VasGk | Κοινωνικό Νερό

John Kerry delivered his first remarks as the new U.S. Secretary of State. In his first speech at the State Department, he noted :  "...We get to talk about empowering people through our ideals, and through those ideals hopefully they can change their lives..." This is really important to underline;  given that public diplomacy now has a much more crucial role to play. In utilising new and social media, people now have the opportunity to engage through digital diplomacy.  As Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine has said :  "...we have to introduce more and more virtual exchanges and the use of social media particularly to reach young people where they are..." Secretary Kerry Tours the Ops Center Also, I came across a tweet from the State Department which informed that #SecKerry will be tweeting from the  +U.S. Department of State  twitter account . #SecKerry will start tweeting fr...

I came across an OSCE update on facebook asking: "Can social media help us prepare for peace?" In the new Report " Preparing for peace Communications in conflict resolution " the OSCE explains the role of Social Media in conflict resolution, detailing challenges and opportunities. OSCE/Curtis Budden Definitely recommending reading this OSCE publication. It is great that an Organization such as the OSCE is keeping active in Social Media, and at the same time "Mapping the blogosphere, reporting on negotiations, using social media to overcome divides" . Credit to the OSCE PPIS, Ireland’s 2012 OSCE Chairmanship, the US Mission to the OSCE and the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the OSCE.  Having worked for the OSCE in 2009 , I launched the official OSCE presence on facebook and twitter , along with Issuu . It was an excellent start, and I am happy to see that the team in PPIS are keeping up with the OSCE presence in Social Media and are launc...

I must say that I enjoyed watching the first debate between the nominees for President of the United States. It was quite clear from the start that Romney was in charge, and President Obama seemed settled in reciting talking points. Some of my tweets included:  To start, disappointed with @ barackobama - @ mittromney is doing a good job. — Vas Gkinopoulos (@VasGk) October 4, 2012 hmm @ mittromney is definitely in control of the #debate — Vas Gkinopoulos (@VasGk) October 4, 2012 I was quite surprised to read some articles on social media and politics, that suggested TV debates were obsolete, or that it was an "old media" approach to political campaigning. Such smug approaches are missing the point. The statistics show 10.3 million Tweets in 90 minutes. An amazing number that not only is a first in presidential debates, it makes the #debates more dynamic than ever! So I look forward to the next 3 debates for 2012.  Internet engagement makes the #debates ever more impor...

Having read through a lot of information on how the Obama and Romney campaigns are utilising the Internet and Social Media, I wanted to focus on their political photography campaigns. After looking at their respective flickr accounts ( Barack Obama - Mitt Romney ), I was really amazed with the Romney campaign... in not using flickr properly. Dinner with Barack and Michelle—August 20th, 2012, Dinner at Mintwood Place in Washington DC, Photograph by Scout Tufankjian for Obama for America It is really weird that the Romney campaign does not use flickr as they should in order to attract more views, spread the campaign photos across the web, and drive traffic back to MittRomney.com The Romney campaign does not title their photos, nor do they provide a description to each photo. So each photo is " Untitled" and the campaign does not even give credit to the respective photographers. Moreover, none of the photos are even taged with keywords, and also the Romney campaign...

Credit: OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev I strongly believe that Foreign Affairs Organizations have the opportunity to become pioneers in developing a comprehensive Digital Diplomacy and Social Media Strategy. The Internet as a whole and the different Social Media applications provide an opportunity to connect with various stakeholders, online communities, interest groups and individuals. The advantages of developing a Digital Diplomacy Strategy: To communicate the message directly to the public across the world. Without having to rely on International Media, Journalists or the Foreign Press. To harness public knowledge, share it with the world, so as to pursue national interests abroad. To maintain contact with audiences online and to utilize Social Media to listen and target important groups of individuals with key messages. To influence major online news leaders and International news agencies. To listen and gather information in order to anticipate emerging political mo...

Message by Dr. Stefanie Babst (NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy). A new initiative from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, part of a public, or better framed, digital diplomacy. As stated, the WE-NATO platform is:  "... A n interactive social media platform which will enable NATO officials to engage directly with the global public and netizens in an open and transparent dialogue on issues related to NATO’s current agenda." Although I do applaud this new communication and outreach campaign, I must say that this could have been done from the current website of the organization, without having to create a new online presence or introduce the public to a new name (WE-NATO).  At the same time, just to add a bit of constructive criticism, I must point out that throughout the website comments are encouraged,   WE want to listen to what YOU have to say!  however at the bottom of each page its states:  Comments are clos...

