And earlier this year, Ray urged dialogue to address the differences between Harare and Washington...Ray struck a unique connection with Zimbabweans by openly engaging them on Twitter [@charlieray45] and Facebook on a range of subjects.

Facebook’s big stock offering on Wall Street must be followed by an intensive debate on Main Street about social media’s powerful impact on children, an expert on the topic says. Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, a think tank focusing on media and families, said the technology that Facebook represents is having “an enormous impact” on youngsters, families and schools worldwide.

APDS Blogger: Aparajitha Vadlamannati

At USC on April 6, the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars held a conference on the Future of Public Diplomacy. Experts, academics, and practitioners gathered to discuss what lies ahead for the field of public diplomacy. There were a couple of major takeaways from the conference.

When presenting our age to eager students, it is already evident that history books will one day devote a chapter to the so-called "social web." Political and social historians, we imagine, will analyze how the social web impacted public institutions...

On the last day of the Masters of Public Diplomacy delegation’s visit to Washington D.C., some of us had the opportunity to visit the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. The delegation included University of Southern California alumna and Senior Communications Advisor, Stacy Hope; Assistant Press Officer, Ren Althouse; and three Press & Public Diplomacy (PPD) interns.

APDS Blogger: Riccardo Ruffolo

On the last day of the Masters of Public Diplomacy delegation’s visit to Washington D.C., some of us had the opportunity to visit the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. The delegation included University of Southern California alumna and Senior Communications Advisor, Stacy Hope; Assistant Press Officer, Ren Althouse; and three Press & Public Diplomacy (PPD) interns.

The State Department is the world’s largest user of web information and communication technologies for diplomatic objectives, according to a recent study from the Australian-based Lowy Institute for International Policy.

APDS Blogger: Marissa Cruz-Enriquez