K Street Cafe

This Friday marked the first event in the Get PR Smart series: The Virtual Video Press Conference 101. At the seminar, communications and public affairs veteran, Michael Wm. Schick, gave a primer on how to the inexpensive technologies Ustream and Skype to conduct video press conferences and interviews. Held in the Broadcast Operations Center of the National Press Building, seminar attendees were able to experience firsthand the environment of a full-blown press conference, while simultaneously learning how to conduct effective press conferences on a shoe-string budget.

Key points from the seminar:

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This weekend, nearly 300 top transparency and open government experts from non-profit, technology developer, and government staff communities gathered at George Washington University to attend the Sunlight Foundation’s Transparency Camp 2010. The purpose of this second annual “unconference” was to clarify the needs for making government transparent, both from a philosophical and a how-to perspective.

As with all of these self-organizing, “barcamp-style” unconferences, participants are actively tweeting their thoughts throughout the sessions. The depth of these sessions and Twitter discussions is such that this article cannot adequately cover them. Thankfully, the tweet-stream is available online here (or you can follow the hashtags #TCamp2010 and #TCamp10 yourself).

Some of the key points raised in sessions include:

1. Making government data accessible in online, machine-readable format is essential.

2. Transparency is essential to improve trust in government by making it more accountable.

3. Transparency is a long-term need, so building a strong foundation to ensure it continues to develop is essential.

4. Building a foundation for transparency means we cannot use as a short-term success metric how many people use what we are building now (that audience will grow over time).

5. Digital divide issues remain important and they are building universal broadband network, getting computers and mobile devices into the hands of underserved communities, training them on how to use these tools, and developing a culture that encourages people to use these resources.

The conversation will continue on Twitter and elsewhere, so book mark the Tweetstream link, follow along, and add your thoughts.

In the final push preceding the health care vote last week, the Democratic National Committee’s “Organizing for America” Web site provided activists with health care talking points to encourage them to write letters to their local papers in support of the legislation.

The site even provided a comment box that  gave people the opportunity to write directly to their local papers without leaving the site. They encouraged users to utilize the talking points just for informational purposes. “Do not use these points verbatim,” the site read in bold. “Your letter must be original and should focus on your personal views and experiences.”

Well, not everyone listened carefully to the instructions.  Over the course of the next few days, newspapers across the country printed the talking points verbatim.  In all, 72 newspapers reprinted the exact words from the campaign Web site.

While you could argue that this is really the fault of a lazy press (some already have), it is certainly an example of successful messaging for any organization interested in advocacy.

Here’s what Organizing for America did right:

1) They provided clear information to help activists write their letters.

2) They made it as easy as possible to write letters to their local editors. You will lose a lot of people if they must actually find the newspaper email address and pen a separate letter. The site provided all of that information for them, and even included an internal email system that would send people’s letters directly into the email box of newspaper editors.

3) They coordinated the campaign with other social media outlets. President Obama’s Facebook page directed activists to the online form and encouraged them to write letters.

Coalition Aims to Close Digital Divide for HUD Households
(Hillicon Valley)
Internet providers, computer manufacturers and a number of non-profits have formed a coalition to help increase U.S. broadband adoption in the poorest households.

Knowing Your Online Audience (Cheeky Fresh)
Some of your Twitter followers may not be thrilled by all of your tweets, but as long as you know your general audience, you’re in the clear.

Dose of Venom for Candidates Turns Ads Viral
(The New York Times)
This election season is opening a new chapter of campaign attacks in which sophisticated, low-cost technology is being used to create scathing ads and videos for use on Internet sites like Facebook and YouTube.

Stimulus Website Wins Award Despite Early Complaints
(Hillicon Valley)
Recovery.gov, the federal website that shows how and where stimulus money is being spent, recently received a Gold “ADDY” Award.

World Leaders On Twitter: 15 Heads Of State Who Tweet (Huffington Post)
President Obama isn’t the only head of state with a Twitter account.

The Buzz: Fair Political Practices Commission Considers How to Regulate Social Media in Politics (Fresno Bee)
Should campaign plugs on Twitter squeeze “This tweet was paid for by” into the 140-character blasts? This and other questions were considered Wednesday at a Fair Political Practices Commission hearing on regulating political communications on new media platforms.

37 Things I Learned Yesterday at the 25th Anniversary of .com’s Policy Forum (Advocacy 2.0)
One forum attendee shares several tips obtained from yesterday’s 25th anniversary of .com event (intended to provide an opportunity to explore the relationship between public policy and commerce on the Web).

Does Increasing Government Transparency Help or Hurt Professional and Trade Associations? (Dennis D. McDonald)
Consultant Dennis McDonald draws on recent experiences in an attempt to answer this important question surrounding government transparency.

‘Sunshine Week’ Shines Light on Transparency (Hillicon Valley)
As Sunshine week “dawned on Washington” there was indication of a growing bipartisan consensus to increase government transparency.

How PR Pros Are Using Social Media for Real Results (Mashable)
PR pros and politicians already know that social media drives authenticity, discover what else they’ve learned is necessary to achieve real, measurable results.

Coffee Party Brews up Rival for Tea Party (BBC)
Learn how the Coffee Party has been gaining Internet traction.

Don’t Blog Until You’re Ready (Fuel Your Blogging)
Tips on how to launch a blog that won’t fail.

I wanted to take a moment to inform K Street readers of an upcoming event series for PR professionals. Starting March 26, the National Press Club and Adfero Group will be co-sponsoring a series of half-day conferences and classroom-style training seminars to help PR pros stay up to date with the latest industry trends and tactics. Topics will include how social media has changed the way reporters, sources and communication professionals effectively work together and how to use new, inexpensive tactics to get the word out.

Events are open to both members and non-members. To see calendar of seminars and conferences and to register, please visit here.