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The Second Cup: Bada Bing

Meghann Parlett — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:49:33 +0000

Bing Now Bigger than Digg, CNN and Twitter

With the headlines that Microsoft’s new search engine Bing has been grabbing, it’s easy to forget that it only went live about a month ago. Since its launch at the beginning of June, it has given Google pause and even had its own web infomercial.

But none of that matters if Bing doesn’t grow and find a way to compete with Google. So after a month, where are we? We knew that Bing was growing, but the numbers being released tonight tell a tale of success, as Bing is now the 13th most visited site on the web.

Facebook Fan Pages: Embeddable Facebook Pages

Facebook continues to extend outside the walls of its social network. The latest: Facebook Fan Boxes, which lets Facebook Page admins embed the latest activity from their Page on their own website.

Google Drops a Nuclear Bomb on Microsoft. And it's Made of Chrome

Wow. So you know all those whispers about a Google desktop operating system that never seem to go away? You thought they might with the launch of Android, Google’s mobile OS. But they persisted. And for good reason, because it’s real.

In the second half of 2010, Google plans to launch the Google Chrome OS, an operating system designed from the ground up to run the Chrome web browser on netbooks. “It’s our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be,” Google writes tonight on its blog.

The Second Cup: Stunning Stats

Meghann Parlett — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:51:27 +0000

Mashable Mind Map: What is the Future of Blogging

A little over five years ago, sites like Typepad (TypePad), Blogger (blogger) and WordPress (WordPress) dazzled by empowering anyone to instantaneously share his or her thoughts with the world; My how times change. Today, however, in a world where thousands of status updates and tweets whiz by our screens every hour, blogging arguably feels slow.

So is blogging dead? It depends on who you ask. After all, TMZ and Mashable (Mashable) are blogs and they’re doing quite well. However, it’s definitely time for a closer examination of the blog – where it sits today and where it’s going.

10 Stunning (& Useful) Stats About Twitter

Last month a social media analytics provider named Sysomos released a comprehensive report on Twitter usage. The problem with most analysis on Twitter, though, is that it is limited by the minimal amount of data that Twitter collects. So, to fill the gaps, most reports do things like guessing gender based on real names or pulling data from keywords in people's biographic information. This often yields some questionable results - and the Sysomos report is not immune to this (for example, they find that 65% of Twitter users are under the age of 25, but base this on only the 0.7% of users who actually disclose their age).

Looking past these small points, the report does share some fairly interesting observations and stats as well if you dig a bit deeper. Here's my read on the 10 standout conclusions that the report offers to help you (and your brand) better understand the potential uses of Twitter:

Online Activism Isn't Dead

The social and political impact of the Internet is growing at a rapid pace. After all of the successes credited to President Obama’s social media campaign network in last fall’s election, we still find ourselves at the earliest stages of development of the social layer of the Net. Still, some are quick to dismiss the activist power of the Internet and still are not convinced that this medium will continue to change the way the world organizes around issues.

Take a piece in today’s Washington Post by Monica Hesse, which commented on the “trendiness” of online activism and discounted these “click to join” groups as nothing more than numbers on a Facebook page. This completely misses the impact that social networks have had on increasing the awareness of many issues and building communities around these issues.

Via TechPresident

Blog Posts Are the New Press Releases

Jonathan Rick — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:23:48 +0000

The staple of public relations is the press release. It's been around forever; follows generally agreed guidelines for format, content, and length; and still succeeds in its objective to publicize the item in question.

And yet, bound by stale conventions that suffocate originality and don't play well with multimedia, the press release has become obsolete. It's not that there's no longer a need to announce big news formally. It's that there's a better way to do it than drafting 400 words of boilerplate.

Indeed, as Claire Cain Miller reported in a much-discussed article last week, the pr agency representing Flickr never issued a release on its behalf—not even when Yahoo acquired the photo-sharing Web site. Similarly, when Google has exciting news to share, it does not use a wire service.

Rather, both companies self-publish blog posts. They do so, I suspect, not because blogs are hipper, but because they're more genuine, more personal, and more flexible than their old media counterparts. Instead of a flack ghostwriting quotes for a CEO, the individual(s) who managed the project can craft a first-person narrative recounting the project's past, present and future with pictures and videos and links. Then, as other bloggers pick up the post, "two days later, BusinessWeek calls,” as Donna Sokolsky Burke, of Spark PR, puts it.

When you visit Google's online "press center," the first thing listed is not press releases. It's blog posts. If you think this is accidental, think again.

The press release is dead. Long live the press release.

