(Multi)media

When all communication with the United States was cut after the horrific attack on the twin towers of September 11, 2001 how could French expatriates held up in New York keep in touch? By Internet! Although the www.france.diplomatie.gouv.fr site is not dedicated solely to emergency use, once again it proved its worth during the American disaster. From Phnom Penh to Ottawa, it enables all French citizens living abroad and all foreigners interested in France to obtain real time information and consult a very well resourced database.

On Friday, September 14, 2001, three days after the suicide attacks on the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ web site showed a photograph of the Quai d’Orsay building with the French flag flying at half-mast and a single caption: "At midday on Friday, September 14, the web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs joins the millions of citizens throughout Europe in paying silent tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."

This restraint could almost make you forget the vital role the site played in the days following the attacks. After the opening of a crisis unit and special telephone line, the world quickly realized that the only way to communicate with the United States was through the Internet after all the phone lines had been cut. So it was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site and the now famous e-mail address "cellule-crise@diplomatie.gouv.fr" which made it possible for French citizens blocked on American soil and their families to exchange news. Added later were the official reactions of the French President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, together with video and audio recordings of their comments.

Almost one and a half million hits per month

Six years after its conception and official launch, as 2001 comes to an end the site has seen record levels. On average it records about 1.5 million hits each month (in other words almost 1.5 million different computers log on to it) while the Webmaster site receives just over 2,000 e-mails in the same period. Figures in increasing steadily.

Set up in Autumn 1995, on the initiative of Marc Finaud, then deputy director of the Ministry’s Department of Press, Information and Communication, the site was one of the first to be developed in a French context in which few media outlets or government departments had a web site address. Initially, the objective of going on line was, according to Jean-Pierre Poncet, the server manager in its early days, to "tap unused mines of information in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a common support accessible to the public."

Today, the objectives are still directed toward the same desire for transparency. For Laurent Lemarchand, the site’s former Editor-in-Chief, "There are many documents available, produced by a great many specialist units in our Ministry, which should be available to the public as part of a coherent overall package." In his opinion, the majority of non-confidential information should be on the site. Thus to be found there are all the statements made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on diplomatic matters (French position on current international questions, bilateral relations, or France’s views within bodies such as NATO, the EU and the UN).

A varied data bank

In this spirit of maximum transparency, the Ministry’s annual budget and annual report are also on line. "At first, we had to constantly seek information," Laurent Lemarchand recalls, "but we set up an Editorial Committee of about forty ’Internet correspondents’ from all the Ministry’s departments. With the eight permanent members of the Internet unit, we conduct a monthly review, in the form of an editorial conference."

After this quest for information at source, the Internet team sets itself the task of putting the content on line in an attractive and simple way, while trying to keep up with the technical innovations of the multi-media sector. Thus video, sound and pictures gradually appeared. Ministers too, have adopted the current fashion, with, for example, Pierre Moscovici, Deputy Minister responsible for European Affairs, agreeing to take part in a one-hour "chat" responding directly to web users.

While the site is an interactive shop window for French foreign policy, it also presents the country from a cultural perspective (films, music, archaeology, literature, and links to RFI  [1], AFAA  [2]] or CNC [3]]) and a historical, geographic, tourist and practical point of view. "Our task in relation to French communities abroad is very important," stresses Laurent Lemarchand. "We are France’s biggest town hall, serving a population of almost two million, which is the number of French citizens residing outside our frontiers."

The latter can use the site to access all sorts of information concerning personal administrative matters, taxation, education or even job vacancies. Foreigners wishing to come to France will find all the procedures here for obtaining a visa, for finding a place in the French educational system or even to see "France autrement" [France in a different way] through the on-line edition of the multi-topic and multilingual magazine, Label France [4], which is one of the most frequently consulted pages.

One of the flagship sections of the site, "Advice to Travellers" comprises a data bank covering almost 180 countries world-wide. It helps travellers to make better preparation for stays abroad and to live better while in the country. Constantly checked and updated from information provided by French embassies and consulates, it contains practical information about conditions of transport and security, and about local habits and customs or legislation to be respected. Thus it meets a real need of the tourist industry, business and humanitarian travellers and organizations and the general public. Furthermore, it is one of the site’s three most frequently consulted sections.

At the beginning of 2002, france.diplomatie will adopt a new look with the launch of its third generation site. Distinctive for an updated design, simpler navigation and faster access to the contents, this new format will be much more attractive for users and will enable the Ministry to enter fully into the third millennium.