Recommendations social media_pd_dunselman

Social Media in Public Diplomacy

Recommendations for the Dutch embassy in London

Astrid Dunselman Intern at Public Diplomacy, Press and Culture Department Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 10 May - 27 August 2010

Social Media in Public Diplomacy - Recommendations for the Dutch embassy in London

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TABLE OF CONTENT

TABLE OF CONTENT 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 INTRODUCTION 4 METHOD 5 THE AIMS OF PD FOR THE EMBASSY 6

WHAT IS PUBLIC DIPLOMACY? 6 WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME? 8 CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PD AT THE EMBASSY IN LONDON 8 KEY POINTS 9

WHAT ARE SOCIAL MEDIA? 10 HOW CAN SOCIAL MEDIA BE USED? 10 STYLE AND CODE OF CONDUCT 11 WHO IS TALKING? 11 HOOKS AND LOOKS 11

SOCIAL MEDIA IN DIPLOMACY 12 SOCIAL MEDIA IN BUSINESSES AND MEDIA 13

RECOMMENDATIONS 14 HOW TO START? 15 SHORT-TERM 15 MEDIUM-LONG-TERM 16 LONG-TERM 16

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA ARE SUITABLE FOR WHICH DEPARTMENT? 17 AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT 17 CONSULAR DEPARTMENT 17 DEFENCE DEPARTMENT 17 ECONOMIC DEPARTMENT 18 NFIA 18 POLITICAL DEPARTMENT 18 PRESS, PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT 19

SWOT ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA 20 OFTEN HEARD… 22 APPENDIX A – PD DEVELOPMENTS BETWEEN MFA AND MISSIONS 24 APPENDIX B – OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL MEDIA 26 APPENDIX C – TABLES PD AND SOCIAL MEDIA 35 SOURCES 36


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Executive summary

This report aims to set out a first set of recommendations for the use of social

media for the Dutch embassy in London in its public diplomacy (PD), i.e. relations

with civil society. PD policy can be aimed at different parties and stakeholders in

society, with different means and language. For PD to work, three elements are

key: listen to what is being said by the different stakeholders, develop and sustain

a network and of course communicate your message. Furthermore there are three

levels on which PD can be conducted, namely the advocacy, profile raising and

engagement level.

Rather than only broadcasting information, social media invite discussion and

interaction. It is precisely this element that makes social media a useful tool for

Public Diplomacy as it enhances engagement with the public. However this can

make the use of social media a challenge as well.

The six mostly used social media in the UK have been selected. For each of these

social media is mapped out to what extent it can be used for listening,

communicating and networking, and to what extent it can be used on every PD

level. Also it is assessed which social media are suitable for every department.

PD needs to be coordinated from one steering group. However, many themes

are cross-departmental, so social media needs to be conducted by several teams.

This will also guard continuity. Every department should have a sense of ownership

and responsibility for representing the embassy’s work online. Furthermore,

training can help to make clear to the staff how social media can support them in

their work.

The online realm is changing every day. The PD and social media project

should be thoroughly monitored and reassessed throughout its development. As

start up, some practical short-, mid-to-long-term and long-term recommendations

have been taken up in this report.


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Introduction

In the current era of globalisation and the widespread use of information and

communication technology, the nature of international relations has changed.

Through the Internet people are able to communicate and interact with each other

faster, easier and across national borders. Both public and private organisations

have now an easy way to get out their message and influence public opinion and

policy makers. Herein lies the necessity for government officials to extend their

diplomatic relations to a wider public, including journalists, NGOs, academics and

pundits. Addressing the stakeholders in specific areas of interest for a state is Public

Diplomacy (PD).

New technologies have increased opportunities for communications and media.

News spreads around the world faster. Social media, like Facebook, Twitter and

blogs have become a big part of society and everyday life. The US embassy used

Twitter to communicate opening hours. More and more politicians use it as does

every large business. Social media have proven to be a useful tool in crisis

management. KLM used it to update travellers-information during the ‘ash cloud

crisis’. BP has been twittering about the oil spill.

Practise has also shown that the usage of social media is not without risk. A

mock Twitter account is turning BP’s reputation to shreds. KLM’s Facebook page has

turned into a wailing wall about poor customer service. Politicians, diplomats and

journalists alike have made mistakes, causing some controversy and need for

damage control. Lastly, whatever is put on the Internet can be duplicated and

pulled out of context and messages become harder to control.

As more and more companies, political organisations and journalists have

become active online, it can be useful to extend the embassy’s online profile to

social media as well. However, the negative consequences of online exposure will

need to be taken into consideration as well. Therefore this report aims to

investigate the extent to which social media can be used in public diplomacy by the

Dutch embassy in London and to provide the embassy with a set of

recommendations on how social media can be used.


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Method

In answering this question, desk research has been done, for PD and social media

literature and blogs. The websites and online profiles of institutions and

organisations have been analysed on how they use social media. Furthermore,

some of these have been interviewed to find out more about their experiences.

Several experts have been asked their opinion of social media for (governmental)

institutions. To find out on a very practical level how social media can be used by

the embassy itself, every department has been questioned about their experiences

and their views on this subject.

It has been difficult to get a very practical approach to this research, as the

embassy’s PD policy has been under development during this report. The results

and recommendations are for this reason quite generally put, though wherever

possible a concrete recommendation is given.

Central to the embassy’s PD policy is a model developed by Nick Cull. In the

model PD-policy can be in three levels: advocacy, profile raising and engagement.

On all these levels, three characteristics are most important for PD, being listening,

networking and communicating. The six social media that are mostly used in the UK

have been assessed for both the PD-levels and the social media characteristics. This

has resulted in three tables that show the extent to which social media can be used

for a specific PD level and characteristic.

The embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco have been

doing research on the same subject. The results of the interviews and research

have been shared between these representing institutions and on a weekly basis

meetings have been held. The aim is to combine the reports of each representation

and come to a general conclusion for social media in PD for the ministry of Foreign

affairs in The Hague.


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The aims of PD for the embassy

What is Public Diplomacy? A lot of different definitions can be found on PD. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in

The Hague is currently outlining the PD long-term strategy and topics.1 This

research uses therefore the definition and explanatory model that is presented in

the strategic plan (MJSP) of the Dutch embassy in London.

PD is:

Engagement with influential British individuals, groups or organisations with

the intention of listening, sharing good ideas, raising awareness of Dutch

strengths, winning support for Dutch international priorities and ultimately

building sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships.2

Key elements of PD are reciprocity and dialogue. PD is moving away from the

broadcasting model of ‘informing the public about what the Netherlands is doing’.

Rather, PD should be focused on certain niches in which the Netherlands excels and

aim for an engagement with the British public.

For PD to work, three elements are key: listen to what is being said by the

different stakeholders, develop and sustain a network and of course communicate

your message with the right words, images and tone.

PD policy can be aimed at different parties and stakeholders in society, with

different means and language. This is visualised in the pyramid below. Nick Cull

roughly recognises three levels of PD, all having a particular timeframe. However,

this pyramid is a model, a simplification of reality and it should be noted that these

levels are not completely strict differences.

1 For an overview of the discussion, see Appendix A (in Dutch) 2 For more information on PD for the Dutch embassy in London, see the MJSP-‐programme and the report Lessons from California by Weijer Vermeer. 3 Social Media in the UK 2010, Simply Zesty 27 July 2010 http://www.youtube.com/user/SimplyZesty#p/u/3/YZHSZY8S9mA

2 For more information on PD for the Dutch embassy in London, see the MJSP-‐programme and the report Lessons from California by Weijer Vermeer.


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Public Diplomacy Pyramid. Prof Nick Cull, USC Summer Institute of Public

Diplomacy 2009

The advocacy level is at the top, pinpointing key players in the civil society playing

field and directly addressing them on a certain topic. Then there is the level for

raising a profile in the middle, with a broader target of creating and sustaining a

network within civil society. The engagement level on which we try to build a long-

term relationship with the British public and communicate what the Netherlands

stands for forms the base of the pyramid. On every level, work is laid out for the

embassy, in different departments. As for the use of social media, every form has a

specific target group and can support PD on a specific level as well.

Getting attention for the Netherlands is not an easy task. Simon Anholt has

pointed out that people have persistent feelings and ideas about a country. From

his results he has concluded that it is very hard to change prejudice or even keep

the attention of a foreign nation on your undoubtedly diverse and flourishing

country. Furthermore, as there are almost 200 nations in the same business,

competition is hard. It is therefore important to set realistic goals and stick with a

well-considered and genuine strategy in order to raise a country’s profile.


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This report focuses on using social media in PD. As been mentioned, PD should

focus on specific niches. The question has been raised whether social media can be

used to sustain a permanent rather general online profile, to communicate activities

and information about the Netherlands. Furthermore, having an active outlet for

broadcasting can be a good thing in crises to explain your point of view without

being dependent on an external source. However, what should be considered is

whether there is enough content to provide engagement and discussion with the

public, if social media are to be used. The British public will not be interested to

follow ‘the Netherlands’ online. A general profile will therefore probably be followed

mostly by heritage groups, rather than Britons.

What is in it for me? A central question that came up throughout this research is ‘What’s in it for me?’.

In other words, how can PD and social media be useful in my work at the embassy?

It would be too much to describe all the works of the embassy in full at this point.

Basically, the main function is to represent the Dutch government abroad to its

counterparts the UK and to report back on the sentiments that are alive within

government and society. Furthermore it is important for the embassy to maintain

contacts and represent the Dutch nation within British society.

As said before, the civil society has a stronger voice and therefore more

influence on governments, which makes it all the more worthwhile to maintain good

relations with these groups and to lock in a correct perspective on what the

Netherlands stands for. To succeed in this mission, the embassy needs first to listen

to what is relevant, communicate the Dutch policy views on these issues and do

this by engaging its extensive networks. Listening, communicating and using and

expand networks is exactly what social media can do.

Current developments in PD at the embassy in London At the moment the embassy is working on new PD policy. The categorisation on PD

is still rather broad, being political, socio-economic and cultural. As said, most PD

policy would revolve around certain typical subjects and the embassy upholds that

view. Another approach that is mentioned throughout the discussion at the


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embassy is that everything is a PD-opportunity and that for one thing, the embassy

needs to heighten the Netherlands’ visibility in the UK.

Key points Ø The public voice is growing louder and getting more influential. The

development of online communications has created new platforms where

people can meet and interact.

Ø PD is conducted at three levels: advocacy, profile raising and an engagement

level.

Ø For PD to be useful a clear long-term strategy for the embassy needs to be

developed by the MFA and main missions, pinpointing specific topics for PD.

Ø PD keys are listening, networking and communicating, all of which are

elements that social media have to offer.

Ø Social media should be used to engage public in PD niches. A general profile

might only invite engagement of heritage groups.


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What are social media?

Today 85 per cent of the people in the UK is online, having an email account,

Facebook, Twitter, blogging etc.3 Basically, social media are media that are

developed and used as means to communicate and interact, rather than just

broadcast. Traditional media are more or less a one-way street. Social media have

evolved to meet the needs of a public becoming more knowledgeable and more

opinionated. Innumerable networks have evolved between friends and

acquaintances and around topics and institutions in civil society. As PD is about

engagement through listening, networking and communication, social media are

bound to be an indispensible tool.

How can social media be used? If people are engaged and activated, a message has more chance of sticking. Public

Diplomacy policy should no longer only be about informing a public about what a

country does (broadcasting model) but also entering into a dialogue with the public.

