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U.S. State Department tweets on Twitter

Sure it’s fun to get instant updates on which brands of chips your sister is browsing at the grocery and how crowded the local Starbucks is. But wouldn’t you rather know about security threats and the ongoing violence in Lebanon?

Lucky for you, the State Department has begun posting its country profiles and travel advisories on Twitter, the free micro-blogging service that helps families, friends and even bureaucrats stay in touch. For the latest word on where not to go, check out the State Department’s posts (or “tweets”).

Can’t get enough diplo-speak? Use Twitter to hook up with the State Department’s blog. These first-person accounts by diplomats can be less than riveting. Perez Hilton they’re not. But I also found an informative video on the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, prompted by an annual dinner that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hosted this week to mark the end of the fast. Who knew?

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

Editor’s note: You can follow the L.A. Times Travel blog headlines on Twitter at twitter.com/latimestravel or @latimestravel. For a full list of Los Angeles Times feeds available on Twitter, scroll to the bottom of the page at latimes.com/RSS.

Update 9/15, 2:25 p.m: Follow the link for the State Deparment’s twittered take on Jane’s review.

[Image: twitter.com]

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Jane Engle and is filed under Global, News, Tips & Advice, Travel Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

2 Comments on “U.S. State Department tweets on Twitter”

jessica Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
very interesting. thanks for the links. but i think maybe your facts are wrong about the dinner marking the end of the fast. every day at sunset there is a dinner that marks the end of the fast for that day, the iftar. the end of the month-long fasting is in about two weeks and is marked by a three-day holiday called Eid al Fitr.
Jane Engle Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Jessica–Thanks, all good information. For the State Department, it’s an annual event in which they host one of the daily dinners.
Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor