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About: Community Manager

Recent Posts by Community Manager

It’s been a while + survey

2020 presented a challenging year for everyone. As an organization dedicated to events, networking and in-person training, we opted to step aside and cancel our planned activities. Instead, we took the opportunity to aid members of our community to develop their own virtual programming and support their needs as a resource. In doing so, the Digital Diplomacy Coalition board decided to take a moment to reflect on our work over the past seven years, and rethink our path forward for the remainder of 2021 and into the future. However, no conversation on our future would be complete without gathering your views.

As someone who reads this blog, has attended a past event, joined our mailing list, partnered with us on events, or reached out to be a part of our community, we want to hear your thoughts. The Coalition is keen to refocus elements of our offer and programming, but we want to make sure we are meeting the needs of our community. We are inviting you to participate in a brief survey to better inform our future planning.

Survey-Button-Update

Please share your views. This survey should take no more than 5-10 minutes. You may choose to provide your contact details or answer the form completely anonymously.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to assist us as we endeavour to support our community and build a stronger digital diplomacy network. If you require additional information or have questions, please contact us at team@digidiplomats.com.

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Embassies Are Still Showing People the World

With travel on hold, museums and cultural institutions closed, and traditional events canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many embassies in Washington, DC have taken to creative methods to engage the public and replace their annual public diplomacy festivities. 

Speaking to Molly McCluskey at Smithsonian Magazine, DDC board member Moira Whelan shared how her family has been using digital tools to stay connected to the world, and why it’s important embassies are a part of those virtual conversations.

“One of the things that has gotten us through the year is we’ve gone on ‘trips’. I picked Egypt, my daughter picked Paris, and my husband and son also picked places. We watched videos, we read books, we ate the food. It’s helpful to add the embassies into that conversation, because they specialize in making their countries and their culture accessible to Americans. There is a way to be able to explore the world just by going to their website and following them on social media, and learning and plotting where you want to go in the world.”

Read the full article here.

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#DiplomacyUnited4Pride and Equal Rights For All

To celebrate LGBTQ+ pride, the #DiplomacyUnited group has shared a joint campaign across Twitter and Instagram. 

Once again, members of the diplomatic community across Washington, DC have come together behind a common cause. Building on past campaigns to mark International Human Rights Day and International Women’s Day, embassies and global organizations in D.C., together with the Digital Diplomacy Coalition, used their social media presences to show support for LGBTQ+ communities and spread a message promoting equal rights for all.

Check out the Twitter Collection below and watch the Instagram Story here.


#DiplomacyUnited is an informal community originating from the first international digital diplomacy conference held in Stockholm in 2014. The group has continued to collaborate over the years, and has also grown to include additional embassies and organizations.

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DDC’s Moira Whelan op-ed on democracy, technology, and COVID-19

Digital Diplomacy Coalition Board Member Moira Whelan published an opinion piece on the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab Medium looking at the affects COVID-19 has taken and will take on the safety and security of democracy in the technology space.

Selected excerpts:

The innovative tools governments have been loathe to use are now quite literally keeping parliaments and cabinets together. The political leaders slow to adopt digital tools now engage in regular dialogue with constituents because it’s their only choice. Now that these tools have become the norm, there’s no going back. Governments will need to consider how they sustain this online dialogue. The expectation of virtual access to our leaders will and should remain long after COVID-19.


The very tools keeping us together when our freedom is limited could — in the end — be used to help limit our freedom as authoritarian governments embolden themselves. The small freedoms and choices we still enjoy are being sucked into a cloud to be shared, analyzed, and used to manipulate us. Is it over? Is this it for us? Unlikely. We still see good in the world. Technology in the free world during coronavirus has connected us, helped us raise millions and spurred innovation, and saved lives. Many democracies like South Korea, Taiwan, South Africa, and New Zealand are knocking coronavirus for a loop with doses of strong leadership, transparency, and tough decisions. Institutions built by democracies — most notably the World Health Organization — are leading the world.

