The State Department discovered something remarkable this week: You don't have to use the old diplomatic pouch to get a secret message across to another country.

Instead, the world is watching the unrest in Iran through the most unconventional means: social networking. And it is learning that the influence of online social networking services cannot be censored or shut down.

In a really unconventional move, the State Department asked Twitter earlier this week to delay maintenance to avoid disrupting communications among tech-savvy Iranians. And while foreign news outlets were barred from the streets in Iran, the local people were able to keep tweeting and communicating around the barriers put in place by the Iranian government.

"One of the areas where people are able to get out the word is through Twitter," a senior State Department official told the Washington Post and other reporters. "They announced they were going to shut down their system for maintenance and we asked them not to."

The growing influence of Twitter on this remarkable stage should give every IT executive food for thought on how they can use social networking, too. When there's a natural disaster and a communications breakdown, would the Federal Emergency Management Agency be able to keep the lines of communications open? When the Environmental Protection Agency wants citizen feedback on any kind of rule, would it be easier to invite a few tweets? And when the president of the United States wants citizen feedback, would it be easier to go online rather than hold a town meeting?

The possibilities are unlimited. And it only takes one IT executive to come up with a good idea and run with it.

For more on tweeting diplomacy:
- check out this Washington Post article