Digital diplomacy links: Weibo vs Twitter, Nepal earthquake, anti-ISIS memes and more

On the first Friday of each month The Interpreter will publish Digital Diplomacy links instead of the weekly Digital Asia links. As Australian digital diplomacy strives to catch up to the rest of the world, these links will highlight the most creative and effective ways countries are leveraging the internet for foreign policy gain.

• The increasing popularity of Chinese social media channels is impacting on how foreign missions approach digital diplomacy.
• A review of the online approaches taken by India, the US, UK and Canada in response to the earthquake that struck Nepal on 25 April.
• Governments (and individuals) are not immune to widespread online practices such as retaliation attacks, planting deliberate disinformation and trolling. So which state trolls best? Right now, the Russians. (H/t Sam.)
• This interview with the head of Israel's digital diplomacy unit provides a fascinating insight into some of the campaigns, tactics and strategies employed by Israel to influence stakeholders and public opinion.
• President Obama (@POTUS) officially joined Twitter last month. This is what attracting one million users in five hours looks like.
• The Government of Finland, with a think-tank from the Netherlands, held a seminar on digital diplomacy earlier this week. Watch it here and catch up on the discussion via #DigitalAgeDiplo.
• Buoyed by the new addition of Indian Prime Minister Modi, the Global Times heralds a new era of 'Weibo diplomacy' in China. Which foreign ministry has the most Weibo followers? Apparently Canada.
• Despite the attention surrounding Modi's new Weibo account (the good, bad and the selfie) it's worth noting that there are only five current or former leaders are on Weibo, while 75% of the world's leaders are on Twitter.
• What is the major challenge for Egyptian digital diplomacy? How to communicate effectively after four years of constant regime change.
• The US is using Twitter to fight Islamic State propaganda through internet memes. (H/t Jack.)
• The French Foreign Ministry's web unit uses the Ministry's blog to explain its role in the country's digital diplomacy efforts.
• Canadian Foreign Minister Baird's self-declared passion for digital diplomacy has facilitated a social media explosion and new ties with global tech companies. But Canada's Foreign Ministry is under fire domestically for its lack of strategy and for broadcasting rather than engaging.

Danielle Cave