This is the biggest transition a governmental institution will have to make.

On every subject one can think of, there are blogs, fan pages on Facebook

etc. Stakeholders on a topic are already present and active on these platforms,

therefore are easy to reach and interact with. It is the quickest way to engage a

broader audience and could be highly effective in that sense. However, making

effective use of these networks is not an easy task. You have to know where your

audience is, go where the people are already active online. This is relatively easy to

find out if you can work with specific websites. Get yourself trained in it or get

someone to do it for you. (Alexa, Google analytics) Listen carefully to what is being

said and how. Then share the right information. If you do not manage it well, the

wanted debate does not occur and you will have spent energy on a dead medium.

Furthermore, it does create extra exposure that is not always completely

manageable. Later on in this report these matters will be further elaborated upon.

3 Social Media in the UK 2010, Simply Zesty 27 July 2010 http://www.youtube.com/user/SimplyZesty#p/u/3/YZHSZY8S9mA


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Style and code of conduct Every form of social media requires a particular style. It depends on the audience

and the issue. As with any exposure, there is the risk involved of someone making

a mistake or causing an uncomfortable situation. People need to be aware of this

and be briefed on what they can and cannot do or say online. However, there is no

need to be too anxious about it. People make mistakes; owning up to it only

stresses the fact that we are human. Train your people. Inform them on what they

can and cannot say, but then trust the people who are working for the embassy

that they have enough sense of their position to know what they can and cannot

share, when they are properly briefed.

Who is talking? Social media give an institution the opportunity to step out of anonymity or

aloofness. There are mixed opinions however on how to set up the public profile.

Should it be an embassy website, as is now the case with many Facebook pages

and the embassy’s Twitter account. Or should it be personal, as KLM for instance

uses and the FCO has chosen to do for its blogging diplomats? Former Minister of

Development Cooperation Bert Koenders has had a Facebook page, but was

updated by his staff, referring to him in third person. That does not work either.

It would be best to make it known who says what if it is an invitation, opinion

or a statement. Whenever it is more of a general post on an event or something of

that kind, it would not have to be specified who has said it.

Hooks and looks A website or social media profile should be accessible, easy to understand, easy to

find by simple queries. The key to every online profile is info visualisation, i.e. use

supporting images and tools to make it look professional and interesting, without it

being dull. It is a necessary investment to design such a website and get access to

high quality images.

Look into search engine optimisation, making sure that your website is

ranked high in search engines. Make sure URLs are in words, not numbers. Google

has a webmasters website where all basic information can be found. It might be

worthwhile to have someone look into this so that he/she gets the basics, next to

hiring someone to design your site.


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Social media in diplomacy Some Dutch MFA institutions have been active online so far, mostly on Facebook

and Twitter and not very successfully with respect to interaction or addressing an

audience abroad. Cultural departments have been much more active online. Culture

can speak for itself and is therefore an easy means to cross borders. Furthermore

culture in itself is almost always a positive message.

Good examples are The Erasmus Huis in Jakarta, Institut néerlandais in

Paris, Orange Alert of the New York Consulate-General and NL Ruhr in Dusseldorf.

All these institutions are active on Facebook, updating regularly and having quite a

lot of followers; Dutch, but definitely foreign too. The Erasmus Huis for example is

responsible for only fifteen per cent of the content of the Facebook page. The

reason that the institute is successful in interacting with the Indonesian public is a

forty-year history with an assertive approach to committing visitors of the centre.

The cultural Facebook sites often do not have any reference to the Dutch

missions that support these pages. This is not necessary from PD perspective. The

aim is not to promote the Dutch embassy, but to diffusely add to a positive image

of the Netherlands. However, when searching for the sites online, they proved to be

hard to find. It is necessary to think about interlinking websites and using correct

key words and names.

Examples of foreign offices that are extensively using social media are the State

Department in the US, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK, the

Norwegian websites and Switzerland using Swissnex. These institutions have a

centrally coordinated digital diplomacy strategy. The FCO for instance has 22

people working for the digital diplomacy department in London, next to their PD

department and the staff at the missions themselves. On the other hand, Swissnex

has only one person monitoring and updating the network full time.

What is striking in all four examples is the very professional and functional layout of

their websites.

Experts that have been interviewed on social media have mentioned the

importance of this as well. Pay attention to and invest in info visualisation. Sites

should be as good looking as magazines, with lots of graphic content and a very


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accessible and logical content. The website of the Dutch embassy in London should

undergo a thorough review with special attention to graphic and clear

representation.

Social media in businesses and media More and more businesses are active online using social media. However a lot of

businesses have just started it without setting out a strategy. KLM was one of the

businesses that stood out in April for using social media effectively to update

stranded travellers during the ash cloud. Furthermore, they are a well-known brand

to the Dutch public with a high interest of expanding their visibility abroad.

Therefore KLM’s experience is in particular interesting to take into account in this

report.

There had not yet been a clear strategy before the ash cloud and the activity on

Facebook and Twitter was low. Because of the ash cloud, suddenly the usage and

followers soared for these pages. The online profiles make it very easy to target

their customers for marketing strategies and mouth-to-mouth marketing. The down

side however turned up a few months later. The customer service was overloaded

and refunds had been refused. KLM had to suffer a lot of critique on their very own

Facebook page. What had been an effective means of informing their clients and

answering direct questions, had become a wailing wall. This is a risk they could not

possibly have foreseen.


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Recommendations

Ø Social media and an online profile can be an extension of the embassy’s work

in the virtual realm. In the long run, the embassy should aim for an online

presence on various platforms. Facebook (and Twitter) for culture. LinkedIn

for more business contacts. Twitter to keep update on opinions by

policymakers, and media. Blogs are eventually the best tools for an in depth

discussion on specific topics. However, getting people to come to a new blog

does take time and patience and should be thoroughly prepared before doing

so.

