K Street Cafe

As Social Media Tastes Change, Can Campaigns Keep Up? (Campaigns & Elections)
When it comes to social media platforms, Katie LaPotin argues that Tumblr may be poised to overtake Twitter in popularity during the next election cycle. Will lawmakers be able to keep up with the change?

Google Cutting Knol, Wave, Other Fringe Projects (Forbes)
Among them: Google Bookmarks List, Google Friend Connect, Google Search Timeline & more.

New iPad App Hopes to Modernize Lawmaking on the Hill (techPresident)
Last Thursday, PopVox unveiled “MarkUp,” a new iPad app that enables Hill staffers to work on legislation ‘in virtual form.’ According to PopVox founder Marci Harris, ‘MarkUp delivers…[information] right into the hands of Members of Congress, who really want to know what their constituents have to say about pending bills.”

Are You Measuring the Right Social Media Metrics? (Econsultancy)
According to Econsultancy’s Chris Lake, “The key to measuring social media is to track all of the usual ‘hard’ metrics, but it’s also to step back and correlate performance against the major business key performance indicators.” Read more here.

Should OWS Switch to Online Enabled Guerrilla Actions? (e.politics)
Colin Delany argues that “[Occupy Wall Street's] occupation of physical spaces has attracted the movement worldwide notice, but its very success contains the seeds of its own decline, since the long-term encampments provide both authorities and criminals convenient targets.” Read through Delany’s thoughtful alternative to OWS’s current strategy.

Google+ Integrates with Social Media Brand Platforms (ClickZ)
Buddy Media, Context Optional, Hearsay Social, Hootsuite, Involver, and Vitrue have already partnered with Google+ to make it easier for brands to manage their content.

3 In 5 Expect Candidates to Be on Facebook (All Facebook)
Check out this infographic by Digitas, which shows how social media users expect politicians to engage with them on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

40 Useful Tweets to Share with Your Followers (PR Daily)
It can be tricky to come up with fresh content on Twitter; read this post to learn how to offer something new and stay relevant to your followers.

The Keys to Mobile-Display Relevance (ClickZ)
If you are considering adding mobile to your advocacy strategy, make sure to read this article. The top three important factors to consider: location, creative and platform.

Infographic: How the Top 50 Nonprofits Do Social Media (PR Daily)
Check out this awesome infographic, created by Craig Newmark (of Craigslist fame.)

Sunlight Foundation Follows Lobbyist Tweets (POLITICO)
If you’re a lobbyist, there’s a good chance that Sunlight Foundation is watching you (on Twitter, that is.) Says Sunlight Foundation Gabriela Schneider: “This is a way for Americans and people online to see how certain lobbyists are wielding their influence.” Find out more about the nonpartisan org here.

The Technology Firsts in Ohio’s Issue 2 Campaign (techPresident)
techPresident’s Nick Judd: “Yesterday’s Ohio elections culminated an unprecedented online-driven issue campaign in which both sides honed online tools and tactics that in some cases they were using for the first time.” Those tactics included using social media to organize a march and the orchestration of massive conference calls.

Facebook Images: Why Your Feed Is Crammed with Visual Gags (Slate)
You may have noticed that images are playing a bigger role on Facebook than ever before. Memes, infographics, and “image macros” are taking over; read this article for ideas on how to create a viral image to get your message across.

Wall Street Will ‘Occupy’ Social Media (POLITICO)
“If rage against Wall Street and economic inequality is fueling the ‘Occupy’ movement, its conduit to the masses (and each other) is social media— and Twitter in particular” says Patrick Gavin. Corporations are definitely listening to conversation over social media channels, but is it a mistake to respond?

Is the White House Doing Enough for ‘We the People?’ (techPresident)
The new online petition platform was an ambitious project to begin with, but some feel that it’s already not living up to its potential.

5 Ways PR Pros Can Use Mobile Streaming and Online Chats (PR Daily)
Technically, this article is aimed at PR pros; however, most of the tips can be used by advocacy professionals too!

QR Codes: Useful Tool, Neat Toy or Robot Barf? (ReadWriteWeb)
Check out this post and decide for yourself: are QR codes worth integrating into your marketing strategy?

Tweet Like a Pro: 8 Twitter Tools to Try (PR Daily)
The title says it all. This article cuts through the sludge and delivers the best Twitter applications (many of which will save you time.)

All the Buzz: Infographics (MediaPost)
In case you haven’t noticed, infographics are everywhere these days. Why? According to Len Stein, an infographic has the “ability to quickly communicate almost anything in an engaging, relevant and compelling image that relies on clever visual representations rather than dense sub-text.” Find out more here.

A Showcase of Some of the Best Infographic Designs (SloDive)
Need some inspiration? SloDive has compiled 15 exceptional infographics for you to peruse. Get some ideas on how jazz up a less-than-interesting subject.