K Street Cafe

I was inspired by Amanda Phraner’s post, Foursquare for Advocacy. I have been using Foursquare for nearly a year now and love it (in fact I am the Mayor of Toscana West on I St, NW, DC between 13th and 14th… great place for lunch in the bar).

The idea of using Foursquare for advocacy makes a lot of sense, taking the flash mob notion to another level. Because Foursquare lets you post the address where you are and a brief comment, it is a great way to tell the world about demonstrations, events, and other activist activities you want people to join.

This has great potential, and it doesn’t matter that there are only 1 million Foursquare users, which is rather a lot, anyway. Not only is Foursquare mobile, allowing you to check in from anywhere, but it can post your check-in message and address to Twitter and Facebook. This immediately reaches out to all of your followers and friends and taps into the viral potential we all know and love.

(more…)

I just received a mass email from a Web marketing firm (that shall remain nameless) offering their social media services. The subject of the email was “Social Media Do’s and Don’ts.”

An Inventor’s Shocking Forecasts for Marketing Technology (iMedia Connection)
Renowned futurist and inventor, Ray Kurzweil, gives his thoughts on the future of technology in the marketing industry.

DC Will Debut “Digital Capital Week” in June 2010 (Cheeky Fresh)
Digital Capital Week is a 10 day festival in Washington, DC that will focus on technology, innovation and all things digital in our nation’s capital.

By Amanda Phraner

About a month ago, a co-worker convinced me to join Foursquare, which I read somewhere is the new Twitter. If you haven’t checked out Foursquare yet, it provides capabilities for its users to “check-in” and tell friends where they are located.  Each check-in can earn you various points, badges and even special offers from local businesses.

Foursquare seems like a great opportunity for businesses to connect with frequent customers and market their services.  My question is: Can it also be of value to the grassroots advocacy world? Are there ways for organizations to use Foursquare to engage members and motivate activists?

(more…)

Optics (New York Times)
Discover how “optics” has achieved buzzword status in American politics.

DC Decoder: Writing to Congress (Congress.com)
An interesting video with helpful tips on how to write an effective letter to Congress.

In yesterday’s issue of The Hill, Michael Wm. Schick, partner at Adfero Group, discussed how technology routinely used for personal connections across the globe can be leveraged by members of Congress, trade associations and global organizations.

Here is one example of the many uses of Skype:

If you are a member of Congress, there is no substitute for meeting with constituents in person, pressing the flesh, looking voters in the eye and letting them know you are with them. But when votes on Capitol Hill keep elected officials from returning to their home states and districts, Skype can be a life-saver. While there aren’t enough hours in the day to talk to everyone, a video call on Skype allows the senator or representative to deliver the contact some constituents (major donors, community leaders, political allies, etc.) have come to expect.

Check out Michael’s full article, “Skype: The next best thing to being there” here. 

What’s Social Campaigning Got To Do With It? (The Daily Caller)
For candidates running for the U.S. Senate, social campaigning could be the difference between winning and losing.

Bridging the Divide Between Congress, Constituents (CNN)
Dissatisfaction with the legislative branch has intensified, with bailouts and slow economic relief contributing to voter frustration.

Now that the first two months of the new year are behind us, I thought K Street Café readers would be interested in some articles on the outlook for the Public Relations, Advertising and Public Affairs industry in 2010. Some of the articles survey the PR or advertising industry nationwide, while others are focused on the DC market specifically. All the articles are helpful for understanding the state of affairs for the specific corner of the world we operate in. (more…)

By Elizabeth Sicuso

Over the winter, Price Floyd, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, spoke to a group of communicators about the necessity of social media from the Department of Defense’s stand point.  Floyd’s points, mainly that your audience is larger than you could imagine and that you can’t avoid social media, finally took hold last week with the release of the DoD’s Official Policy on New/Social Media. The newly released memo states, “The policy, which is effective immediately, states that the default for the DoD non-classified network (the NIPRNET) is for open access so that all of DoD can use new media.”

This is a great step forward not only for social media, but also government communications and transparency, and it raises the question that I asked previously – If the DoD can balance security, information sharing and transparency, then why can’t every company?

While the recent hacking of prominent Twitter accounts (see United Airlines recent snafu here) may result in many companies pulling back on social media in caution, in my opinion, the DoD announcement should show them to not be afraid, but instead cautious, of social media.  If the DoD can balance all the priorities of information sharing, principally, national security, then the private sector has no excuse.

How Causes + Campaigns Can Use Foursquare (Advocacy 2.0)
Tips on how various causes and campaigns can maximize the use of the online tool, Foursquare.

Pentagon Loosens Reins over Facebook, Twitter, Web 2.0 Apps (eWeek)
In an effort to balance appropriate security measures while maximizing capabilities of new Internet tools, the Department of Defense recently granted military personnel access to Facebook, Twitter, Google Apps and other user-generated applications.

We the Tweeple: Congressional Directory Adds Twitter Accounts (Washington Examiner)
The annual “Congress at Your Fingertips” book is about to be released, and this year it contains members’ Twitter accounts.