3: Participation

Continue to provide and expand on a range of opportunities for the public to interact with Department officials and offer their opinions, questions, and feedback both in the US and abroad.

Other Information:

Participation is a key element to ensure continued transparency in an open government. The Department plans to continue to provide and expand on a range of opportunities for the public to interact with Department officials and offer their opinions, questions, and feedback both in the US and abroad. This is useful in assessing public opinion and tracking reactions to US positions, events and policies. For example, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs manages ExchangeConnect which is “an International network that highlights first person stories about culture, communities, and exchange program experiences.” US Embassies engage local audiences as well through a variety of on-line means. As noted above, the Department is active in the social media arena, and has a sizable following among Facebook™, Twitter™, and blog users. In the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, a vast number of compassionate US citizens contacted the Department through social media to seek ways that they could help. The Department’s goal is to provide a variety of forums through which US citizens can participate actively in their government and US foreign policy. The Department of State amplifies the reach of U.S. foreign policy to domestic and global audiences through new media and web-based communication technology. The Department's three guiding principles for all social media efforts are engagement, transparency, and serving as an alternative to traditional media. These principles guide new expansion efforts and help build lasting relationships with new sectors of the public. The efforts outlined below will support Secretary Clinton’s directive to Implement 21st Century Statecraft and use modern technologies to engage with the public.

Stakeholder(s):

• The Public

Objective(s):

3.1: Web Video

3.2: Blogs

3.3: Twitter

3.4: YouTube

3.5: Interactive Travel Map

3.6: Facebook

3.7: Text the Secretary

3.8: ExchangeConnect

3.9: Web Chats

3.10: Podcasts (Audio and Video)

3.11: Mobile Technologies

Content