Read the full piece here

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#DiplomacyUnited for International Women’s Day 2020

For International Women’s Day 2020, a group of digital diplomats came together to share a single message through a joint Twitter thread

Building on past campaigns to mark International Human Rights Day 2019 and International Women’s Day 2019, 13 embassies in Washington, DC — @ItalyinUS, @SpainInTheUSA, @SwedeninUSA, @SwissEmbassyUSA, @ARGinUSA, @FinlandInUSA, @IsraelinUSA, @NLintheUSA, @franceintheus, @GermanyinUSA, @EmbamexEUA, @DenmarkinUSA, and @CanEmbUSA / @AmbCanEUA — together with the Digital Diplomacy Coalition (@digidiplomats), used their social media presence to bring attention to International Women’s Day 2020.

Working as a united diplomatic front, the group shared a single message divided among their accounts to highlight the importance of advancing a gender-equal and inclusive world, where all people are #EachForEqual and members of #GenerationEquality seeking to make a positive difference.

Like all digital conversations, we hope to see others share and join the thread, and take real world steps toward positive change.


 

#DiplomacyUnited is an informal community originating from the first international digital diplomacy conference held in Stockholm in 2014. The group has continued to collaborate over the years, and has also grown to include additional embassies and organizations.

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Takeaways: Digital Strategies for Crisis Communications

Last week, the Digital Diplomacy Coalition, in partnership with Digital Collective and Hill+Knowlton Strategies, came together for a discussion on crisis communications and planning for the unexpected in the digital age.

The discussion, moderated by Rajesh Mirchandani, UN Foundation Chief Communications Officer and former BBC journalist, featured experts Jessamyn Sarmiento, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at World Food Program USA; Maria Belovas, Head of Press & Public Diplomacy at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States; and Ron Hutcheson, Managing Director at Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

Here is what we learned. 

Be prepared. The key to good crisis communication is having a plan before the problem hits. Map out who is in charge in a crisis situation (including who sounds the alarm when a crisis hits) and who will be in the “war room.” Plan approval processes, roles, and have a bank of statements prepared so that everything can be executed quickly and effectively.

Directly address stakeholders. Don’t let gaps feed the rumor mill. Be quick and forthright in your communications to key stakeholders, including staff, partners, and champions. When they are equipped with directions and talking points they can be some of your best ambassadors. 

Sometimes no response is the best response. Otherwise known as “don’t feed the trolls,” this advice is often easier given than heeded. However, in the social media era, not every piece of negative feedback needs to be a “crisis.” Discuss with your team to develop guidelines for responses and evaluate whether your engagement will make the problem better or worse.

Overall, we learned that there is no clear one-size-fits-all approach for digital strategies in crisis communications. However, investing in planning, monitoring, and evaluation structures can go a long way when you need to design a response in a difficult situation.

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#DiplomacyUnited for Human Rights Day 2019

For Human Rights Day 2019, a group of digital diplomats and partners came together to share a Twitter thread, a coordinated campaign and a common objective.

IMG_20191210_091758On December 10th, 2019 nine embassies in Washington, DC (@SwissEmbassyUSA, @FranceInTheUS, @CanEmbUSA, @FinnEmbassyDC, @ItalyinUS, @NLintheUSA, @SwedeninUSA, @DenmarkinUSA, @SpainInTheUSA) together with the U.S. Department of State (@StateDRL) and the Digital Diplomacy Coalition (@digidiplomats), used their collective social media presence to send a message.

Building on efforts from International Women’s Day in 2019, the informal group — a legacy of the first international digital diplomacy conference held in Stockholm in 2014, collaborations by individual embassies and the Digital Diplomacy Coalition network — took to Twitter to bring attention to the 71st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their collective goal of supporting human rights globally. Through bespoke tweets and a coordinated series of videos, each participating embassy or organization shared a unique message and highlighted one of the Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Like all digital threads, we hope to see this conversation grow, others to join in the cause and for new ideas to emerge from the effort.