Credit: OSCE/Igor Schimbator In a recent article on NPR  by Michele Kelemen, one can read how Social Media have affected Public Diplomacy. The Arab spring has been used as a bedrock for people arguing about the role of the Internet in regime change and public diplomacy. It is not just Social Media, but the Internet as a whole. Some people consider Social Media to be websites such as Facebook, twitter, YouTube, flickr, Blogs and more. That is not the case. These tools are just Internet applications. The Internet as a whole is a Social Medium! Today if somebody is lying about you in the media ... we now have the tools to get the real facts out there. - Alec Ross , State Department social media adviser Alec Ross is right. However with the correct use of Social Media, one should not only get the word out, or set the record strait; but actually listen to citizens and social groups, engage with the public and create a two-way communications stream between the diplomat...

It's me again, blogging from my iPhone. So please excuse any spelling errors and/or abbreviations.. By the by, I will be using the blogger app more! On topic.. I love how the Mitt Romney campaign actually forwarded an email from the Obama Campaign! The main message is this: "If you don't like what you saw in President Obama's State of the Union last night, consider this: Pitch in $3 or more to the Romney campaign now" Excellent email communications! Simple, to the point & including the opponent's email in the message! Brilliant! I like this method of email communications, because it shows that you don't need to structure a huge newsletter, or stay on message, in order to send a great email. You just need to be creative, smart, and timed! I think this might be a first..

A recent tweet from President Obama... stated : President Obama urges Congress to pass the infrastructure section of the American Jobs Act now. Listen live: http://wh.gov/live I have seen this in many tweets from politicians that have communications staffers operate their Social Media presence. This tweet is absolutely wrong! Barack Obama says: "President Obama urges Congress..." instead of writing "I urge Congress..." the copywriter wrote a tweet as if he/she is writing on their personal account. Clearly a big Social Media mistake.. P.S. IAB!

I always try to find new ways to talk and engage with people on twitter. Although I maintain what I consider to be a very modest account ; I know I need to put more time and effort in my personal tweeting. At the moment, I mostly tweet through the corporate accounts I manage. In a Blog post back in 2009.. " Twitter as a public SMS pool " I wrote that: "I think twitter as being, not just a mini-blogging platform, but an open SMS pool" Through twitter, you have the opportunity to create context between relationships and interact with people.  An excellent recent example comes from the account of Kevin Spacey . One of Kevin's fans, Danielle Luttrell , tweeted: "I had a dream that @KevinSpacey called me to say happy birthday. I cried. #biggestfan" to which Kevin Spacey replied " @DanielleLutt how about a tweet? Happy bday! " I find this amazing! A Hollywood star like Kevin Spacey with over 2million followers on twitter repl...

Having watched Anthony Weiner admitting sending out an explicit, private, photo to one of his twitter followers I was really amazed that he didn't conclude with resigning from his seat. But what can we learn from the social media strategy of Anthony Weiner? Well, first of all don't send out private, or explicit, photos to your twitter followers/ facebook supporters a.k.a. your constituents/voters... But kidding aside, if Anthony Weiner didn't send out photos, or had intimate cyber relations with women online, his social media strategy would be excellent! A politician that uses Social Media on his own, without having a staffer doing all the work, and actually connecting with followers and supporters actively, is a great example of Political Social Media communications. Social Media engagement should be done by the politician, without any other people interfering. In Anthony Weiner's case, it just got too personal, and then it really went wrong. During the past day...

Having watched the President's speech on American Diplomacy in the Middle East & North Africa I have to say that I agree with the majority of the arguments raised. Once again, President Obama has mentioned the important role that the Internet and Social Media have played in shaping change in the Middle East and North Africa: Cell phones and social networks allow young people to connect and organize like never before. And so a new generation has emerged. And their voices tell us that change cannot be denied. Satellite television and the Internet provide a window into the wider world We will support open access to the Internet, and the right of journalists to be heard -– whether it’s a big news organization or a lone blogger. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also mentioned in her Remarks on the Release of President Obama Administration's International Strategy for Cyberspace: we seek to maximize the internet’s tremendous capacity to acceler...

After some days since my last Blog post, I wanted to write something today since there is yet another media strike in Greece. I remembered writing " A country with no Mass Media Communications (for 4 days) " just over a month ago. Well today is happening again but this time just for one day. Again most people that want to get informed are turning to twitter Blogs and News Portals that don't participate in the strike. The News are not on strike, just some journalists that report or comment on them. People that want to get informed are keeping informed. Mass media communications have given way to social interactions (New Media).

From the 7th to the 10th of April the Greek mainstream Media is on strike. This means that almost all journalists, reporters, technical staff and other people involved in the production and presentation of the news are not at their desks. Greek Journalists on Strike It's the first time, since I remember, that the Media strike lasts for longer than a day. When I first heard of the strike, I remembered writing this post back in June of 2010, explaining why the Greek Media is at a crucial point. " Greek media crisis ". Nothing much has changed since that post. The situation in the Greek Media is going from dire to ridiculous. Most of the traditional Greek Media do not want to know what is happening online.  An explosion of News Blogs, and News Portals, that are independently owned, are not taking part in the strike. Not to mention that some people get their news from twitter and facebook. Many Greek News Blogs keep posting updates, and most of the people I talked to ar...

