K Street Cafe

Using Comments To Take On Detractors During a Crisis (The Blog Council)
The Blog Council commends General Motors for allowing all comments – positive and negative – to be posted even during their bailout crisis.

Survey: Almost Half of Journalists Use Facebook and LinkedIn To Assist in Reporting (PR Newser)
Media attention is just another great reason why using social media could benefit your organization.

Right Wing Bloggers See Their Chance (The Hill)
Bloggers whose political affiliation leans to the right see the potential for real action with the new liberal administration.

Facebook to Verify Trustworth Apps (Read Write Web)
Verified Facebook applications can provide organizations a safer way to maintain a presence in a social media environment.

The Oval Office Facebook Group (Science Progress)
Mark Drapeau makes the argument for using new forms of technology to keep communication effective and transparent during the upcoming presidential transition.

Never Before Has So Much Been Asked of CEO Bloggers (BlogWrite for CEOs)
In response to a recent New York Times article, the business world is on the offense in these tough employment times as more and more people turn to social media.

Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004 (Wired)
Paul Boutin examines how social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have over taken blogging as the most popular form of expression.

Crisis Communication for the Social Web (The Buzz Bin)
The Buzz Bin takes a look at the need for a plan to listen and communicate effectively when a crisis hits your organization online.

In the closing stretch of the presidential campaign, both John McCain and Barack Obama have invoked the name of The Heritage Foundation to justify their policy proposals and attack their opponent. Unfortunately, neither campaign accurately reflected the views of Heritage. I’ve spent much of my time over the past week trying to set the record straight and protect our name.

Heritage is a nonprofit organization with strict limitations on political activity. As a nonpartisan research institution, we produce analysis on public policy issues, including the candidates’ tax proposals, but do not — and legally cannot — support or oppose a candidate for political office.

I thought it would be useful to share our approach this week responding to both McCain and Obama, particularly because we used the Internet and social media to tell our story. Our goal in each case was to set the record straight and clear up any confusion about the use of our name in their campaign materials. READ MORE »

Crossposted on Mediafuturenow.

Legal issues with privacy in social media stem from the nature of social media – an inherently communicative and open medium. The cliché is that in social media there is no expectation of privacy because the very idea of privacy is inconsistent with a “social” medium. Scott McNealy from Sun Microsystems famously drove home the point with his aphorism of “You already have zero privacy. Get over it.”

But in evidence law, there’s a rule barring assumption of facts not in evidence. Here it’s more simple: Where was it proven that we cannot find privacy in a new communications medium, even one as public as the internet and social media? Let’s go back to basic principles. Everyone talks about how privacy has to “adapt” to a new technological paradigm. I agree that technology and custom require adaptation by a legal system steeped in common law principles with foundations from the 13th century. But I do not agree that the legal system isn’t up to the task.

All you really need to do is look more widely at the law.

READ MORE »

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the change in online communication habits from email to Social Media, suggesting that communicating via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter could some day replace more traditional email communication as the method of choice for activists.

Many of the follow up comments I received after the post went something along this line: Excellent – I agree, but how can I convince the ‘higher-ups’ in my organization that we need to use these new tools?

At the most recent Innovative Advocacy conference, two attendees asked one of the panelists similar questions:

How can I convince my Executive Director that we should include Facebook in our advocacy strategy when he or she thinks it’s simply a fad for their high school kids? And, how can I get approval for a policy blog when the general counsel’s office is nervous about not having control over what the public can write in the comments section? READ MORE »

Dell Social Media (Facebook)
Dell has created a new Fan page on Facebook to launch its social media guides that will help small businesses get into the game.

Biggest Mistakes Made by Social Media Gurus (Mashable)
Davids Spark examines a few of the most common mistakes made by social media users.

Brave New World of Digital Intimacy (New York Times)
The invention of Facebook, Twitter and the like have created a way for people to both connect and foster relationships with more people than ever before.

Yoo-hoo, Young People: Carriers Add Social Net Hubs (Media Post)
AT&T and Verizon Wireless have announced plans to offer programs on their phone which connect users to all of their social networking accounts.

It’s Time for Brands to Embrace Text Messaging (Ad Age)
These days, people are using their cell phone for more things than just conversations and texting. This article examines why advertising and marketing should be keeping up with the latest technology trends.

Earlier this week, I received an email from my sister-in-law asking me to take action in support of the Protect Our Children Act – a bill currently being considered by the U.S. Senate.

Originally, she learned about the legislation on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah tends to be very selective with issues she endorses, but when she does support an issue or cause, she can generate a sizable grassroots response.

My sister-in-law not only sent the email to me, but also passed it along to about three dozen other friends and family members.

READ MORE »