Promotion ideas for an Embassy

[ratboycom]

Originally Posted by Bellum

How's your flash programming? Maybe something like the bowling games you see on the web except instead of a bowling ball you have rocks and instead of pins you have a person. See if you can get Facebook farming game to have Afghanistan specific crops like poppy. Or something like the cooking games on the Nintendo except the ingredients are for an explosive. There's a million possibilities.
First of all, **** off. Second of all... well there is no second. Your comment was neither constructive nor funny.

 

[Icarus]

Serious question:

Is it even possible to visit Afghanistan? I know it's a very old country with a very old culture, but what would a tourist do there? Isn't there an extremely high chance of being kidnapped?

 

[Geezer]

Tourists should not go to Afghanistan.

I know Afghanistan quite well. And PR.

First thing: go see your boss (or his boss).

Ask him what your real concrete objectives are (eg: get more aid from Japan? open new trade links? encourage charitable giving to development projects? send police trainers?).

Ask him who your target audiences are to achieve those objectives. Government, media, Diet, academics, NGOs, who?

Ask him what research has been done into engaging them through non-news digital communications media. Which channels and messages work? What lessons can you draw from previous experience?

Based on his responses:

(a) frame and implement an effective web-based communications strategy to deliver those concrete objectives; or

(b) identify your audience research gaps and commission research to fill them and then move to (a); or

(c) just muck about making the Embassy website look nicer while you send off job applications.

Best of luck. Friends of mine are out there in harm's way trying to help that country. I hope your efforts will help too.

 

[fredfred]

Originally Posted by ratboycom

First of all, **** off. Second of all... well there is no second. Your comment was neither constructive nor funny.

hahahha. YOU are posting on an internet chat board that is dedicated to FASHION/STYLE ... about how the U.S. government can do an outreach program for Afghanistan...

The entire thread is hilarious. Probably for reasons you don't comprehend.

And:

1) His post was funny. And in an obtuse way, it was also constructive. But you might have to think it through a bit. Obviously you can't do that, as instead of doing your ******* job you are spending time on a fashion related internet board

2) This thread is a great example of how much US bureaucracy sucks

3) If the US wants people to think better of Afghanistan, explain to the world why we support the current president, but financed and ran the campaign of the opposition in the recent election.

4) I'm with the guy above who called you pissy. Not a word I usually use, but damn.. people offer you free advice and you ***** at them for not reading the whole thread? You have the nerve to rip on people for not reading something you wrote.. when they are simply trying to help you .. .and aren't getting paid, like you are. AND YOU ARE RECEIVING A BONUS FOR BEING IN A WAR ZONE... NO?

How about you **** off?

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by fredfred

hahahha. YOU are posting on an internet chat board that is dedicated to FASHION/STYLE ... about how the U.S. government can do an outreach program for Afghanistan...

The entire thread is hilarious. Probably for reasons you don't comprehend.

And:

1) His post was funny. And in an obtuse way, it was also constructive. But you might have to think it through a bit. Obviously you can't do that, as instead of doing your ******* job you are spending time on a fashion related internet board

2) This thread is a great example of how much US bureaucracy sucks

3) If the US wants people to think better of Afghanistan, explain to the world why we support the current president, but financed and ran the campaign of the opposition in the recent election.

4) I'm with the guy above who called you pissy. Not a word I usually use, but damn.. people offer you free advice and you ***** at them for not reading the whole thread? You have the nerve to rip on people for not reading something you wrote.. when they are simply trying to help you .. .and aren't getting paid, like you are. AND YOU ARE RECEIVING A BONUS FOR BEING IN A WAR ZONE... NO?

How about you **** off?

FredFred you are a total douchecunt, shut up. BTW He's in Japan not the US you arsewipe.

 

[redcaimen]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

FredFred you are a total douchecunt, shut up. BTW He's in Japan not the US you arsewipe.

I dont know FredFred but that post was funny.

To the OP: Whats Afghan music like? Might be interesting.

 

[fredfred]

I put Fuuma on my ignore list a long time ago (he's the only esteemed member to achieve the honor). Thanks for quoting so I am reminded that I am not missing anything.

 

[JustinW]

Originally Posted by fredfred

I put Fuuma on my ignore list a long time ago (he's the only esteemed member to achieve the honor). Thanks for quoting so I am reminded that I am not missing anything.

^

What a dickhead!

Combat pay in Tokyo?

 

[fredfred]

So the guy is in Tokyo. Ok, so he doesn't get "combat" pay. (I don't remember what the actual term is).

So we are using people in Japan to work on the public relations campaign for afghanistan? And I'm a dickhead?

um, ok.

 

[JustinW]

Originally Posted by fredfred

So the guy is in Tokyo. Ok, so he doesn't get "combat" pay. (I don't remember what the actual term is).

So we are using people in Japan to work on the public relations campaign for afghanistan? And I'm a dickhead?

um, ok.

First sentence of the first post:

Originally Posted by ratboycom

So, I am currently interning for the Embassy of Afghanistan


Yes, you are a dickhead.

 

[ratboycom]

Originally Posted by Icarus

Serious question:

Is it even possible to visit Afghanistan? I know it's a very old country with a very old culture, but what would a tourist do there? Isn't there an extremely high chance of being kidnapped?

