WASHINGTON (February 9, 2010)--In a first for U.S. diplomacy, the U.S. State Department used Twitter to announce an upcoming overseas trip that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to take.

Followers of the department's "Dipnote" Twitter feed were the first to get official word of Clinton's Feb. 13-16 trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia shortly before 12:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, well before the formal announcement, which was not expected until later Tuesday.

Aides to Clinton said it was the first time the State Department has announced a secretary of state's travel plans through Twitter.