Ediplomacy promotes social networking technologies such as Twitter and Facebook to reach out to citizens, companies and others. "I define it as building on traditional forms of diplomacy to account for the technologies, the networks and the demographics of the 21st century," says Ross. "The key role for me is to be an accelerant."

Comparing China's public diplomacy to sports activities, where both professionals and public support are critical to success, Zheng addressed a group of top government officials, international affairs experts, and media professionals at the 2012 Charhar public diplomacy conference in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province on Aug. 18.

Second, the Study Camp is targeting the right demographics - the movers and shakers who may also be opinion leaders. Public diplomacy often works best through local authoritative figures, and provided the politicians and media are trusted in these societies...then they are in a strong position to mediate information and opinion on behalf of Taiwan.

Strategists say that India has the required hard power in regional power dynamics, and soft power is in abundance. What we need to see really is whether we have smart power, an oft-used term nowadays, which is an amalgamation of the two. It also means being smart enough to integrate the military as an important intellectual cog in the decision making apparatus of India's foreign policy.

There is much misconception in the general public about the role and functions of diplomats in today’s world. The popular view of diplomats being past masters in deception is the opposite of the truth. Good diplomacy does not try to deceive. When once a diplomat gains a reputation for intrigue, his value gets badly affected.

What is the role of social media in the modern diplomacy? Yaron Gamburg, the spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Paris and the organizer of the Digital Diplomacy workshop, attempts an answer.