Steele recognizes 10,000 Pennies video guru with Grassroots Logic Award

David All — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:43:48 +0000

This morning I had the opportunity to attend a very special presentation at the headquarters of our Republican National Committee. Chairman Steele was personally on-hand to present the first-ever "Grassroots Logic Award" to 10,000 Pennies video guru Matthias Shapiro (@politicalmath).

In presenting the award, Chairman Steele said:

10,000 pennies demonstrates an effective use of new media. Breaks complicated issues down into simple, easy-to-understand format. And it has the ability to create a new environment for communication.

He continued:

From my perspective, as Chairman of a “Party that is broken,” this is one way to say you’re “full of you-know-what.”

Upon receiving the award, Matthias said:

Most people say “thanks for breaking this down, and making it simple.” It’s less an issue of making it simple and more an example of making it “real.” People get sizes, lengths, and scales. None of the numbers I’m using are controversial – they are out there. Important thing for me is to communicate these things visually and that’s what I’m trying to do.

Before the award presentation, I had a chance to speak with RNC New Media guru Todd Herman (@ToddEHerman) and Matthias for a short interview:

It's important that Chairman Steele brought Matthias to the RNC to demonstrate his commitment to the grassroots of our party. He has a long way to go -- and he knows that -- but he continues to make smart moves and it's important that our community recognize that.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Tweet

Jonathan Rick — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:50:38 +0000

According to TwitterCounter.com, I joined Twitter two years ago. Yet only recently did I join the Twittersphere.

Let me explain. For the most part, I Twittered halfheartedly and sporadically (usually when captive on the metro). For months, I didn’t know how to check replies—or even understand the concept of “re-Tweeting” (RT). I used only Twitter.com, rather than experimenting with any of the dozens of programs that inject Twitter with steroids. In sum, I viewed Twitter the same way I view picture taking: I’d rather be doing the things being Tweeted or photographed, i.e., living rather than recording.

What changed this attitude (which, please note, prevailed over my personal account but not those of clients)? The light bulb was a Tweet I stumbled upon by Web strategist Jeremiah Owyang. His advice: Tweet “what’s important to me” instead of “what am I doing.” This pearl caused me to rethink micro-blogging.

For instance, instead of carping that the Clarendon metro escalators are not working yet again, I Tweeted this possible story to a few local reporters. Instead of trying to break the news that Sarah Palin has resigned, why not opine on it (ideally, in your best Wonkette way)? Instead of flattery, pose a question about the evolution of the thing you admire. Swap definitions of “success.” Debate FCC regulations. Engage in reciprocal promotion.

It took me a while, but I think I've learned the right lesson: Twitter is best not as a running tally of random things that happen in the course of your day, but as a vehicle for dialogue, engagement, interaction. To put it another way, Twitter is the world's largest bar, and to gain the respect of strangers, you need first to respect the medium.

The Second Cup: Palin's Online Army?

Meghann Parlett — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:43:03 +0000

Online Ad Spending Rises at Double Digits --Gains Share Vs all other Media

Despite the global economic recession's drag on advertising budgets, the growth in online ad spending appears to be defying expectations, and is expanding at double-digit rates, according to the latest quarterly forecast from Publicis' ZenithOptimedia Group. The agency estimates that Internet ad spending will expand 10.1% in 2009, an increase of more than 1.5 percentage points over its last forecast in April.

Via @MindyFinn

Palin's Facebook Pals Soar

Sarah Palin's Facebook page gains 30,000 followers in the wake of her announcement that she is resigning the office of Governor of Alaska. (Chart [included].)

Palin's Online Army Unbowed by her Resignation

Among rank-and-file Republicans, there is simply no one quite like Palin on the Web. That was the case the moment Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) picked her as his running mate on the GOP presidential ticket, and Palin's Wikipedia article became the most viewed on the edit-it-yourself site for a whole month.

It was still the case once her resignation hit the blogosphere and social networking sites. Google searches for Palin have spiked to their highest levels since the election, Galen Panger, a Google spokesperson, told The Post.

The Second Cup: Make History this 4th of July

Meghann Parlett — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:14:30 +0000

Happy reading & Happy 4th of July weekend!

A Look at the GOP's Digital Future

Via TechRepublican, we have video of RNC new media director Todd
Herman's presentation at PdF '09 earlier this week. Herman's talk
certainly caught attention, but what was also fascinating was to take
in the reactions to it amongst the conference crowd. Our Andrew Rasiej
described the audience as falling about 80% on the left side of the
political spectrum and 20% on the right, but the more interesting split
might have been between the political and the technological. While
generalizing is generally a dumb thing to do, one impression take from
the contemporaneous Twitter stream was that some more tech-minded folks
applauded Herman's words about making transparency a "purple issue"
while the more political amongst the crowd tended towards skepticism of
the idea of a more open Republican Party.

