TO cultivate a sense of community among cultural exchange enthusiasts, in October 2008, the US State Department launched the US government's first official social networking site, ExchangesConnect (http://connect.state.gov). The site, which is hosted on the Ning platform, is to be used by ExchangesConnect members to share their experiences living abroad, seek advice about applying for exchange programs and make friends with people around the world. ExchangesConnect includes dozens of forums and exchange program groups and hundreds of member-posted photos and videos, plus blogs.
Roughly half of all members at the social networking site live in the United States, but membership growth has been particularly strong in South and Central Asia, including in Tajikistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Many members are current participants in US State Department-sponsored educational exchange programs. The network permits them to compare notes on their experiences with their peers and keep in touch with each other after they return home.
Dr. Fahad Alhomoudi, the Vice Dean of Academic Research and a consultant for the Center for Islamic Contemporary Studies and Dialogue of Civilization at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, has created a group at the site titled, “Interfaith Dialogue.” Alhomoudi was a Fulbright Interfaith Scholar in Fall 2008. There are other groups for students interested in learning Arabic, a Middle East Club and one group called, “Egypt is the Land of Peace.”
In December, Goli Ameri, who was at that time the US Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs noted that as important as face-to-face conversations are, that the advent of the Internet has dramatically changed communications in the past decade. Young people are especially interested in interacting with peers through social networking sites.
“Our challenge today at the Department of State is how to attract this new generation of ‘Digital Natives,’” Ameri said. “We also recognize that young people are no longer interested in a one-way conversation or even a dialogue. They are interested in action. They want to be engaged and make a difference in their neighborhoods, in their communities, in their countries and around the world. We have come to understand that in order to amplify the power of our exchanges and reach even larger audiences, we must exploit new technology to become the master Networker, building global communities, connecting like-minded people through the Web to form communities that promote mutual international understanding.”
It all sounds grand, but the site has definite problems. Few of the 65 groups at ExchangeConnect show recent activity. State Department moderators take days to respond to queries. Security at the site is poor. They don’t require an authentication e-mail to be sent back from the sign up address. So it’s possible to sign up using any e-mail and troll the site for information, at least for a while, until there’s an objection from the holder of that web address. Perhaps the folks at the US State Department should contact the people at Facebook or MySpace for some advice on how to make ExchangesConnect a success.
