Besides being unfortunately named and hard on the eyes (memo to Secretary Rice: blogs should not have black backgrounds!) bravo to the State Department for launching its new blog, "DipNote."

It's nice to see the State Department getting into the blogging game. Of course, a blog like this runs the risk of being dismissed as propaganda and completely ignored. (Especially if it is used to post re-worded press releases or becomes self-congratulatory.) On the other hand, if State's in house bloggers are willing to engage other foreign policy blogs in debate and discussion, the forum could really take off. There are plenty of smart folks in the State Department who already read top foreign policy blogs like The Washington Note, Matthew Yglesias, Passport and others . Our discussions would surely be enhanced should State Department experts chime in from time to time.

So, DipNoters, please don't be afraid to enter into the discussion. Doing so is quite critical to your blog's success!