A Growing Acceptance of Social Networking in the Workplace

A June survey released by Facetime, makers of a gateway appliance for
managing Web 2.0 applications, revealed the growing popularity of
social networking applications in the workplace. Out of 1199 survey
respondents, all IT professionals, there were more who felt that social
networks played an important role in the business world than those who
didn't. What's more, it appears that the IT folks are now seemingly
okay with providing access to these networks behind the firewall - even
for those who don't approve of their use!

Make History: Tweet the @WhiteHouse About Health Care and use the Hashtag #Handsoff

As you may know, President Barack Obama has been doing some
extraordinary things online to better communicate his message. And,
yes, I say that as a proud Republican.
Along with 126 Members of Congress and U.S. Senators, President Obama
has started Tweeting (@WhiteHouse). In fact, with a mere 247 updates,
the account has already grown rapidly to 550,253 Followers.

One of the issues the @WhiteHouse is Tweeting about is health care
reform so we thought we'd have a little bit of fun with it and propose
an experiment in online activism for an upcoming release of the next
Twitter @101Guide

140 Words or Less: Effective Online Video

Meghann Parlett — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:33:31 +0000

Earlier this week I sat down with Richard Sales, Video Producer at Autumn e-media, based out of Nevada, and had a candid conversation about what makes an effective online video. While Richard is a professional with tools and resources at his disposal to create high quality video, I asked him to answer my questions in a way that the novice would understand.

You probably recognize most of Richard's work. He was the producer of every one of the NRSC's web ads last cycle. According to Richard these are his biggest accomplishments while at the NRSC:

In 2008, the NRSC propelled far beyond the DSCC, the DCCC, and the NRCC as the #1 most subscribed YouTube channel among all Hill committees. The NRSC also beat the DNC, and was behind only John McCain, Barack Obama, and the RNC.

The NRSC's videos have been seen over 1 million times and have aired on every national news network (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, CBS), many local news networks, many newspaper websites like the New York Times and the Washington Post, and countless blogs, including Hot Air, Red State, Michelle Malkin, and RealClearPolitics.

On several occasions, the NRSC has beaten YouTube celebrities like Obama Girl, Oprah, and The Onion in video views in a day or week.

So, here in 140 words or less(ish) are Richard's responses to each of my questions.

How did you get your start in online video & multimedia?

For me, it was all about seizing the right opportunity.

In 2006, I was hired to do research for the Arizona Republican Party. I had no background in video production; I was a political science major in college. But one day, an opportunity rose to expose then-Governor Janet Napolitano for building a controversial memorial that seemed to blame America for 9/11. So I took it upon myself to open up Windows Movie Maker (as much as it pains me to admit that), and make a short Web ad. Next thing I knew, party officials were impressed enough to put it online. It was an instant success, earning media coverage in papers and even being aired on the radio.

Videos had nothing to do with my job, but I saw an opportunity to try something new and the rest is history.

What makes an online video effective/viral?

There is no one trick to making an online video viral. I have found that comedy, original music, spoofs of other viral videos, shock, and just downright visual impressiveness generate a lot of views.

There are also ways to NOT make a video go viral, including the sleazy "sexy thumbnail" trick on YouTube, where you insert one, split-second frame of an attractive woman right in the middle of your video's duration so that YouTube uses that frame as the thumbnail. Sure, you'll trick people into watching it, only to find out the video is not about attractive women at all. YouTube's algorithm for selecting thumbnails has since changed, but in principle, it is a still a bad idea.

The lesson? Be honest, be original, and be creative -- and the views will come.

What are the key components of a good video?

On the technical side, even if you don't have the best equipment, just light your subject well and provide him/her with decent sound (not too loud, not too soft).

But message matters, too. What defines a "good" video varies based on the goal(s) of that video. Some videos, like fundraising appeals, require a clear, convincing call-to-action. Other videos, like those that aim to inform, should have a concise, memorable message. No one wants to sit through a boring, 10-minute video that could otherwise be summarized in 60 seconds.

There is also an emotional element that is important. Humans, by nature, are emotional creatures. We respond more to matters of the heart than the complexities of facts and figures. Utilizing the right music and imagery is often more important than the information presented, such as this Obama campaign video:

What resources are available to activists who don't have much experience with online video/editing?

If you're just beginning, remember, I was just a political science grad with no prior editing experience. The world has changed. Barriers to entry are broken. It's easy to learn on your own and have access to affordable software.

I suggest purchasing video editing software like Adobe Premiere or Apple Final Cut Pro, and just start playing around with it. That's what I did. If you're strapped for cash, Apple iMovie and Windows Movie Maker come free with your Mac or PC, respectively.

