US eager to find Iraqi friends on Facebook

Baghdad: The US Embassy in Baghdad is looking for Iraqi friends on Facebook.

The embassy launched the page on Thursday with the aim of reaching out to Iraqis who want to learn more about American culture and society, the latest step by the State Department to boost interest in Iraq's burgeoning online culture and promote web entrepreneurship. The Facebook page launch came the same day US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a speech about internet freedom and its place in US foreign policy.

The embassy rolled out the page after a two-month test run on Facebook, Philip Frayne, an embassy spokesman in Baghdad, said.

"We didn't get two million fans. The natural audience for embassy Facebook pages is not enormous," he said.

Matching numbers

But by late Thursday, the page had more than 800 fans — nearly matching the number of Facebook fans of the US Embassy in London.

More than 170 US diplomatic missions around the world have Facebook pages, according to the State Department. Chief among the Baghdad page's attractions is the "English Language Corner" where Iraqis can learn how to use English-language expressions such as "once in a blue moon".

In the coming weeks, Frayne said the page will spotlight American music, sports and holidays.