As we bore into the year that is 2012, the U.S. Department of State has chosen to step up their Internet vocab by inviting Twitter users to submit questions to them throughout the month of January as part of their 21st Century Statecraft Month. By using the hashtag #AskState, Tweeters can pose their questions to one of the ten official Twitter accounts maintained by the State Department.
Each account is tailored to accomodate a language: @StateDept (English), @USAbilAraby (Arabic), @USA_Zhongwen (Chinese), @USAdarFarsi (Farsi), @USAenFrancais (French), @USAHindiMein (Hindi), @USAemPortugues (Portuguese), @USApoRusski (Russian), @USAenEspanol (Spanish) and @USAUrdu (Urdu).
Users can tweet questions anytime during the month, but answers will only be provided to selected questions on each Friday afternoon of January during the Department’s Daily Press Briefing. A video clip of each question that is accepted and addressed by the Department’s Spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, will then be posted on the State Department’s YouTube Channel.
So what could anybody possibly have to ask the Department of State about? Hmmm? Especially considering they are the government and this is the Internet and we are users of Internets, is there anything we’d like to hear them address? Anything at all?
@Alcix
Josh#AskState: @StateDept When will you come to reason and #StopSOPA? It’s an internet killing act that will give control to media corporations
1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto
@ogrmi
ogrmiPut this on your RADAR: #AskState: U.S. State Dept to take questions from Twitter Friday afternoons during January #NoSOPA @OccupyChicago 58 minutes ago via Timely by Demandforce · powered by @socialditto
@fightfortheftr
Fight for the FutureWant to ask the @statedept what they think of #SOPA and #PIPA? You can every Fri in January, just send a question with the #AskState tag 1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto
@cdoten
Chris Doten+1 RT @digiphile: @StateDept How does pressure for stronger IP laws relate to #netfreedom policies? http://t.co/LoCd6eVT #SOPA #AskState 4 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto
@bernielomax
bernielomax@StateDept SOPA++ is ok to Americans as long as it only censors foreign sites. How is this promotion of censorship leadership? #AskState 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto
@digiphile
Alex Howard@StateDept What is #SecClinton‘s position on #SOPA & #PIPA? How would they affect world #netfreedom? http://t.co/yPuGtIG4 #AskState #gov20 1 day ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto
@djninjastar
djninjastar@statedept #AskState #SOPA will harm our ability to be competitive in the international markets. Is the US receiving pressure to pass it? 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto
Then there was this.
Lucy Kafanov@joshrogin @fedscoop oh goody. Only thing that’ll make this more useful is if the State Dept limits responses to 140 characters. #AskState 22 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto
Seriously, though, I don’t think people quite understand that you can ask the questions with #AskState any time during the month of January. Most of the tweets you see out there right now are people simply repeating the news that you can direct questions to the Department of State using the hashtag. HEY. YOU CAN ASK YOUR QUESTIONS NOW OR ANYTIME – YOU DON’T HAVE TO ONLY DO IT ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS THEY WILL ONLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS DURING THE BRIEFING ON FRIDAY. YOU, HOWEVER, CAN POST QUESTIONS ANYTIME. MMKAY? THX!