And instead of just watching YouTube clips on your spare time, try really studying them. Check out the videos I mentioned before. Notice the little nuances that go into them -- how the music fits, when key visuals appear, what information is stressed versus what is not, and camera techniques, just to name a few.

What's the best video camera out there that meshes quality/affordability?

If you have a tight budget, but want good quality, I recommend buying the Sony HDR-SR11. For about $700, it not only gives you the ability to shoot in full HD, but control of a manual focus wheel. One of the noticeable differences between amateur-quality recordings and professional-quality recordings is the use of selective focusing. It is a lot more complicated than that, but the Sony HDR-SR11 is a good, cheap camera that helps bridge the gap between affordability and quality.

What's your favorite video that you've created? Why?

Um, wow, that's a tough one. Among over 200 ads, I'm sure I'm not thinking of some right now. They've ranged from the visually insane to the just plain silly.

But for now, let's go with "Freedom -- Narrated by Sen. Fred Thompson." Not only did I get to record the great Fred Thompson in the studio, but I was able to compose the music, which gave me a lot more creative control than just using stock music that wouldn't match the rises and falls of the ad's script. Plus, I'm a sucker for Americana and feel-good optimism.

BTW, looking back, I just love this line: "Barack Obama has proposed $800 billion in new spending so far in his presidential campaign -- and you can bet that there's more to come."

Yeah, we really low-balled that one.

What are your thoughts? In 140 words or less, what makes an online video effective?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments or if you would like your respond to be featured in our 140 Words or Less series don't hesitate to email me at mparlett.grassroots -AT- gmail.com.

The Second Cup: Fire Up Your Donors

Meghann Parlett — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:20:38 +0000

On Fundraising Widgets

Hi, Mister Campaign Fundraiser Technician?

Yes, you. I don’t care if you work in a campaign, or just sell your services to campaigns. I’m talking to you.

We at RedState.com do enjoy asking our readers to give money to candidates. When a good Republican needs help, we want to find that help. And one thing you guys have already figured out is that nifty website widgets draw attention and can fire up donors.

The Linguistics of ReTweets

I’ve done a bunch of research into the characteristics of ReTweets in an effort to understand what makes them viral. ReTweets are the first entirely observable and analyzable viral content spreading mechanism in the history of mankind and as such they offer an unparalleled window into what makes humans spread ideas.

Obama Puts Staff Salaries Online

The Obama administration on Wednesday publicly disclosed on the Internet its annual report to Congress on staff titles and salaries. Since 1995, the White House has been required to deliver such a document to Capitol Hill. Consistent with President Obama's commitment to transparency, his Web team posted the rundown as a PDF document and as a searchable table (powered by Socrata) as it was sent to lawmakers.

YouTube Increases File Size Limit to 2GB, Now allows Direct HD Embeds

While not every tweak to YouTube’s system deserves a post, this one is pretty significant, though very straightforward as well. First, the 1GB file limit for YouTube videos has been doubled to 2GB; this is a boon to many users who have been uploading high definition content more than a few minutes long. Ten minutes of 1080p footage can easily exceed a gig, especially if you’ve been editing it and weren’t careful about re-encoding. A 2GB limit should soothe that particular pain.

45 Days

Meghann Parlett — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:01:12 +0000

This past Friday, on a conference call with the RNC Digital Action Team, Todd Herman gave insight to a new RNC initiative to revamp its website & digital content.

Earlier today, I linked to this video at Bivings of Todd’s speech at Tuesday’s Personal Democracy Forum – in which Todd continued to expand on his vision for the RNC’s online team – including a re-launch of GOP.com in 45 days.

You don’t have to wait for the beta to launch in July.

The GOP.com rebuild starts with YOU.

If you have a creative video project already underway or in the works, the GOP wants to promote it – whether that be through linking to your respective blog/site and/or including a profile of the individual producer.

We’re not talking about video from hot shot DC insiders. Todd hopes that Republicans everywhere will produce creative video messages so that by example, the GOP will highlight:

Positive Declarations of Republicanism.

In doing so, really tap into the heart of the grassroots -- Picture individuals answering this question: How have Republican ideals affected your life?

The only stipulation is that the video cannot advocate for primary candidates.

Ultimately, there will be a place on GOP.com for upload capability so that the non-tapped political user can send in his/her own content.

Other things to look forward to at the RNC?

Email improvement
“Text is next, with more drama”

In the meantime, if you have a video project that you’d like to highlight or if you want to get involved with the Digital Action Team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Todd Herman at therman@rnchq.org.