Ø The website should be a place where information can be verified. The

platforms should be interlinked. Social media can get more traffic to the

website, that usually would be visited only by people already looking for

information on the Netherlands.

Ø Though PD is being developed mainly from the Press, Public Diplomacy and

Culture department, it should be noted that PD should eventually become an

interdepartmental exercise. Social media should be conducted via the same

interdepartmental model, where there is a one team that keeps an eye on

the development and maintenance of the embassy’s social media platforms.

Ø Provide training for the staff on social media functions and usage. There is

still a lot of scepticism regarding both PD and the use of social media. If

members of the staff know social media, it is mostly from personal, private

use. Especially the use of media like Twitter and blogging is not necessarily

clear, as is the usefulness of Facebook etc.

Ø Take your time! To effectively use social media some rather big changes

need to be made, regarding technical support and the development of

specific policies. This makes social media a long-term project as well.

However, on the short-term some media may already be used quite easily.

Furthermore building an online identity for the embassy and make both staff

and public comfortable interacting via social media takes time and is an effort

that should therefore be started with immediately.


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How to start? As a first trial there are several possibilities:

Ø Do a trial with a small project under the radar, to get people used to the idea

of using social media. Choose a cultural event and make a point of using as

Facebook and Twitter as much as possible, actively informing your network

about it, asking to spread the word. This is not as much PD as PR, but can be

useful to make steps towards approach

Ø Do a larger project but coordinate it extremely well. Make one person

responsible for finding out where the network is, who to ask to write and to

create and moderate in- and output. The off-shore wind conference might

provide a good opportunity, as it is politically not too sensitive

Ø Whole different approach: crisis management. Get your side of the story out

there. It’s the strength of new media that you are now your own publisher.

You are not necessarily dependent on what papers are saying. Write your

own article, put it on the blog. Any self-respecting journalist will have to link

it to his or her story. And if they don’t put it on the other medium’s blog

yourself. You will give yourself a voice and a face. People will respect that.

Social media humanises the mob.

Ø Start putting articles about the Netherlands in the UK and perhaps some

other interesting articles on the subjects of PD online. For instance under the

caption: “What I have read in the paper” on the website, and twittering the

link to the site. Any wrong information that was published can be rectified. It

will not have many followers per se, but it will get the staff used to the idea

of a blog or social media.

Short-term First steps to be made:

Ø Inform and train some colleagues in every department about social media

(and PD) involving both opportunities and threats.

Ø Think of ways to challenge colleagues to use social media.

Ø Start listening to your network online.

Ø Let the departments map out their networks and see to what extent they are

online. If they are on Twitter, start following them.


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Ø Make lists on Twitter for every department. Perhaps eventually it would be

better to make separate accounts even.

Ø Make a timeline for both short- and long-term and plan specific moments of

evaluation.

Ø Inform the Hague on your progress and needs for further development

Ø Keep in touch with the US

Ø Develop pilot for offshore wind and for human rights

Medium-long-term Ø Map out the network for the PD projects that already is available at the

embassy for several stakeholders.

Ø Develop LinkedIn groups for the PD-events with a clear networking element

to it.

Ø Develop the website to make it functional and visually attractive.

Ø Start writing informative articles and content on the PD key issues.

Ø Get good visual content

Ø Make sure that visual content about the embassy in general is freely

available when it is searched for in search engines.

Ø Start pilots for offshore wind and for human rights

Ø Work out a code of conduct for staff using social media

Long-term Ø Arrange technical support

Ø Have a blog on each PD key issue

Ø Keep listening to your network and reply

Ø MFA wide development of social media.

Ø Realise long-term policy visions, either coming from The Hague or from the

embassy.


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Which social media are suitable for which department?

Basically every department could and should be aware of the potential use of social

media. However, not every department can use every kind of social media, some

are more suitable then others. Following is an overview of the possibilities for each

department.

Unfortunately, due to the summer holidays, it has not to be possible to speak

to the Office of Science and Technology (TWA) department, which is why estimation

has been made in the table in Appendix C.

Agriculture department The agriculture department answers questions with companies that have questions

regarding the Dutch market and directives. Furthermore it supports the ministry in

The Hague by reporting UK policy and sentiments. They organise seminars that are

not open to public to address the Dutch policy views in preparation for Brussels and

other multilateral relations. On these occasions they are looking for feedback from

the attendants, mostly businesses and NGOs. On a lot of topics online communities

are already active and being followed by the department.

Useful social media tools are blogs and Twitter. For the latter, training is

requested, as is copy or directions from The Hague that is signed off to use.

Consular department The consular department was very weary about the use of social media. Their

business is mostly dealing with personal requests. That is hardly something to put

online. The only effect will be to give people another outlet to express grievances

about either waiting lists or worse, being denied a visa and posting accusations.

Having to deal with these people on another platform is time consuming and not

helpful for PD or their work. Social media therefore would not necessarily be

convenient. However, Slideshare might be taken under consideration, as it can

provide explanatory visual material.

Defence department The defence department should look into Twitter and blogs to listen and find out

who their target groups are. This department has a lot of events that invites


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publicity, like fleet shows etc. Furthermore, military activity might need extra

attention and communications. In cooperation with the political department and

PPC the department should consider their agenda and policy communications.

Economic department The economic department provides information on the possibilities of trade within

the UK for Dutch businesses. Their target group is therefore mainly Dutch. They

recently have set up a new website and are reviewing their newsletter. With these

tools they feel they can address their clients sufficiently. However, with a

newsletter you only reach those people that are already in your network. A main

concern is the amount of extra time that will be spent on using social media,

without having much result for it. Potentially interesting content could be the short

economic messages from the EVD, the news items for the newsletter.

LinkedIn might be a good tool for them to use, as is Twitter for news feeds and

listening.

