US EMBASSY LOOKING FOR TOP FACEBOOK FAN BEFORE OBAMA VISIT

News Terupdate - Jakarta, The US Embassy in Jakarta is holding a competition among its 30,000 Facebook fans to find the most ardent fan of the month ahead of President Barack Obama`s visit to Indonesia.

"The competition is to find who the top fan -- the "President" -- of the Embassy`s Facebook page is, by encouraging fans to promote the page, telling their friends about what the Embassy is doing by including the status tag `U.S. Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia`," the US embassy announced on its official website.

The contest runs from February 12 until March 12, 2010, and participants have a chance to win cutting-edge gadgets, books about the United States, and U.S. Embassy logo items. Microsoft and Starbucks have donated prizes for the competition, including a Samsung Omnia Pro B-7320 smart phone, Microsoft Office 2007 software, a LifeCam Cinema HD camera, and vouchers for coffee at any of the 75 Starbucks locations throughout Indonesia.

U.S. Embassy Jakarta created its Facebook fan page, www.facebook.com/jakarta.usembassy in January 2009, making it the first diplomatic mission in Indonesia to do so.

The page features unique content, including previews of Embassy-produced radio and television programs, photos of the Embassy?s batik collection, and U.S. tourism videos.

It regularly hosts fan-only contests to win tickets to American cultural programs and events. The Facebook fan page was also where the Embassy first released news about the March visit of President Obama, several hours before officially releasing the information to the media.

The U.S. Embassy also uses other online technologies to connect directly to the Indonesian people, including its official webpage, Twitter account, a branded YouTube channel with over 300 videos, and an online visa appointment system.

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