Our US Embassy in Baghdad has joined the now world and finally got on Facebook. The page is here if you want to fan it. Sorry folks – no Twitter, YouTube or blog for you right now. And yes, the embassy’s Baghdad Press Office still does not return email inquiries even as a courtesy. The email address BaghdadPressOffice@state.gov is up there for a purpose but I can’t tell you what it is for. The embassy website also does not include a link to its Facebook page. It does have a recruitment page that you might find interesting:
Mission Iraq Recruitment
The new Facebook page has a brief welcome video with Ambassador Chris Hill. As of this writing, the page has approximately 1,100 fans. It has an English Language Center (Do you know the expression “once in a blue moon?”) and about a dozen photos (no, not thumbprint size photos). It looks like it was set up in late November; contains sporadic posts and links to the White House and the mother ship, but not much locally generated content from its administrators. So—don’t get your hopes up!
Window hours and consular services are included, as well as a list of holidays in the info tab. It does not look like this is run by Public Affairs or by IRC but by the Consular Section. I thought I’d waste some more of my time and send an email to the press office for confirmation. (Makes a difference who’s running it!). Of course the only one who broke my record of non-response from State’s Public Affairs shop is that one Press Officer in Kabul. Tee-Hee!