NFIA The NFIA has a newsfeed on its website. However, people that visit the website will

be looking for specific information. The newsfeed will not evoke that much interest.

Twitter can be a useful tool to spread the newsfeed. Furthermore it is can be used

for listening. Slideshare and YouTube have a lot of potential to use to communicate

activities and information. Blogging can be done on project basis as a start-up for

events.

Business is still mainly a matter of personal contacts, according to the NFIA

managers. Therefore it might be most efficient to just use personal profiles on

LinkedIn to spread information on events, as it is very clear in each profile who is

the employer. It is advisable to create groups within LinkedIn for specific topics.

Currently the NFIA target groups would not necessarily be using social media much,

apart from LinkedIn. Give it three years though, and other social media can be

used, for listening as well. It is advisable to start implementing it already.

Political department A large part of the political department works on traditional diplomacy, directed

governmental counterparts, who will not necessarily share information online.


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However, civil society is already active on social media. It might therefore be useful

for networking, and of course listening. By creating LinkedIn groups on a topic,

people interested in that topic can get in touch more easily. LinkedIn, blogs and

Twitter are very useful to listen.

The political department works mainly on the advocacy level in diplomacy

and directly on very specific policy goals. In traditional diplomacy the network is

mainly in the counterparts in government. However, these relations are mostly well

known and based on trust. On the other hand, civil society’s voice is growing and

the stakeholders in policy can create support and leverage for policies. Situations

do occur where diplomats try to lobby NGOs, rather than the other way around.

Social media can be used for finding out about these stakeholders. Where they are,

what they think and how to keep them committed.

LinkedIn is useful for networking, to find out who knows who. Also by creating

LinkedIn groups on a topic, people interested in that topic can get in touch more

easily. LinkedIn, blogs and Twitter are very useful to listen.

Press, Public Diplomacy and Culture department Facebook is a very useful tool for cultural events. A lot of cultural institutions are

already there and the industry uses it extensively. People will not be looking for the

embassy to read about culture though. Therefore it is advisable to come up with a

different name and look rather than the embassy’s. Twitter is useful to send out

links to useful articles and keep track of news. As social media is a PD scheme, the

department should be keeping track of all social media being used. All this is a lot

of work. It is advisable to make one person responsible for the development and

management of social media, providing him/her with the necessary tools.


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SWOT analysis of social media

Strengths:

Ø The embassy already has extensive networks. All that needs to be done is to

find these online.

Ø There is a lot of information that can be shared, but that information needs

to be put in a different format.

Ø There is a momentum for change now

Weaknesses:

Ø People are sceptical. A new creative approach is necessary for people to get

involved.

Ø The technical support system is rather poor. Step to take: Invest time and

money in setting it up and keeping it going. For instance, IPhones for staff

and/or setting up a web room.

Ø You create exposure that can potentially be harmful; there is another flank to

cover. Create a code of conduct to let people know how to go about it.

Opportunities

Ø Direct, immediate access to influential groups.

Ø Amplification of exposure on PD key subjects.

Ø Possibility of bridging the perceived aloofness of a government.

Ø The right people can get in touch more easily. LinkedIn is for instance a

network that has a very clear purpose of addressing someone you have

never met, just because you share a contact. Perfectly acceptable.

Ø You are what you preach: accessible, open-minded, freedom of speech.

Ø If you set it up correctly and invest in it, it is probably relatively cheap as you

can reach your whole network quite easily.

Ø It can become possible to create an outlet that you control yourself, rather

than being dependent on what is written in the press.

Ø It becomes easier to listen

Ø It becomes easier to get in the picture


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Ø It becomes easier to sustain a professional network

Ø It becomes easier to get an idea of what your public feels and how to address

them

Threats

Ø Nobody follows you or likes you. Solution: don't rush into it. Do it, but do it

properly. Therefore: target your audience first!

Ø Your staff will make mistakes, saying things that were better left unsaid.

However, best way to deal with that is probably by letting it blow over, as it

almost always will. Making a fuss over it will only increase attention. (Might

be an agenda as well) If something goes wrong, admit it and move on.

Ø You cannot control what is being said, therefore, people might be abusive

regarding the Netherlands and the embassy. Step to take: Stay calm and

respond! People will respect that.

Ø Nobody will follow you.

Ø Step to take: review the strategy and target-audience

Ø Posts are boring. Solution: only let people posts that want and can write

don't let people that don't want to write, write anything.

Ø Holidays of staff influences continuity make sure enough people are available

to take over the online output.

Ø Half an effort is made and/or the efforts are unsuccessful, but still time and

money is wasted on it. Review your policy, keep up to date, and stay critical.


22

Often heard…

Social media is not for diplomats. Their work is too subtle and secretive.

Of course there is some truth in this critique. High-level discussion on international

security is something you would rather not tweet about. Furthermore, relations

between high profile stakeholders are delicate. As it takes some time and effort to

build up a good and trusting relationship, unwise exposure can do a lot of harm.

However, not all diplomacy is at this level. You might say there is an inverted

relationship between the delicacy of some matters and the social media that can be

used. Traditional intergovernmental diplomacy on high-profile subjects will not lend

itself for social media. However, on key PD subjects, on which the government is

working extensively, PD can support traditional diplomacy. For these PD subjects,

Social media could be useful.

Solution: keep using your head. Some information is for sharing, other is not. But

bear in mind as well: on certain projects, lobbying, general image building and

most of all listening, social media can be very useful.

Yet another supposedly helpful tool that actually costs more time than it saves.

If that would be the case, then it would be wise not to follow through on using it. Or

to put it more accurately, when that is the case, it would be better to stop using it.

However, if used correctly, social media seem to serve an end. Therefore using it,

should be a reallocation of resources and time, not extra use of resources and time.

It is necessary to make sure to make those resources and time available.

