K Street Cafe

War and social media: Israel’s public diplomacy on Gaza (Tech President)
Yesterday afternoon, the Israeli Consulate in New York offered a “citizen’s press conference” via Twitter – the first of its kind. Here is Nancy Scola’s take on Israel’s online diplomacy.

Ensuring Security and Privacy Through XMPP (ReadWriteWeb)
New technology that is still in development could bring more security and privacy to social networking, and might help quiet some fears about online participation.

Earlier this month U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore of California tried a new experiment in fundraising: Tweet for Chuck was the creation of online strategist Justin Hart to tap into the newly organized Top Conservatives on Twitter. The experiment has generated 136 donations so far, mostly between $10 and $25.

Although this was hardly a fundraising haul for DeVore, it was the first time a candidate used the microblogging platform to raise money. It generated positive press and got him noticed in a tough race against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer. The website Hart built tracks donations (promoting transparency) and referrals (inspiring competition).

After observing the success, my Heritage Foundation colleague Nathaniel Ward and I asked Hart to create a similar effort for Heritage. Year-end fundraising is a priority for every nonprofit, and we saw very few downsides to asking for donations on Twitter. Last week we launched Tweet for Heritage.

Despite having more followers than DeVore, we haven’t enjoyed the same kind of success. That could be because DeVore was the first to do it or the holidays are keeping people occupied. Regardless, I hope the experiment prompts other nonprofits to use Twitter in new and creative ways.

Will fundraising work on this platform? The jury is still out for our experiment. But it would be great to have feedback or suggestions for others considering similar campaigns.

Politics Is No Longer Local. It’s Viral. (Washington Post)
Jose Antonio Vargas examines the move to individual politics that has been brought on by the use of viral and social media in the 2008 Presidential election.

6 New Web Technologies of 2008 You Need to Use Now (Wired)
These six new technologies for the web can help your organization be better prepared for the online, viral world.

Use A Blog To Respond to News In Real Time (The Blog Council)
The Blog Council examines why blogging can help your organization stay on top of false news.

Most Popular Blog Posts of 2008 (Digital Alex)
Have you not kept up with all of this years posts? Here is a rundown of some of the best posts by topic.

Verizon and Comcast Tweet-Compete for Brand Loyalty (Word of Mouth Marketing)
Twitter is no longer just used for customer service – take a look at this example out of Baltimore where a man was courted through Twitter to secure his business for home internet service.

The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World (Wall Street Journal)
Is your organization still learning the social media ropes? Here is the beginner’s guide according to the Wall Street Journal.

Social Media in 2009: Our Predictions and Desires (ReadWriteWeb)
As 2008 comes to a close, ReadWriteWeb makes some predictions on where social media can still go after a year that saw a lot of social media firsts.

Crossposted on Mediafuturenow.com

Randall Lane wrote a provocative piece in Monday’s New York Times suggesting a “ballot buddy system” among the states to permit apportioning of electoral votes among counties or congressional districts.  The idea seems like one of those suggestions likely to go nowhere, except when you realize that (a) 2 states (Maine and Nebraska) have already moved in that direction, (b) the 2000 election may have permanently disencumbered any remaining pillars of the infallibility of the electoral college system and (c) the Obama campaign’s social media breakthroughs may have demonstrated the irrelevance of the system in the first place.

(Full disclosure: Lane’s current company, Doubledown Media, is a corporate law client of my law firm.)

In “A Ballot Buddy System”, Lane argues that the big win for deconstructing the electoral college was vividly illustrated in Nebraska, where Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin both campaigned in Omaha in the last weeks of the 2008 campaign – something not otherwise thought likely for an otherwise reliably red state.  When counties are in play, versus whole states, “winner takes all”, a different campaign dynamic kicks in. READ MORE »

SocialFishing on the Association Front (The Buzz Bin)
The Buzz Bin sits down with Maddy Grant and Lindy Dreyer of SocialFish in the first installment of a series about organizations using social media as a method of direct marketing.

Responding to Overzealous Followers (Word of Mouth Marketing)
Gaining followers on Twitter can’t be a bad thing, right? Except perhaps in the case of a Twitter user who won’t leave your organization alone.

Join us on December 18, 2008 for an Internet Advocacy Roundtable that will explore how organizations can best address the challenges associated with the rapid growth of social media that has increased the fragmentation of the channels of public discourse. While the focus of the discussion will be on the relationships and influence of the English language blogosphere, the interrelationships between other forms of social media and blogs will also be explored.

Our speakers include:
*Marty Kearns, Green Media Toolshed, Netcentric Campaigns
*John Kelly, Morningside Analytics
*Ken Deutsch, Morningside Analytics

The event will take place on Thursday, December 18, 2008, 3:00pm—5:00pm at the Center for American Progress Action Fund (1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 2000).Please RSVP here as seats are limited.

You can also follow the event via a live stream here. Also, check out the archives of past Internet Advocacy Roundtables and announcement of upcoming events here.

ComcastCares Social Media Interview with Frank Eliason (Top Rank Online Marketing)
Top Rank sits down with Frank Eliason to to discuss Comcast’s customer service via Twitter with @ComcastCares.

Looking Again at Cisco’s Employee Social Media Policy (The Blog Council)
As social media and social networking become more a part of people’s everyday lives, large organizations like Cisco and Intel have outlined what is proper workplace behavior for their employees.

Report: Corporate Blogs Not Trusted (ReadWriteWeb)
A recent report found that customers hardly trust an organizations blogs. Richard MacManus with ReadWriteWeb did his own evaluation of corporate blogs, both good and bad.

The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook (Techipedia)
As organizations become more involved with social media and social networking, here is a crash course in etiquette as compiled by Tamar Weinberg