 

 

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DDC Board Members Join Forces To Launch Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp

bootcampDeveloped for public sector and embassy personnel, the Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp from BlueDot Strategies is designed to provide hands-on training for creating and implementing digital strategies for foreign ministries, embassies and international institutions. Conducted by leading experts in the field, DDC Board Members Scott Nolan Smith and Moira Whelan, the Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp is a unique experience that will build the skills of communications and public diplomacy leaders, social media managers and policy officers, and sharpen the capabilities of project managers, and senior diplomats.

Over 2 days, participants will gain

  • Insights and tools necessary to create an original digital strategy
  • Effective techniques for communicating on behalf of their governments and institutions on social media platforms
  • Tool kits for developing digital projects and campaigns
  • Knowledge of digital best practices employed by embassies and institutions
  • Project management and resource allocation for digital campaigns
  • Crisis communications planning and management on digital platforms
  • Skills for managing official personal and institutional social media content


Training components will include

  • What is a digital diplomat?
  • Defining your role. Advancing diplomacy through digital tools
  • Identifying your audience
  • Developing a digital strategy
  • Planning your campaign
  • Multimedia 101
  • How to be awesome at Twitter (and other popular platforms)
  • Crisis on digital tools
  • Beyond Social Media: Blending with Other Tools of Diplomacy

 

Click here to learn more, including costs, dates and location details.

 



This is not an official DDC event. For more information contact inquiries@bluedotstrategies.com

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BlueDot Founder & DDC Board Member sits on Digital Diplomacy panel at French Embassy

By Maureen Couch 

Moira Whelan, BlueDot Founding Partner, was featured on a panel for the 2019 French Series hosted by the Embassy of France on Tuesday, May 21st. This year’s panel series, an annual event at the embassy, addressed the matter of failing diplomatic exclusivity of international communications.

The French Embassy promoted the panel series indicating that social media has become a major player in funneling information to – and from – the public, “allowing non-state actors to become involved in the communication between states.” Rather than avoiding the inevitable, the panel spoke on how foreign policy can welcome and, in turn, help shape the future of diplomacy as it evolves.

“One of the mistakes we are making is taking the antiquated rules and applying it to the current diplomacy. That people to people opportunity is huge and in the end will help salvage the relationship,” said Whelan on the panel series.

Including Whelan, the panel co-featured Priya Doshi, a professorial lecturer of Public Relations at American University School of Communication, and James Barbour, the Former Head of the Press and Public Diplomacy Section of the Delegation of the European Union. The panel was moderated by John Hudson, National Security Reporter at The Washington Post.

To learn more about the French Series, visit the French Embassy site or take a look at tweets by the Digital Diplomacy Coalition and the French Embassy.


 

This post originally appeared on the BlueDot website

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SXSW 2019 | Digital Diplomacy, GovTech and Panels To Watch For

It’s that time of year! SXSW 2019 is about to kick off and we wanted to share a few digital diplomacy, govtech and related events and sessions you might want to check out if you’re in Austin.

 


 

March 8th

International Women’s Day at EU@SXSW
The European Union is pleased to partner with UN Women to be the official host of SXSW’s International Women’s Day celebration.
EU@SXSW | Palm Door on 6th
2:00PM–10:30PM

International Models for Local Communities
Hear how reciprocal exchanges with professionals from Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia have facilitated international partnerships with communities abroad, and reinforces the impact that local initiatives have on the global stage. This session is part of the Focus15 block centered around the topic Powering Local Change through Global Collaboration, with an emphasis on government management.
Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 400-402
4:15PM-4:30PM

 

March 9th

Interactive EU Experience
Check out some of the most innovative EU-funded projects tackling the challenge of disinformation and supporting the discovery of new European musical artists. See whether you can spot deep fake images and videos at our disinformation wall and listen to some of the best European music on offer under our sound domes!
EU@SXSW | Palm Door on 6th
11:00AM-5:00PM

Tech and Populism at a Crossroads: A New Era?
The balkanization and proliferation of information and political views is driven by constant innovation and evolution of digital communications and technology platforms, including social media. With populism at a crossroads, how will technology disrupt the coming years of political dialogue, and how should policymakers respond?
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon B
11:00AM-Noon

