It had been a "a real coup" for Australia and had probably generated "more than $60 million of free publicity" for the country, he said. And the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade praised Eurovision in its annual report, acknowledging it as a boon for "public diplomacy" that had showcased Australia’s creative talent to 200 million viewers. 

Cowboy-hat wearing Wellington Jighere from Nigeria crushed his English opponent 4-0 at the World Scrabble Championship in Australia to become first African to bag the word game's global title. Jighere, 32, was among more than 120 competitors who travelled to Perth for the World English-language Scrabble Players' Association Championship, which culminated in Sunday's  final against England's Lewis Mackay.

Last week it came to light that Beijing’s state-run China Radio International secretly owns 60% of a U.S. company, G&E Studio, which leases stations and airtime in Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco, among other cities. Beijing uses similar subterfuges in Europe and Australia. 

Revelations that the Chinese government secretly controls a network of overseas radio stations are a further indicator that Beijing is actively taking its propaganda to a global audience[...] The report, which has sparked calls for a federal investigation, emerges as President Xi Jinping's administration expands its deployment of "soft power," a form of influence that goes well beyond the business of government, analysts said.

The UK's Ambassador to the UN is using Twitter to crowdsource ideas for how the the UK could contribute to improving the UN Security Council during its presidency. More information on the Canadian Foreign Ministry's $9.5 million digital diplomacy project in Iran that opens up the internet in countries ruled by repressive regimes by circumventing government firewalls.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has been accused of using fashion diplomacy as a self-promotional tool. Labor senator Sam Dastyari took issue with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade devoting public diplomacy funds to a hashtag #fashiondiplomacy initiative in the wake of the Australia Network's demise.

But digital diplomacy is not the same as digital outreach, and it is not limited to Facebook. My focus in this debate has been on the need for DFAT to develop and exploit online influence, not to critique its online reach. I agree with DFAT's own definition that diplomacy is less about popularity and more about persuasion. Australia's ability to use digital tools to persuade or influence populations was not assessed in the Portland report.