Shimon Peres & Benjamin Netanyahu, in two different occasions, talked about the role of the Internet in the recent events throughout the Middle East. Peres at a Chatham House Conference: Sixty Years of British-Israeli Diplomatic Relations (30 March 2011), and Netanyahu in a recent YouTube interview (31 March 2011). Both messages carry the same principles. Peres said: It's actually a revolt without organizers. Nobody knows who organized it. It arrived from an unknown combination of sentiments and knowledge introduced to the younger generation by modern communication, the internet, smartphones, Facebook. For the first time, young people in the Arab world could have seen with their own eyes the ugly face of dictatorship, of corruption, of want. And they could have compared their lot with the lot of other young people in the world. And ask themselves why they're not here. And actually, it is really a revolt, unorganized, spontaneous, against autocracy, against oppressi...

I've been following what is happening in Libya these days, and I am not sure why this uprising has not been hailed as a Social Media or "facebook revolution". Although this sort of tagging is mostly planted by mainstream media, I am sure that in the aftermath of the middle-east happenings there will be a lot of analysis and even research on how the Internet played a part. In one of my past posts, I wrote on " The Internet and Social Media in #Egypt, how It really matters ". Saif al-Islam Gaddafi , the son of Muammar al-Gaddafi , on a recent speech to the Libyan people (February 20th) referred to some people that want to drag Libya into: "what happened in Tunisia and in Egypt and it started by facebook, emails and twitter and in their media campaign". In an article " Libyan dictator warns against use of Facebook " Emil Protalinski confirms what Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said. So, not only citizens know how Social Media impact t...

In my Last Blog post " Papandreou talks about the role of Social Media in Government " I promised to write on how New and Social Media impact public diplomacy. I have been rather busy lately (haven't Blogged as much as I would like), however, in this post I want to draw your attention to a recent Facebook DC Live Event: Social Media and the World Stage , which was hosted by Facebook Washington DC. In this Video Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Senior Innovation Adviser Alec Ross and Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Baer talk about how people around the world have been empowered by social media. Watch live streaming video from facebookdclive at livestream.com I remembered Eric Schwartzman saying that there are no secrets any more, only information, that is not yet known. So, in the age of the Internet, do you believe that the " Chatham House Rule " can be applied in New and Social Public Diplomacy? Also, let me draw you attention ...

In a recent speech to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Athens, the Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou referenced Social and New Media and their role in Government. You can watch what Papandreou said here: Some excellent points there. I also recommend watching the speech in its entirety; a starting point in understanding Greece in current affairs. P.S. I write this post, having Blogged on " The Internet and Social Media in #Egypt, how It really matters ". There is so many information, great examples and ideas that I want to share, on how Social and New Media can play a role in not only public communications, but innovative governance and public diplomacy; I promise to write an extensive post in the near future.

I've been reading on how social media has ignited the social developments in Egypt, and also how this argument is silly, since most people in Egypt do not have access to facebook and twitter so as to organize and utilize these new media. I do not want to say that the truth is somewhere in the middle, but there is a point to be made. During the past few days I've been watching live on  Al Jazeera  and reading on Blogs and twitter in trying to keep informed, I also read a very interesting article by Eric Schwartzman on " Thoughts on Social Media and Revolutions ". He references Steve Coll in the  New Yorker in writing: …youthful populations, high unemployment, grotesque inequality, abusive police, reviled leaders and authoritarian systems” are to blame. So let’s give credit where credit’s due. It’s bad government that led to the situation at hand. Social media just made it impossible to ignore. Well, it's not really easy to disagree with the above stateme...

The US mid-term elections were held about the same time that the Greek Mayoral elections, and unfortunately I was preoccupied in keeping up with the local campaigns. But, I did manage to follow some of the news and catch up on US politics online. John Boehner was elected Speaker-designate by House Republicans and when the full House votes in January, Boehner will become the 61st Speaker of the House. When you visit the official speaker.gov website it's all about Nancy Pelosi And if you want to connect with the Speaker of the House you are directed to Nancy Pelosi branded social media. Twitter» http://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi Facebook» http://www.facebook.com/SpeakerNancyPelosi YouTube» http://www.youtube.com/SpeakerPelosi Flickr» http://www.flickr.com/SpeakerPelosi I would have expected for the Speaker of the House, whoever that might be, to have an independent presence on social media platforms, and not be centred around people that occupy the positi...