Combatting Disinformation & the European Elections
Whilst the problem of disinformation is anything but new, the internet, and social media in particular, has shifted its spread into high gear. Following the elections on both sides of the Atlantic, disinformation has been widely debated both in the US and in Europe. Our panelists will discuss the challenges the EU is facing in the run-up to the May 2019 European elections and the efforts of its institutions to address them.
EU@SXSW | Palm Door on 6th
Noon-1:00PM

 

March 10th

The Dark Side of Tech: Surveillance and Propaganda
For repressive regimes, frontier technology can mean new ways to gain and maintain power. Will big data and artificial intelligence liberate or surveil? Join the Human Rights Foundation, Uighur linguist and police state survivor Tahir Imin, Buzzfeed News tech editor Megha Rajagopalan, and foreign affairs reporter Melissa Chan for a conversation on how super apps, facial recognition, movement analysis, DNA mapping, fake video, and other cutting-edge technologies are used to control, surveil, and promote state propaganda in China – and what that means for the rest of the world.
The LINE, Topaz Ballroom 1-2-3
12:30PM-1:30PM

EU-US Relations: The State of Play
Sharing values and interests, the EU and the US have multiple political and economic ties and have remained close allies for almost seventy years. This transatlantic partnership – arguably the most important bilateral relationship in the world – has had its highs and lows. What is the current state of play? How important is the successful cooperation of the two superpowers for them and for the global order?
EU@SXSW | Palm Door on 6th
1:00PM-2:00PM

Input Local. Output Global. City Innovation Mayoral Meet Up
Local ingenuity leads to global progress. Innovation in the government and civic sector continues to grow, local leaders still face many challenges especially in the midst of round-the-clock responsibilities within their communities. Meet America’s most innovative mayors who are using technology and innovation to meet their biggest challenges. Network, share, and engage with local leaders changing the face of cities.
Fairmont Poppy, Floor 4
3:30PM-4:30PM

Tech4Good – presented by France
Conversation about the French Tech4Good: France and Austin as iconic ecosystems of creativity and innovation for social impact. Post-panel discussion will feature a special invitation-only networking cocktail and demos from French start-ups. At 8:00pm Paris-based indie rock band Stuck in the Sound performs live on stage.
EU@SXSW | Palm Door on 6th
5:00PM-10:30PM

Does Government Matter in a Digital World?
The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that 543 terabits of data are flowing across borders every second. If knowledge is power and data is now the most valuable commodity on the planet, who has it? Who uses it? Who controls it? How? And where does government fit into this datascape? Do governments have any power or purpose left, or, like one of those old Western towns that are only facades, are we living in a facsimile of civic governance?
Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 400-402
5:00PM-5:15PM

 

March 11th

Breaking Free from Global Disinformation
Disinformation, amplification and intimidation are widely used to drown out reliable journalistic reporting. Predators of press freedoms are building a tracked and censored internet, while blocking external content. Democracies are undermined while despotic regimes develop intricate propaganda machines that silence dissent, locally and globally. Solutions are badly needed to strengthen journalism & the integrity of public debate. That’s why Reporters Without Borders has launched a global appeal to mobilize governments and those committed to defending a free and pluralistic public space, essential for democracy. Seventy years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a Commission of 25 influencers from 18 countries has published an International Declaration on Information and Democracy to establish basic principles for information in the digital age – “a common good of humankind.”
The LINE, Onyx Ballroom 1
2:00PM-3:00PM

Bad Guys Attacking Elections: It’s Not Just the US
We know bad guys are continuing to use social media tools to exploit divisions and undermine elections in the US. We have seen their handiwork in France, Mexico, Germany and other places. Between now and SXSW we will see elections not just in the United States but in Brazil and Georgia where on-line manipulation of opinion is already a big problem. When we meet, elections in Indonesia, India and Europe will be just around the corner. Panelists will talk about where things stand, explore what’s working and what’s not from the perspective of the world’s largest social media platform, the media, and a think tank working to create a network of experts to combat the issue. We’ll look at ways to close the information gap among government, tech, and media on these collective challenges.
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon A
12:30PM-1:30PM

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