy. But the idea of digital diplomacy is exactly to include all audiences in the debate, while nurturing an open discussion.

Ambassadors and diplomats have embraced digital tools at various levels, from using Twitter and Facebook, to exploring tools like MapBox to map offices and services around the country; from Storifying events and initiatives, to experimenting with GoogleGlass at public functions. The opportunities are endless and organizations like the Digital Diplomacy Coalition and the Young Professional in Foreign Policy are dedicated to share innovative ideas, best practices, and more among the diplomatic community in Washington DC and elsewhere.

Here is some advice that has been collected by crowdsourcing this article:

Training

Don’t rush into social media without some basic training. Twitter is probably the best tool to learn social media engagement in ‘private mode’. Set up a protected Twitter account, mutually follow a handful of your colleagues and start “test tweeting” for a couple of weeks. Ask your social media trainer and your team to cast a critical eye on your tweets. Once you are comfortable with the platform and its 140-character limitation delete the “test tweets” and go public. At Burson-Marsteller we have designed a Tweet Academy workshop to help our clients master the tool. (by Matthias @Luefkens @Twiplomacy).

Who to follow

Follow and connect with your peers. @Twiplomacy has a number of useful Twitter lists of embassies and diplomats around the world. You can either subscribe to the lists for your reading pleasure or better pick your peers and follow them to connect on Twitter. Start by following all your peers and colleagues in your city. Twitter will not replace face to face meetings, phone calls or emails but it’s another communication channel you should use. Once mutually connected with your peers you can send Direct Messages via Twitter, which are far more effective than email. Don’t worry about following too many people. You don’t have to read all their tweets. For better Twitter reading you should create lists of must-read accounts instead. (by Matthias @Luefkens @Twiplomacy)

32 Twitter Tips

1     Don't tweet what you eat, but tweet as you eat, ie three times per day - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

2     .@replies will only be seen by all your followers if you put a dot before the @ (aka 'dot replies') - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

3     Be personal. However, unless you are the president of the USA keep your private life out of your Twitter feed http://bur.sn/gx6WN - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

4     Don’t tweet about the weather, unless you’re English or your business is The Sun http://bur.sn/gx6ZR - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

5     Be human, however keep your emotions under control http://bur.sn/gx71S - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

6     Tweet positive. Don’t vent your anger on Twitter http://bur.sn/gx7nF - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

7     Never use foul language. http://bur.sn/gx8dq - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

8     Be brief. Don’t exceed 100-120 characters; leave space for retweets (RTs) - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

9     Be short and to the point http://bur.sn/gx74F - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

10   The best tweets are often the shortest http://bur.sn/gx76P - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

11   The most popular tweet ever had only three words and a picture http://bur.sn/gx9TS - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

12   A tweet with exactly 140 characters is called a "Twoosh", but it's often impossible to retweet. See http://bur.sn/gx7Fe - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

13   Following someone doesn’t mean you must read all their tweets. Create lists for curated Twitter readings. - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

14   Create and follow lists https://twitter.com/Twiplomacy/lists #Curation - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

15   Are your staff on Twitter? Creating staff lists http://bur.sn/gxiGx helps you monitor what your employees are tweeting - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

16   Create a monthly editorial calendar and a weekly/daily tweet sheet - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

17   Lost for words? Tweet historic events or historic quotes... - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

18   Don’t forget to send Holiday Greetings via Twitter, cheaper than a greetings card http://bur.sn/gxaFH - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

19   Use different Twitter clients for your personal and corporate Twitter accounts to avoid accidents - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

20   #Multiple #hashtags will make your #tweet #difficult to #read - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

21   #LongHashtagsAreAnnoyingAndPointless - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

22   It is ok to make spelling mistakes but proof read your tweets before sending: http://bur.sn/gx7bF - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

23   Read your posts out loud http://bur.sn/gx6Dj via @shortstackjim @socialmedia2day - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

24   Know when to use a comma. Spelling matters http://bur.sn/gx6Dj via @shortstackjim @socialmedia2day - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

25   Mom This is How Twitter Works - Learn the basics: http://bur.sn/gx8hJ - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

26   Use http://goo.gl or http://bit.ly or get your branded URL shortener http://bur.sn to shorten links - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

27   Don’t buy followers http://bur.sn/gxbnU via @SGH_Marketing @SocialMedia2day - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

28   Use a Twitter client such as @Hootsuite @Tweetdeck http://bur.sn/gxbQg via @andrewriesen @socialmedia2day- @BMdigital #TwitterTips

29   Never make people laugh - unless that is the intended outcome http://bur.sn/gxcaG via @softwarehollis @socialmedia2day- @BMdigital #TwitterTips

30   Social media doesn't have to be time consuming http://bur.sn/gxicQ via @BradleyESmith @socialmedia2day - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

31   Make your tweets RARE: Relevant, Articulate, Reliable, Enabling http://bur.sn/gxedH via @TheTweepleQueen @socialmedia2day

32   Don’t make a crisis out of a tweet - @BMdigital #TwitterTips

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EXAMPLE:

1) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut vehicula bibendum ipsum, sed fringilla sapien euismod vel. Aliquam tempus augue iaculis lacus dictum vehicula. (by John Doe -- or by @johndoe);

1) (by @mjmclean);

You have risen to the position you have due in large part to your knowledge, experience and networks.  Your voice matters on the diplomatic stage and is now a welcome addition to online dialogues. Global issues affect us all and your voice can extend beyond the borders of your accredited territory(ies). You are contributing to a dialogue and being part of a community.

> Twitter is simply another tool in your diplomatic arsenal (phone, face-to-face, email, meetings etc.)

> Find a mentor within your embassy or your peer network, don’t be afraid to ask and learn.
Learning how find, filter, and listen will make it enjoyable and exciting;

> Listen to what others are saying; pay attention to/critique how they’re engaging; (other diplomats in your city/country, #digitaldiplomacy)

> Be curious, be yourself.  Share and seek based on your interests.

> Enjoy!

2) From Scott Nolan Smith, @ScottNolanSmith - Co-Founder of the Digital Diplomacy Coalition & Head of Digital Diplomacy at the British Embassy in Washington:

It is important to remember that digital diplomacy is not separate from diplomacy. It is not a solution to the world’s problems, nor a catch all to being a great diplomat. Digital technologies, however, do present new tools and opportunities for diplomats to do their jobs better, and for foreign ministries to achieve their goals in new ways. Digital technologies provide an additional set of tools to the wider diplomatic toolkit. Digital, particularly social media, allows governments to be more engaging, to listen more and broadcast less. It's no longer about ‘the audience,’ it’s  about the communities you engage with and become a part of.

;

3) <@feromalo> Innovation is neither analog nor digital, it's methodological (it's related to strategies, and not merely with tools).

Even if social media holds strategic potential for enhancing communication tactics, there is no guarantee that it is (or will be) used that way. The reality is that more often than not it's used only for broadcasting (transmitting, sending, spreading, promulgating information to audiences), and not necessarily for communication (understood as interaction or engagement between social actors, ie, communities).

My suggestion: don't highlight the technology, and rather focus on the design of the engagement process.

In other words, the focus should not be primarily in the medium or communications technology, but in how messages (communication strategies and tactics) are structured / tailored. Furthermore, the target audiencie/community is the one that should define both (the messege and the means of contact, influence and persuasion to be used; be them traditional or novel).

"'Google before you tweet' is the new 'think before you speak'." Author unknown.

</@feromalo>