She linked her department to the Pentagon, trading staff members and ideas as part of a "smart power" initiative linking diplomacy, development and defense. She worked to advance Internet freedom around the world and use the latest technologies to aid U.S. diplomacy.

All the panelists repeated the mantra at least once or twice each time they spoke: “social media is a TOOL.” Nevertheless, the very first question from the audience was a not so much a question but a statement about the failings of social medial as a substitute for personal contact in diplomacy.

On Thursday, May 17, 2012 I attended the discussion on “Digital Diplomacy: A New Era of Advancing Policy” at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington and on Twitter at #DigiDiplomacy. Carnegie had already posted video and audio of the event by early afternoon.

Bolivia has also become a prominent destination for Iran’s latest public diplomacy effort, HispanTV. The television channel, a Spanish-language analogue to the regime’s influential English-language PressTV, was formally launched with considerable fanfare by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier this year.

TechCamps are the pillar of Secretary Clinton's Civil Society 2.0 initiative and organized and run by the Secretary's Innovation team and the Office of eDiplomacy in close collaboration with local embassies.

Looking back on the four decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Wu said the increasing mutual political trust, fruitful practical cooperation, frequent people-to-people exchanges, along with close communication and cooperation in international and regional affairs have brought concrete benefits to both countries and their peoples.