Posting on MountainRunner will be a bit slow… slower than usual as I’m in Hawaii on vacation. Although, there will be bouts of work here and there, like today’s posting of many items of interest/import before returning to play with the kids, work on my tan or running some select trails in the neighborhood before returning to London in two weeks for the European IO conference.
MountainRunner.us is growing: today begins a new era as this blog will have its first regular contributor: Renee Lee. Renee will post on material - online and offline - we believe is important enough to be considered by the individual or organization interested in public diplomacy, strategic communication (or "signaling integration"), and global engagement.
Renee's official title is communication operations officer, which is a fancy way of saying she's helping me with engagement across all mediums both here at the blog and at the MountainRunner Institute.
Renee Lee is a graduate student in the Master of Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. Renee spent six years in the U.S. Air Force as a public affairs officer in the Asia-Pacific region. Renee graduated cum laude from the University of Washington in 2003, earning a B.A. in Communications.
And, it's worth noting, MountainRunner.us continues to welcome guest posts on issues related to the blog's focus. Criteria are (generally): 600-1200 words, no product or service promotion, and no lobbying.
Welcome Renee!
P.S. I'll admit "Communication Operations Officer" is not my favorite title, but both PAO and Assistant were inadequate. The proposed replaced "Strategic Communication" which doesn't lend itself to a title very well: "Signaling Integration Officer". Suggestions?
I will be in DC next week to conduct the Information as Power seminar (there is still space to enroll), present at the open meeting of the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (see link for information on attending), speak with a class at National Defense University, and for several other meetings. I'll be back in Los Angeles in time to teach my public diplomacy class at the University of Southern California (syllabus, 189kb PDF).
As such, blogging will be slim over the next week. As always, guest posts are welcome. I'm particularly interested in commentary on the QDR, the latest DSB report (seriously?), and the potential impact the recent Supreme Court decision on political speech on global engagement, specifically on the public diplomacy "firewall" and influence by non-US interests (have you seen this?).
Three posts on public diplomacy, strategic communication, global engagement, or whatever you and your tribe calls empowering and encouraging others to share common cause now or when necessary in the future.
We must understand and undermine the real mechanisms that empower the enemy and take “aggressive actions to win the important battle of perception.”
Nine years ago we went to war with the enemy we had, not the enemy we wanted. For several years after 9/11 we struggled to comprehend how military superiority failed to translate into strategic victory.
An active, educated and dynamic vigilance is required by our world's citizens to intercept the individuals and groups who (like pariahs) feed off hateful, bigoted and narrow ideologies to the detriment of everyone.
It’s been quiet here on the blog for several reasons, including a Christmas holiday. Of course, the news hasn’t stopped but I am focusing on clearing a few writing assignments off the desk that will be published elsewhere (I will post links to them when they come out). Among the items on the plate: a recent Congressional Research Service report on public diplomacy (18 December 2009) and required comments on this week’s Walter Pincus article on strategic communication.
Stay tuned. I hope you’re enjoying the downtime / quiet time.
MountainRunner may not have a daily readership of thousands but it does reach a unique and critical audience. For every comment on the blog there are 3-5 offline (email) comments. This audience includes the media, such as Al Kamen and Spencer Ackerman, authors, such as Bing West (The Strongest Tribe and Tom Barnett (Great Powers), the Departments of State and Defense, and Congress (more citations are at the About page). This blog also has a global audience. The image below shows some of the visitors to the blog during November 2009.
Here ends the self-promotion minute…
I’ve been in DC since Sunday and haven’t had the time (or energy) to blog. I may write something tonight or tomorrow on the plane home, but more than likely not until Monday afternoon (Los Angeles time). A symposium and a conference bookend the trip, with my teaching seminar and (off the record) meetings fill the between time.
By the way, if you think my seminar on understanding and engaging in the “now media” environment is interesting, then you’ll probably find this of interest as well.
If you are new to the blog, I suggest you explore not just what’s on the front page (including the “pinned” items at the top of the front page) but also the “Featured Posts” available from the menu bar of the blog. While all archived posts on this blog are worthwhile reading repeatedly, the Featured Posts are in some way exceptional, either because of discussions they created or shaped (online or offline) or because the content remains timely. The list is intentionally kept short, so items will drop off over time. Of course, there’s also the “popular” article Hitting Bottom at Foggy Bottom to read if you missed it before (see also this related post).
