Three of Washington’s most tech-savvy think tanks unveiled iPhone apps in the past few weeks — a noteworthy development that caught the attention of Nancy Scola at techPresident. Scola’s review of the apps — from The Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute and Brookings Institution — raised an important question: Does anyone actually use this stuff?
Early results for Heritage indicate the answer is yes. After only a week on iTunes, the Heritage app had 2,500 downloads as of Monday. Not bad considering we spent less than $1,500 to build the app, a modest investment considering the potential upside of the product.
Scola’s review is mostly upbeat and positive about each of the three apps, but she’s also skeptical about their broader appeal. She concludes by asking this question: “Is anyone seeking out these apps as they seek out research, news and points of view?”
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America’s fiscal crisis is fueling activism in cities and town across America where Tea Party rallies shine the light on our national debt and out-of-control government spending. But there’s also a revolution happening online, particularly with web videos that tell the story of an economically challenged country.
Debt, spending and taxes don’t exactly translate into blockbusters. Over the course of the past couple weeks, however, web videos on each subject have illustrated just how significant those issues are for engaged citizens.
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When it comes to Facebook, what’s more important: Having a large network of “friends” whom you don’t know? Or a smaller well-connected group of individuals with whom you have real relationships?
I consider myself a friendly person, but that’s no longer the case when it comes to Facebook. After careful thought and deliberation, I’ve decided to stop accepting friend requests from people I don’t know.
With more than 350 million users, Facebook is home to an incredible network of people. Complete strangers ask to be my friend every day. Some are so self-absorbed they’ve even prodded me to become “fans” of their pages. Others bombard me with event invites I have no interest or possible way of attending. Don’t get me started on annoying applications like Pillow Fight and Blingee Book. Enough is enough.
Personal vs. Professional
When I first began using Facebook in 2005 (thanks to the prodding of Human Events interns Katie Farber and Mary Ellen Burke), there was good reason to become friends with many people given the limited number using the social network. But now, with Facebook open to everyone, I get about three new friend requests every day. I almost always accepted every one of them, which is the reason I have more than 3,000 friends and nearly 100 requests waiting for me to approve or ignore.
What’s the value of having a large number of friends? There’s the coolness factor, of course, which might actually mean something if I was celebrity or politician. But for me, there’s simply no meaningful interaction with these individuals. They don’t comment on my status updates, and I certainly don’t comment on theirs. On the few occasions that someone does say something — usually about the latest photo of my son — my wife asks why a total stranger is remarking about a personal item.
My logic for accepting so many friends, most of whom are conservatives, was to entice them to support my work-related initiatives. But that hasn’t panned out as planned. Very rarely have I asked them do anything. And when I did invite my friends to join The Heritage Foundation’s No Energy Tax application — spamming them in the same manner they do me — hardly any joined.
At the end of the day, I learned that personal always trumps professional. And with more than 100,000 fans, Heritage’s Facebook page doesn’t need my help anyway.
Connections Count
There’s another downside to having friends you don’t know. We live in a world where people think you are who you’re connected with. I found out the hard way last week when a Heritage colleague asked about my connection to a former Department of Defense employee who was the subject of a hard-hitting piece from Streetsblog. We were connected on LinkedIn. Even though I didn’t know him, the author of the piece wrote a whole paragraph about our “connection” and made incorrect assumptions. Suddenly, Heritage was implicated in the story and I was embarrassed. Fortunately, the author of the blog post removed the reference to me when I complained.
The same scenario could play out on Facebook in the same way. In fact, earlier this year when Ithaca College alumnae Brooke Hundley made headlines for her affair with ESPN analyst Steve Phillips, the first thing I did was check our mutual friends on Facebook. The former dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications was listed as a friend. So, too, was a student I mentored last year. People are curious about these things — and that curiosity could create headaches.
Facebook Diet
Facebook is still evolving and I’m still figuring it out. It was only a few months ago that I separated my Twitter updates from Facebook. They’re not one in the same and shouldn’t be treated that way. Now when I see friends automatically post their Twitter updates to Facebook, I hide their status updates from my news feed. Sorry, not interested. I’m probably already seeing the same thing on TweetDeck.
David All, a modern grassroots communications consultant, wrote yesterday he was “going on a Facebook Friend diet for 2010. My goal is to be under 1,500 by July 4th.” I don’t have any such goal and I’m not sure I’ll make a mass purge (except for those who post flair on my wall). David has a good point, though, and I’m glad I’m not alone in my quest to reclaim my Facebook page for a more meaningful use with real friends, colleagues and associates.
The way I see it, Facebook isn’t going away, so I might as well figure out how to make it more valuable. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but I’m looking forward to a more well-connected group of people whose relationships I value more than the number of mutual friends we have.
UPDATE — Feb. 23, 10 a.m.: The former Department of Defense employee who was the subject of the Streetsblog piece notified me that the blog post has been removed due to inaccuracies. As a result, I’ve removed his name from this blog post as well.
Originally posted on RobertBluey.com
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.
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. (more…)
When Ed Feulner took the helm of The Heritage Foundation more than 30 years ago, one of his principal objectives was getting policy information to Congress quickly. Other think tanks in Washington produced very good research, but more often than not it arrived too late to make a difference.
Staffers searching for policy solutions still turn to Washington’s think tanks for answers. But unlike 30 years ago, there are more voices and countless new ways (such as video) to educate lawmakers. The 24-hour news cycle can also quickly shift a congressional debate over legislation. Failure to respond in a timely fashion can leave you in the dust. (more…)
When I graduated from journalism school, I never envisioned being the editor of a think tank’s website. For nearly the past year, though, I’ve been overseeing Heritage.org. The experience has been interesting and educational — similar in some respects to running a news website and also challenging in its own unique ways.
My first few posts at K Street Café this week will examine the various ways think tanks can spread their message more effectively online.
I’d like to start at the top — literally. Writing a good headline or title can make a huge difference in the number of eyeballs on your research. (more…)