Twitter?! I am so very much NOT interested in whatever some random person is

doing during any given day.

As are most of us. But: if someone is abusing Twitter in this way there is a very

useful button called “unfollow”. Immediately the culprit’s inappropriate tweets will

stop filing into your account. In fact, they disappear completely! Rest assured, most

people have understood the proper use of Twitter. Namely informing followers

about something interesting they have read or organised or have an opinion about

and providing the link where more information can be found.


23

Twitter?! How can it be possible to have any valuable input to any discussion in 140

characters? I am not interested in someone’s unfinished thoughts.

See the answer above.

Well, I don’t care what they say, there’s nothing to a good old real life meet and

greet and my stack of business cards.

Probably true. Any good relationship is maintained through real contact and

interest. Social media can never replace the real life contact. However, as your

stack of business cards will be growing, it might be harder to keep in touch with the

whole lot. Social media can be a good means to keep each other informed at least

on a moderate level.


24

Appendix A – PD developments between MFA and missions

6 August 2010

Aanmerkingen van PD uit het postennetwerk, by Lauren Harris, APA Londen.

Een korte samenvatting van de belangrijkste punten voor HMA Londen en

voornamelijk het nieuwe PD-overleg:

Samenwerking van PPC-afdelingen en beleidsafdelingen

Er is een algemene consensus tussen Den Haag en ambassades dat PPC-afdelingen

als communicatie-afdelingen moeten fungeren, om de door beleidsafdelingen

bepaalde kernboodschappen uit te stralen. Het is belangrijk dat

beleidsmedewerkers inhoudelijke input geven aan PD-projecten: zij hebben de

technische expertise in hun beleidsgebied en zijn goed in staat om de verschillende

beïnvloeders te identificeren. De toegevoegde waarde van PD-medewerkers is hun

expertise in communicatie en PD-middelen en technieken. De risico, als

beleidsafdelingen terugschrikken van PD-activiteiten ("What's In It For Me?") is dat

de informatie over NL beleid binnen een kleine groep van betrokkenen blijft steken.

PD-medewerkers kunnen deze kernboodschappen uitstralen naar een grotere

publiek dat ook zijn eigen (zij het indirecte) invloed op beleid uitoefenen. PD- en

beleidsmederwerkers moeten in ieder geval hand in hand werken.

Welke thema's? Welke projecten?

Er heerst door de postnetwerk (en ook in Den Haag) onzekerheid over de PD-

thema's waarop ambassades zich in de volgende jaren moeten concentren. Tot nu

toe waren deze vag of te talrijk om richting te geven. DVL is deze zomer bezig een

"paraplu" van brede thema's te bepalen. Ambassades hebben wel focus nodig

vanuit het centrum maar willen ook dat hun zo veel flexibiliteit mogelijk worden

overgelaten, omdat zij de "markt" in hun gastland het best kennen. Vooral is het

belangrijk onderzoek, monitoring, voorbereiding en evaluatie van doelgroepen en

activiteiten te doen. Welke thema's zijn voor het lokale publiek

relevant/interessant, en is er eigenlijk vraag voor? Wat doet de concurrentie?


25

Sociale media

HMA Washington loopt wat betreft sociale media voor ten opzichte van de andere

ambassades. Dit komt mede door het belang van sociale media in de Amerikaanse

samenleving. Floris Hovell (HPPC Washington) wilde "benadrukken, dat met name

de sociale media voor PD "natuurlijk cruciaal" zijn". Washington en Londen zijn

overigens allebei bezig met het schrijven van een digitale PD-strategie waarin alle

risico's en gelegenheden van deze nieuwe middelen zullen worden onderzocht.


26

Appendix B – Overview of social media

Following are the most important media that are currently used, though this list

could be extended. Of all media mentioned the functions will be shortly explained,

being followed by the opportunities to listen, network and communicate, concluding

with the possible threats.

Twitter

Twitter is a short message medium, where you can put together a message in 140

characters, which will be posted on the Twitter website. If you have an account,

you can read any person’s message online and if you start to follow them, you will

be updated on his or her ‘tweets’ on your personal account page. www.twitter.com

Opportunities to listen

And you do not have to actively twitter at all. You can also just follow people that

might be of interest to you and stay updated on what keeps them busy. Unlike its

reputation in most minds, Twitter is not a network of people sending random

information, but a collection of links to news and opinions. One of the most

interesting features of Twitter is that you can follow people in your network, but

also wholly outside of it, but that still are very interesting to know what their

opinion is on relevant topics.

To network

With Twitter and the appending websites of the main website, it is possible to map

out who are active on a topic, who their followers are and who they are following. It

is possible to make lists on a specific topic that people can follow in particular.

Through those lists, you can narrow down and target your audience and

opinionators better.

To communicate

The strength of Twitter is that you can quickly share something that interests you

or your organisation, a thought that you want people to consider, or an item you

want them to read. These thoughts and items do not necessarily have to be yours.


27

You can ‘retweet’; forward a tweet from someone else to your network. You can put

links in your tweet, to guide people to a larger article or website. This way you can

enhance your online visibility. Furthermore, through the above-mentioned lists, you

can specify your message.

Threats

A possible weakness lies in two things: first, it is the limited space you have to put

your message out. This should be considered a challenge, as you want it to be

attractive and informative at the same time. The second point is the need for

interaction.

Jon Worth, a blogger on EU politics and partner of a web agency for politics and

diplomatic institutions, stresses this on his blog, where he is explaining how

politicians (should) use Twitter.4 There is one group that uses Twitter to tell all

about what they are doing, whether that is completely beside any point of

professional interest or worse: boring. However, there is also a vast group of

politicians telling about what they are doing and what they have been reading,

inciting a discussion and replying to whatever response they get. It is this type of

interaction that you want. According to Worth, it is a kind of interaction you will get

if you listen. This is the second weakness, as listening has never been a particular

strength of people, let alone politicians.

