Apparently, it still hurts. At a conference organised by the ministry he was forced to quit months back, Shashi Tharoor on Friday alleged - only half in jest — “textual harassment’’ by the media just because they didn’t understand what the word “interlocutor’’ meant.

Joint Secretary (Public Diplomacy) of Ministry of External Affairs (MHA) Navdeep Suri said today that India realises the need to have its presence in social media.

Twitter might have contributed to Shashi Tharoor’s exit from the government, but he lectured his former ministry today on the merits of social networking tools.

In leading foreign ministries the digital age is producing dramatic change. Every day a single American diplomat communicates with more than a quarter of a million Indonesians using Facebook. Australia's diplomatic service, by contrast, doesn't even use social media in Indonesia.

During her landmark trip to Pakistan in 2009, Secretary of State Clinton participated in a nationally televised town hall-style meeting, entitled "Our Voices," with a group of Pakistani women.

"If the church is not on their mobile device, it doesn't exist," he said, likening social media to a "new digital continent" waiting to be evangelized.

The office of 84-year-old Queen Elizabeth II announced on Sunday that she is launching her own page on Facebook. The page will feature videos, photos and news updates about the long-serving British monarch. Facebook users will be able send messages to Buckingham Palace, and leave comments on the Queen's pages...

Alarge part of a diplomat's role and mission is to reach out to and engage with the citizens of his or her host country. Traditionally, this has involved cultural events, receptions and business exchanges. But with the advent of Web 2.0, an increasing number of diplomats are turning to the Internet and social media...