Traditionally, August is supposed to be a little quieter in Washington, DC. Not so this summer with the current debates heating up over the future of the US economy, bailouts, healthcare reform and energy legislation.
The Internet is certainly playing a key role. In fact, YouTube may have officially reached its digital advocacy “tipping point” when a handful of videos were recently uploaded featuring flustered politicians struggling to answer tough healthcare questions during several Congressional town hall meetings.
Many Democrats in support of the bill have moved to characterize opponents as an organized, astroturfing, angry right wing mob. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) even went so far as to call the protests “un-American.” On the contrary, it was the SEIU who was caught on tape beating a black conservative who voiced dissent over the plan.
From Moldova to Motrin Moms, Twitter has become the arena of coordinated, widespread revolution several times over the last year. Still, when we look back on how the microblogging platform has evolved into a low-barrier tool for grassroots organizing, these will only be footnotes to the events of the last few days in Tehran. As protestors took to the streets of Iran to voice their discontent with the 2009 presidential election results, people from around the world were attentively watching updates from the ground on Twitter, long before hearing reports from any major news outlets.
The collection of status updates on Twitter provided the world an inside look on the dire situation within Iran from firsthand accounts, each message deeply personal and compelling to a worldwide audience. But when the masses turned to their favorite cable news network for more information, they were met with Mike Huckabee talking about credit cards or other irrelevant programming. With no recognizable coverage in mainstream media as events unfolded, it led users to cry foul on the news networks, demanding more information than 140 characters could deliver.
Back in March, Jose Antonio Vargas from The Washington Post assembled a bipartisan group of five panelists to periodically review President Obama’s White House Website in a feature called “Grading WhiteHouse.gov.”
Due to the overwhelming response to the first column, Jose decided to add a guest reviewer for “Grading WhiteHouse.gov, Round Two,” which was posted earlier this week — and I was honored that he thought of me. Of course, he did indicate that he wasn’t going to be able to print my entire thoughts, but agreed to allow me to post them here.
Of course, as with most lists, there will usually be some disagreement. However, with all due respect, I think that Patrick’s list is way off the mark. All of these folks (with the possible exceptions of Ana Marie, Patrick and Joe) would be influential whether they are on Twitter or not.
Today, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide is releasing a white paper on digital healthcare titled, “Healthcare Communications in the Digital World: Mitigating the Risks in a Highly Regulated Environment.”
In conjunction with the paper, I will be moderating a live panel discussion this morning, Tuesday, February 24 at 9 AM EST at The Madison, 1177 15th Streeet, NW in Washington, DC. The event will also be available via live webcast.
A friend of mine on Twitter @MelaniePhung sent me a few interview questions to answer and asked me to post here on CapitalGig. She’ll post hers on her site, All About Content. Enjoy!
THE QUESTIONS
1. How long have you been working in public relations? What attracted you to it?
I officially entered the public relations industry when I joined Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in May 2007. However, I have been working in the communications arena for the past 15 years including the Republican National Committee, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, Washington Business Journal, C-SPAN, GovTech Solutions, U.S. Department of Education and most recently, the White House. I have always been fascinated by the power of communications, meaning the ability to effectively disseminate and consume information through valuable channels of influence. Whether it’s by word of mouth, print, radio, television, the Internet, or a convergence combo of all the above, methods are quickly evolving to keep pace with societal needs for 24-7 news and information. It is as exciting to watch as it is to participate.
Motrin ran into a bit of trouble with their new ad campaign this weekend. They did a nice job with the creative, the script is tight and the animation in the video itself is pretty well done but there was just one *minor* problem. Their message angered their primary target audience: Moms!
Basically, their campaign is centered around the premise that “wearing babies” (carrying i.e. BabyBjörn style) can be, well, a pain – in the neck, shoulders, lower back, etc.
There has been a lot of buzz recently about how President-Elect Obama might carry the online momentum created during his campaign into the White House with him come January 2009. Taking a step in that direction, the President-Elect announced this week that he may alter the traditional method of delivering the Presidential Weekly Radio Address.
As the Washington Post’s Jose Antonio Vargas reported yesterday in The YouTube Presidency:
President-elect Obama will record the weekly Democratic address not just on radio but also on video — a first. The address, typically four minutes long, will be turned into a YouTube video and posted on Obama’s transition site, Change.gov, once the radio address is made public on Saturday morning.
According to Mike Allen, who writes Politico.com’s Playbook, the Obama-Biden transition stated on Friday that “No President-elect or President has ever turned the radio address into a multi-media opportunity before.”
It has been fascinating to watch GOP lawmakers during the past few days take to the House floor – even though Congress has adjourned for a five week District Work Period (read: vacation) – urging Speaker Pelosi to call Members back for a vote on energy relief. Since MSM cameras are “dark” and reporters are locked out when Congress isn’t officially in session, the only way to communicate has been via the Internet.
A massive grassroots effort has grown online with the recent launch of the new #dontgo web site that Patrick Ruffini dubs “officially a movement.”
I love Austin, Texas! Seriously, what’s not to like? It’s both a powerful capital city and a happening college town with great food, terrific music, historic films and, of course, the craziness of 6th Street! I have been there several times over the years for work and conferences, as well as a couple visits with close friends who live/work in the area.
A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of making another trip to the “Live Music Capital of the World” (as well as a side visit to Dallas) for work and to visit WE’s Austin office. On Saturday afternoon, Social Media Club Austin and Waggener Edstrom kindly hosted an event at Scholz Garten to welcome me to their town. I met some terrific folks, including David J. Neff, who then introduced me to … his house.
Many Democrats in support of the bill have moved to characterize opponents as an organized, astroturfing, angry right wing mob. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) even went so far as to call the protests “un-American.” On the contrary, it was the SEIU who was caught on tape beating a black conservative who voiced dissent over the plan.
Due to the overwhelming response to the first column, Jose decided to add a guest reviewer for “
A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of making another trip to the “