Twitter for PD

The characteristics of Twitter can be used to network and communicate for specific

events or projects. Furthermore it is a useful tool to keep interested parties

updated on activities of the Netherlands and/or the embassy. It can therefore be

used in the bottom and medium level of the PD pyramid.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking site for professional purposes. People can develop a

profile where they present themselves and their professional capabilities. By

4 Jon Worth, ‘Politicians that don’t get Twitter’, 13 June 2010 http://www.jonworth.eu/politicians-‐that-‐dont-‐get-‐twitter-‐macshane-‐byrne-‐swoboda/


28

becoming friends with the people you know and meet professionally you can look

into other people’s networks. Specific businesses have formed online groups of

which you can become member. LinkedIn has evolved into a network for

recruitment, sharing information and consultations. Because of the groups it is a

very easy and useful means of targeting an audience on specific subjects.

Furthermore, it is completely acceptable to address someone you have never met

for any business purpose.


LinkedIn has not really been used to mediate discussions, therefore people’s

opinions will not likely to be found. What can be derived from a profile is

information on their professional career and interests.

Network

Through the site, people are linked to each other, making networking and targeting

groups easier to do.

Communicate

Most communications through the network are either directly to one another, or as

an open message available to all viewers. It is a good means to inform a specific

network on particular professional events.

Threats

It takes time to build a network, therefore an active approach is needed.

Furthermore the network needs to be sustained.

LinkedIn for PD

As it is completely acceptable to address a person directly on a business matter, it

is a good tool to get in touch with people and extend the network, to use it to

communicate specific events. Furthermore, it can give you an insight in who knows

who in your network, which you could use to get introduced or use it in offline


29

networking or addressing a person directly. It is a useful tool for the advocacy and

networking approach to PD.

Facebook

Facebook is a network totalling 500 million people and institutions that share

pictures, news, thoughts and friendship. Again it is criticised for being superficial,

no person has that many friends. How does it work? You make a profile that you

can connect to the profiles of so called friends. Your main page is a newsfeed. Any

message from anyone in your network pops up on your main page, on which you

can answer immediately. This means that when person A is connected to person B,

and B to person C, person A will be able to read what person C says to person B,

without knowing C at all. This means news will spread very very quickly.

Institutions usually do not have a ‘friends’ Facebook account but a so-called

‘fan page’. The functionality however is basically the same. Facebook is therefore a

very useful tool to spread news and events. The tone and information of Facebook

should be quirky and fun.


A lot of people update their Facebook profile regularly, sharing what they have read

or done. Organisations will have new events popping up there as well. The Dutch

ambassador for International Cultural Affairs, Margriet Leemhuis mentioned that

she regularly uses Facebook to get an idea of what is going on in her network and

who is working on what. For her it has become a good source of information.

To network

If the content of the page is interesting, there will be a natural extension of the

network. More people will be interested in following and the threshold to join or

become fan of a group is very low.

To communicate

Any message posted on Facebook could spread very quickly. As already said, the

content needs to be attractive and fun. It is not a good medium for serious


30

projects. The Dutch ministry of development cooperation has a Fan page on

Facebook. It has seemed to attract people that are already involved in Dutch

development cooperation. Furthermore it is a bit awkward to ‘like’ a post on a

drought in Sudan.

Threats

If a Facebook page is set up, it should be well thought through who is going to

update it. Again, the fan page of development cooperation as an example. It is a

general page on DC. However, most updates are on aid in Haiti, as the coordinator

of that project is most active online. It might communicate that the Netherlands is

only active in Haiti regarding development cooperation, which is far from true.

Most fans on Facebook pages by embassies are heritage groups, which are not

the target group of PD. Furthermore; the pages are not really popular, having few

fans. The content of an embassy and visual image of the Rijkslogo are less than

appealing. This is not good for an image.

Facebook for PD

Cultural institutions that have Facebook are more successful than the more general

embassy pages. The subject of a Facebook page on culture is more targeted to a

particular audience, being interested in culture, not nations. It is mostly

The Dutch Erasmus Huis in Jakarta is particularly successful. Only 15 per cent of

content is being produced by the Dutch embassy. The rest is produced by mostly

Indonesian fans. According to the moderator the success can be explained by their

assertive approach of reaching the public that visits the Erasmus Huis, asking them

to leave their email addresses. Furthermore, they have a history of 40 years of

being an active institution in the society, having had time build up a reputation and

extending that online.

The Dutch embassy already hosts the NL-Dutch Cultural Pop-up Space in

London, which has quite a successful fan page on Facebook. The site statistics show

that with every update, the site attracts more hits and fans. A fan has pointed out

to be interested in more Dutch cultural news and events and that it was not

particularly clear that it is connected to the Dutch embassy.


31

The page is now exclusively for the Pop-up Space, which has potential of becoming

quite a strong brand, especially within the cultural scene. It would not be wise to

dilute that by adding other Dutch cultural events. It could be possible to develop a

Facebook page on general Dutch cultural events, however than you would scatter

your audience. It might be taken under consideration to make a tab on the fan

page of the Space that collects all the Dutch culture content. It will be necessary to

keep it updated, next to the website, which could be easily done via an RSS feed.

However, it must be kept in mind that the visual content is very important.

YouTube

YouTube is an online network where videos can be published. It is possible, but not

necessary to create a specific account. By choosing to do so, you basically have

your own broadcasting channel. It is possible to put comment on posts, if you set it

up accordingly. There is no particular style connected to this medium. The Dutch

embassy has an account, as have other national representations. However, these

institutions are not in the business of producing movies and movies that have been

made by representations themselves are rather amateurish.


Though there is the possibility to have discussion on YouTube, it would be the most

logical place to look for the embassy’s interests.

To network

Not actively.

