U.S. State Department Launches Dipnote

On September 24, the United States Department of State launched a blog called Dipnote. The blogs' first post, Assistant Secretary Silverberg's Dispatch #1 from the 62nd UNGA, gave the impression of walking into a conversation that was already in progress. No worries. An introduction to Dipnote was posted the next day by Sean McCormack, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs.

Dipnote is an effort by the U.S. State Department to start a conversation with the public regarding the foreign policy of the United States. It features different bloggers within the U.S. State Department and posts have focused on a variety of topics including Iran, Blackwater, and Sudan. The most interesting posts give a glimpse in the lives of U.S. State Department employees who are working in places such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and India. The blog also poses a different foreign policy question every week. As McCormack stated in his blog introduction, " I hope Dipnote will provide you with a window into the work of the people responsible for our foreign policy, and will give you a chance to be active participants in a community focused on some of the great issues of our world today."

The public has begun to participate in the blog with comments on subjects ranging from adoptions in Guatemala to Middle East politics. Sometimes the comments are more fascinating than the posts. It appears the U.S. State Department is making an effort to create a conversation with its blog readers. The comments are regularly responded to by State Department bloggers. A question was raised early in the blog about filtering comments for content. McCormack's responseto this issue was that comments would not be filtered for criticism. He further stated, "I view the blog as a community where we can read criticism, encouragement and everything in between."

How has the public reacted to this State Department blog? Overall, the response as been positive. Most see it as a good opportunity to increase transparency within the State Department. Others, such as Cynthia in California, express doubts. In her September 26, 2007 comment on Dipnote, she writes. "This new blog seems to be an effort at transparency, but given the U.S. State Department's warlike actions, I'm skeptical that this will actually encourage dialogue."

The one issue everyone agrees upon is the name of the blog. Dipnote, U.S. State Department jargon for diplomatic note, is getting a thumbs down from everyone. There are no plans to change the name.

Source:
U.S. Department of State, Dipnote