The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

44 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 1 1 or the far-flung members of the U.S. For- eign Service, the blogosphere represents an opportunity to build community ties, discuss important issues and communicate directly with both domestic and foreign au- diences. FS bloggers now form a strong community online. They comment on each other’s posts, follow the blogs of fellow members and have developed a great sense of camaraderie. The Foreign Service blogosphere has quadrupled in size over the past three years. In early 2008, there were only about 60 active, unofficial blogs. By late 2009, that number had dou- bled to 120. Today, there are approximately 250 active, unof- ficial blogs maintained by members of the Foreign Service, retirees and family members. FS bloggers use the blogosphere as a platform to foster per- sonal and professional ties and to facilitate discussion on a wide range of issues. A recent survey by Technorati, aWeb site that tracks blogs worldwide, found that connecting with like- minded people and sharing opinions on areas of interest are the top reasons that people blog. When asked how the activ- ity affected their professional lives, most bloggers state that they are better known within their professional communities as a result of their blogs. For the Foreign Service community, the blogosphere offers the opportunity to share updates with friends and family back home, to maintain friendships after leaving post, and to con- nect with other members of their global community. The on- line society also provides support to its members. It is replete with offers of help or advice during evacuations and other try- ing times. Foreign Service bloggers have even created a weekly summary of the goings-on in their online community called the State Department Weekly Blog RoundUp, for which they rotate responsibility (see box next page). The FS blogosphere also constitutes an open forum for dis- cussing concerns and brainstorming solutions with colleagues from around the globe. These discussions often focus on is- sues encountered in FS life, such as housing and overseas schools, but also extend to policy discussions. How to express opinions on policy and on the host country online is a com- mon topic. The tricky question for FS bloggers is not “What should I put in?” — for the possibilities are limitless — but rather, “What should I leave out?” Most of the blogs include a dis- claimer stating that the views expressed belong only to the blogger. However, deciding what to exclude based on poten- tial political impact is usually less straightforward than decid- ing what to exclude for security reasons. Katie at Adventures in Good Countries (http://kakiser.blogspot.com) art iculates this conundrum in a Dec. 7 post titled “Pause.” “I have often stopped myself from writing things on my blog because I was uncertain of the potential impact. That’s been true from the beginning of my Foreign Service career, but more true since I’ve been stationed here (in Jordan). It’s one thing to talk about funny visa stories; how can I talk about human rights issues in my host country? How can I talk about Jordanian politics? Or our policy approach to the region? It’s frustrating, because they are things I want people to discuss— things people should discuss.” As the FS blogosphere has grown, it has shown an in- T HE F OREIGN S ERVICE B LOGOSPHERE IN 2011 T HE F OREIGN S ERVICE BLOGOSPHERE HAS GROWN STEADILY IN SIZE AND STATURE DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS . H ERE IS OUR THIRD SURVEY OF THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD . B Y D ANIELLE D ERBES Danielle Derbes is the Journal ’s Editorial Intern. She recently completed a master’s degree in international relations at Cam- bridge University. F