To communicate

It can support a message or information regarding an event or policy or general

information on the Netherlands. To spread the video, it should be embedded in the

website and maybe other media.

Threats

It takes time and expertise to produce really high-level visual content; you do


32

not want to associate your name with amateur work. However, there are instances

where movies can provide extra information.

YouTube for PD

YouTube should not be a main strategy to communicate PD, but can be used for

supporting a message. As it will not be a site that will be regularly updated, it would

be advisable not to provide links directed to the account on the website or other

social media, but to embed the content of the account in the website and other

relevant social media whenever it is useful to share the info. YouTube will be a tool

for the bottom and middle level of PD.

Slideshare

Slideshare is a functional network containing slideshows, which is easy for

communicating (serious) information in short, simple format and acquire

information in short, simple format. It is widely used by businesses and can be

easily spread via other social media networks.


It is not really a means to listen, but very much to learn about other business

partners online and to get a quick grasp of information you are working on at that

particular moment.

To network

Not much, though it will lead you to businesses and institutions that are clearly

involved in topics that have your interest.

To communicate

Definitely. With a clear-cut, good slideshow, information can be easily spread.

Threats

Question is: How to make a good slideshow:

http://www.slideshare.net/HubSpot/science-ofpresentationsppt


33

Slideshare in PD

Slideshare would be a means to send a message and to get information. It could be

part of the networking and perhaps engaging level of PD.

Blogs

Blogs are media that invite discussion and engagement. It is a very open and useful

tool to interact. In that sense it would be very appealing to use in PD. The FCO in

particular has started blogging for their missions abroad. About 45 diplomats are

active online, which has incited some uproar these past months, as some opinions

were rather controversial. The question is as well to what extent it adds to benefit

their work as little interaction is taking place online. Most people looking for FCO

and interested in reading about it would be British, which is not a PD target group

for the FCO.

That does not mean the whole idea of blogging should be pushed aside just

yet. It can be possible to use blogging for PD, not only by posting on a blog, but

also by hosting it, inviting people to discuss certain PD topics that are suitable for

discussion. As an open and open-minded country of free speech, providing this

service could be a natural next step and would leave your network with a positive

notion of the Netherlands.


There is a blog available on practically every subject you can think of. Some of

them are open to heated discussions and comments. It is therefore a very useful

means to listen what is happening online on topics of your interest.

To network

It gives your network an extra opportunity to engage and interact with you and

each other. It can therefore enhance your profile and status offline as well. In order

to make your online relations work with and for you, offline relationships are

important as well. Therefore it is important to meet bloggers, as you would meet

journalists too.


34

To communicate

It could be a very useful tool to put the Dutch perspective online, should you wish

to. However, given the role of an embassy and its functioning at the moment, it

might be preferred to let other people speak for you and only moderate the

discussion if necessary. Hosting an event or in this case an online blog,

communicates a message already. The tone being used depends on the subject of

the blog of course and who is writing the entry.

Threats

Writing for a blog is rather time consuming, as it demands longer entries, longer

reads and more moderating. It is therefore necessary to make time available to

update the blog regularly. If a blog is successful and people reply, they might of

course write rather negatively about the Netherlands or the subject. The only

solution to this is to provide those replies with a considerate answer. Deleting a

reply is possible, but it will never disappear from the web completely. Moreover it is

can be seen as a sign of weakness. In an open society, criticism should be taken to

heart. If criticism turns into abuse, measures can and should be taken of course,

but that would ostracize the abuser, not the abused.


35

Appendix C – Tables PD and Social Media

PD trait/ Social medium Listen Network Communicate Twitter ●●●● ●●● ●● LinkedIn ● ●●●● ● Facebook ●●●● ●●● ●●●● Youtube ● ● ●● Slideshare ●● ● ●●● Blogs ●●●● ●● ●●●●

PD level / Social medium Advocacy Profile-raising Engagement Twitter ● ●●● ●● LinkedIn ● ●●● ●● Facebook ● ●●● ●● Youtube ● ● Slideshare ● ●● ●● Blogs ● ●●● ●●●●

Dept / Social medium Agriculture Consular Defence Economic NFIA Political PPC TWA Twitter ●●● ● ●● ●●● ●●● ●●● ●●● ●● LinkedIn ●● ● ●●●● ●●●● ●● ●● ●● Facebook ●●●● Youtube ●● ● ● ●● ●● Slideshare ●● ●●● ●●● ●●● ● ●● Blogs ●●● ● ● ● ●● ●●● ●●


36

Sources

Facebook sites Erasmus Huis, Jakarta FCO missions Institut néerlandais, Paris KLM NL – Dutch Cultural Pop Up Space London NL – Ruhr, Dusseldorf Nordisk film Orange Alert, New York And many others Webpages Foreign and Cultural Office of the United Kingdom Norway.org.uk Swissnex, Switzerland State Department, United States Social media Mashable, blog and twitter Diplodocus, blog Slideshare Interviews Adriana Lukas – Blogging specialist and communications consultant Jon Worth – Tech Politics partner Karen Høgh - Nordiskfilm Margriet Leemhuis – Ambassador for International Cultural Policy Marketing Department KLM Matt Williams - UK Representation to the EU Brussels Ross Ferguson - Head of Networks, Digital Diplomacy Group, Communications Directorate, FCO Sanne Kanis – Sr. Industry Analyst Google Vicky Taylor, Channel 4 - coordinator online media Internship supervisor Weijer Losecaat Vermeer – Press and Public Diplomacy Attaché Peer consultation Carolijn van Noort – Intern at the Dutch Consulate in San Francisco Bert Bentsink – Intern at the Dutch Embassy in Washington

To consider - Search Engine Optimisation needs to be looked into. See webmaster.google.com - The whole digital diplomacy website of the FCO. See digitaldiplomacy.fco.gov.uk

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