The silence on the blog has been unintentionally long. I had planned to post this week while at a conference/workshop this week, but it just didn't happen. Today's an abbreviated day for me so I am focusing on correspondence not done while on the plane home. Blogging will resume over the weekend (likely) and return in force next week.
What's coming:
I’ll be in Washington, DC, next week – Wednesday through Friday. On Friday, I’ll be at a special luncheon at the State Department remembering and commemorating a man that was instrumental in almost every significant event that helped transform the US from an isolated nation to a superpower: George C. Marshall. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Army Chief of Staff George W. Casey will give remarks and Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates will receive the George C. Marshall Foundation Award. Clinton, Gates, and Casey each occupy a position previously held by Marshall, a five-star General of the Army. (See also The Intended 'Psychological By-Products' of Development.)
I’ll also be on the Hill Thursday for meetings.
I’m back and getting back in the saddle. Did very little work while in Korea the last nearly two weeks. Now it’s catch up time. Look for blogging to resume later today.
Due to travel, there will be no posting until 4 October. If you haven’t already, check out the posts below (additional comments in italics) as well as explore other previous posts through the Archives or through the categories in the bottom left of the page.
Two administrative items to share:
First, I will be in Korea 23 September – 4 October with limited online access. During this time, updates to the blog are unlikely.
Second, I am forming a non-profit organization to own and operate www.MountainRunner.us. This is the best path to continue the blog as well as move it forward. I am open to suggestions on organizations that may be interested in funding this niche enterprise – email me.
I will be traveling and not posting until next week. Be sure to read the updated House Appropriations Concerned Pentagon's Role in Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy (a few additional comments plus the Senate Armed Services Committee’s from their report on the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2010). I will be on email.
Remember the post where I asked for help coding locations? The dataset was the Twitter followers of America.gov as of one day last week, publically available through the Twitter API. I suggest you read the comments on post Question: what does it mean if the demographic of two-thirds of your audience is not your target demographic?.
Recent posts be sure to read:
The list below are the most popular entries based on those who have clicked on the star 
that appears at the top of each post here on MountainRunner. Since some of you thought these were important posts, I’ll highlight them below for those who missed them. The highest rated is first.
An example of crowdsourcing, these aren’t necessarily the most read entries, but the most liked by those who knew the purpose of and took the time to click the star.
I still have limited access to (or interest in) the Internet right now so talk amongst yourselves. Expect to see a report I contributed to appear on this blog later (probably Monday) that has been cleared for public release, as well as several other posts I hope you’ll find interesting.
First the renewed call for guest posts. I’ll be traveling (see below) so this is a great time for guest posts on MountainRunner. If you’re interested but don’t know where to start, think of the post as an op-ed with hyperlinks. The length should be between 600-1200 words and it should address something related to global engagement, like communications, exchange, health, aid, etc. However, you’re the creative one so don’t let my list constrain you. Send your idea, your draft, or your completed post to blog@mountainrunner.us.
Second, now that I’ve asked you to email me, I may be slow in responding. This Wednesday I will be in Potomac, MD, for a workshop, followed by London for an IO Conference, and then to join my wife and kids in Hawaii for a family vacation until July 4. However, I do plan the occasional post and will (eventually) respond to email.
I’m proud to say that as of June 1, 2009, I will be a member of the National Press Club. This interesting and welcome addition to the resume is thanks in large part to several reporters at “old” media who gave me recommendations based on the value of this blog plus sponsorship by a Director of Communication at DHS who is an NPC member.
This is probably a good time to mention that I am also proud to be a member of The Public Diplomacy Council and the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
I'm traveling this week so it is very unlikely there will be any new posts on the blog. In the meantime, I recommend the posts below. Also, feel free to review and comment on previous posts here:
First, let me say thanks for reading the blog. I know your schedule is busy and I appreciate that you make the time to read MountainRunner.us. I also appreciate the time you take to discuss the posts. For every comment posted online there are usually two more in my mailbox. I also occasionally hear about a post discussed in a meeting or shared through email to spark offline conversations. Increasing the discourse on America’s discourse is a primary goal of this blog and it seems I’ve been at least modestly successful in that regard.
As far as I can tell, the blog is back to being fully functional.
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