It is possible to visit there, but that is not what we are promoting. Actually up in the Northern territories most people are fine and have enough to see/do for a couple days. Getting a visa is a bit more complicated though, but from all the people I have talked to who have gone in the last couple years they said it was pretty damn safe, but they were provided a translator/guard by the embassy.

Originally Posted by Geezer

Tourists should not go to Afghanistan.

I know Afghanistan quite well. And PR.

First thing: go see your boss (or his boss).

Ask him what your real concrete objectives are (eg: get more aid from Japan? open new trade links? encourage charitable giving to development projects? send police trainers?).

Ask him who your target audiences are to achieve those objectives. Government, media, Diet, academics, NGOs, who?

Ask him what research has been done into engaging them through non-news digital communications media. Which channels and messages work? What lessons can you draw from previous experience?

Based on his responses:

(a) frame and implement an effective web-based communications strategy to deliver those concrete objectives; or

(b) identify your audience research gaps and commission research to fill them and then move to (a); or

(c) just muck about making the Embassy website look nicer while you send off job applications.

Best of luck. Friends of mine are out there in harm's way trying to help that country. I hope your efforts will help too.

I usually dont dick around with talking to my team leader, she is usually busy on some other project so I go to the department head. This is what he said when he gave me the project. Our target audience is the general public with the goal of more or less opening people's eyes to what Afghanistan culture is like and to draw attention away from the war image. Most Japanese have forgotten that pre Soviet Invasion Japan-Afghan trade relations were pretty tight. The ultimate goal is to garner support for the efforts of JICA. So more or less this is just a good will sort of thing. If we were able to get media attention for one of our events that would be great, but not something I am to actively seek (team leader usually works that angle). Trade is starting to open up with all the recent mineral deposits that have been found and President Karzai, in his recent visit to Tokyo, has given Japan priority to access the deposits.

As far as non-news digital media that has been attempted/researched in the past, not a whole lot has. Basically I am running the guinea pig projects, though in the past there was a FB page, it has kinda fallen into disuse. The reason it failed was because the organization of who was to maintain it and what was to be posted, was never set up. Japan is an interesting/difficult market. I am going to have to build buzz for whatever it is that we do to really get people's attention. Most Japanese are not interested in things unless other people are before them. For instance, at our events there could be no one looking at a certain piece of art or clothes, then two or three people stop, within a minute there will be a line of 30 waiting to look at it.

Thanks for your advice, especially the last bit. Good or bad I am stuck here till at least December when I graduate and need to look for a real job.

Originally Posted by fredfred

hahahha. YOU are posting on an internet chat board that is dedicated to FASHION/STYLE ... about how the U.S. government can do an outreach program for Afghanistan...

The entire thread is hilarious. Probably for reasons you don't comprehend.

And:

1) His post was funny. And in an obtuse way, it was also constructive. But you might have to think it through a bit. Obviously you can't do that, as instead of doing your ******* job you are spending time on a fashion related internet board

2) This thread is a great example of how much US bureaucracy sucks

3) If the US wants people to think better of Afghanistan, explain to the world why we support the current president, but financed and ran the campaign of the opposition in the recent election.

4) I'm with the guy above who called you pissy. Not a word I usually use, but damn.. people offer you free advice and you ***** at them for not reading the whole thread? You have the nerve to rip on people for not reading something you wrote.. when they are simply trying to help you .. .and aren't getting paid, like you are. AND YOU ARE RECEIVING A BONUS FOR BEING IN A WAR ZONE... NO?

How about you **** off?

*slow clap* wow, just wow.
Now, if you had read the OP or even several different ones in between, not even my posts, you would know that A) I am an intern and not getting paid, B) I am working for the AFGHAN embassy, C) I am in Japan. I came to SF because although it is a style/fashion board, this is General Topics and therefore is open to any subjects and the regulars here represent a wide range of professions and are generally helpful.

 

[fredfred]

I did read them. Mis-read them, but I did read them.

Ok... so you are in Japan. And you work for the Afghan embassy there.

But

- You are still coming to a "style/fashion" internet forum to solicit advice?
- You still ripped on people offering advice, rather than thanking them
- There is a war going on in your country, bombs going off in Kabul, etc., and you think you can get advice from a FASHION website about how to generate some good PR for Afghanistan? And you don't find that amusing?
- Most internships I know of are paid internships. (I used to think internships were always unpaid, but that has become less common)


Yes, it's an open chat forum and you can post whatever you'd like.

But thanks for your condescending "slow clap". You are the one doing work for free, not me. So does that merit a slow or a fast clap?

And I must say, since the advice you may end up giving them is coming from a fashion/style internet board, they certainly are getting their money's worth.

The obvious "answer" to me is to find some Japanese dudes and dudettes in and around Kabul and put together a 'japanese in Afghanistan" website or blog or whatever. Pick ex-pats who have lots of contacts back in Tokyo. They'll spread the word about the news that they are on the site. Word will get out. If you really know your stuff you could get a video piece onto the Nippon news.

 

[scientific]

birthplace of buddhism? umm...