VasGk | Κοινωνικό Νερό

A recent tweet from President Obama... stated : President Obama urges Congress to pass the infrastructure section of the American Jobs Act now. Listen live: http://wh.gov/live I have seen this in many tweets from politicians that have communications staffers operate their Social Media presence. This tweet is absolutely wrong! Barack Obama says: "President Obama urges Congress..." instead of writing "I urge Congress..." the copywriter wrote a tweet as if he/she is writing on their personal account. Clearly a big Social Media mistake.. P.S. IAB!

First of all I want to say that I don't believe in websites that debunk Internet rumor. As I said in a previous post Debunking smears on the Internet :  "When you make it an issue, it becomes an issue"  AttackWatch.com is a new website that seeks to put the record strait (according to the Obama campaign).  The Obama campaign also keeps FightTheSmears.com a website actually created for the 2008 campaign! The website is still online, along the new  AttackWatch.com . Both of them! Comes to prove that websites that re-produce smears and rumors, do just that: re-produce smears and rumors.  FightTheSmears.com is a 2008 Obama campaign tool, that still keeps the 2008 smears online! The Republicans instead of "Getting the record strait" they just serve "the facts" not the rumors; with the  StimulusSpotlightProject.com  The difference is that they do not re-produce the smears. The website offers bullet point "facts" that target on...

The Mitt Romney campaign has the message "Believe in America" beneath the Romney logo ( my opinion on the 2012 Romney logo ) but just beneath that, it has a Donate button. In doing so the message becomes:  Romney - Believe in America - Donate So, Romney believes in America, you should too.. oh, and donate to the campaign..  I know that that this might be considered a detail, however, when you look at it, it looks like the message is with the word " donate ".  Anyway, I just wanted to bring this to your attention in order to point out that: The way you create an email newsletter can be proven to be crucial in changing or shaping your message.

In a recent email to supporters, the UK Conservative Party asks people to become full members of the party in order to help shape party policies, attend party Conferences and select the Party's candidates. Also worth mentioning.. members get a free Membership card. That's all good, but then the email also offers a £40 wine voucher if you register now! WTF? As an added bonus, new Members will also get £40 off at Naked Wines . After joining online, you'll be directed to the Naked Wines website - where you'll get £40 off any case of wine worth £59.99 or more. (You must be 18 years old to take advantage. Terms and conditions apply More info about the free wine at the Conservative website here .  I believe this offer from the UK conservatives is hilarious!  There are so many ways to rip on this move! But as they say in their email (after ordering the free wine):  join today and help shape the future of your Party and your country .  I wonder if the deci...

David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to the President, in a recent email said: We're about to change the way Americans engage with President Obama and his Administration by launching a new way for you to join with fellow Americans to petition the federal government on a range of issues. We the People  is a new e-goverment solution from the Whitehouse in order to engage with people online. I hope this is not just another 2012 campaign tool...   Although the Whitehouse is not the first administration to launch this sort of opengov initiative, it is always good to give people new ways to interact with Government.  Another initiative like "We the People", that I clearly remember, is from number 10 in the UK. I remember this e-Petition being in place even from the previous labour administration of Tony Blair.  The UK version also states that: You can create an e-petition about anything that the government is responsible for and if it gets at least 100,000 si...

I always try to find new ways to talk and engage with people on twitter. Although I maintain what I consider to be a very modest account ; I know I need to put more time and effort in my personal tweeting. At the moment, I mostly tweet through the corporate accounts I manage. In a Blog post back in 2009.. " Twitter as a public SMS pool " I wrote that: "I think twitter as being, not just a mini-blogging platform, but an open SMS pool" Through twitter, you have the opportunity to create context between relationships and interact with people.  An excellent recent example comes from the account of Kevin Spacey . One of Kevin's fans, Danielle Luttrell , tweeted: "I had a dream that @KevinSpacey called me to say happy birthday. I cried. #biggestfan" to which Kevin Spacey replied " @DanielleLutt how about a tweet? Happy bday! " I find this amazing! A Hollywood star like Kevin Spacey with over 2million followers on twitter repl...

A Great initiative from the World Trade Organization! Maybe not so creative, since the  World Economic Forum  has been running Video Contests for the last Davos meetings, but still a great move from an organization that is one of the most important ones, globally. The video entry must be related to the WTO Public Forum's overall theme " Seeking Answers to Global trade Challenges ", and/or to any of the main topics that will be addressed at this year's forum. I might be entering the contest myself; it would be a great opportunity to go back to Geneva! I remember attending the WTO Public Forum in the past, and I must say that is definitely one of the most interesting fora. Also, given that WTO has started to have an active presence in Social Media, it would be rather interesting to see how people and the WTO will start interacting in this public forum. Maybe the WTO has a lot to learn from Davos in terms of Social Media engagement... however I know that is ha...

It's good to see that the GOP is engaging with the Obama twitter townhall #AskObama . Something that they didn't do during the Obama facebook townhall. In my post " President's facebook townhall & creative online campaign tactics " I wrote: I expect to see more smart and creative online campaign tactics; hopefully the 2012 campaigns will use more creative thinking in the coming months. Reince Priebus send out a tweet , the GOP ReTweeted and posted an update to the GOP facebook page . One short comment: it doesn't matter if it's facebook, twitter or any other Social Network. Internet communications technologies are used by people at the same time. So, why not let facebook people take part in a twitter townhall? The Obama facebook page does not ask supporters for twitter questions; the GOP asked facebook a twitter question!

Email newsletters can be considered to be the first direct to citizen tool of online political communications, before social media or other engaging technologies.  The Obama 2012 campaign is using a style of email communication that started in the 2008 campaign. People in our days are so overwhelmed by email, because everyone is getting so many newsletters that clutter their inbox with advertisements, offers, promotional messages and, in this case, emails from the 2012 campaigns. So, how can you make your political campaign email stand out? What the Obama campaign understands is that you don't need fancy graphics, banner ads, or digital signatures. The above email was "sent out" by the President with "(no subject)" in the title of the email. It has no banners, no photos, no videos embedded. Just like an email you would receive from a friend. Simple, Short, Single-Issued. (SSS) (Hey! I created an acronym...) You would except that each and every email that c...

Καθημερινά σταματώ στο Μετρό του Συντάγματος, έπειτα περνώ από την Αμαλίας, (όπου υπάρχει φανάρι εν λειτουργία για τους πεζούς) και μετά προσπαθώ να περάσω από την διάβαση Βασ. Σοφίας - Πανεπιστημίου. Στη συγκεκριμένη διάβαση υπάρχει φανάρι, αν και δεν το έχω δει ποτέ να είναι πράσινο για τους πεζούς. Η διάβαση Βασ. Σοφίας - Αμαλίας Μιας και το πλήθος των ανθρώπων που θέλουν να περάσουν από και προς την Βασ. Σοφίας είναι τόσο μεγάλο (και το πεζούλι επί της Βασ. Σοφίας τόσο μικρό), ο κόσμος περιμένει να μποτιλιαριστεί η κίνηση των αυτοκινήτων έτσι ώστε να περάσει ανάμεσα τους ή κάθετε καρτερικά μέχρι να σταματήσουν να έρχονται αυτοκίνητα και μηχανές.  Υπάρχουν όμως και κάποιοι οι οποίοι ακολουθούν μία άλλη στάση.  Ενώ έρχονται τα αυτοκίνητα (τα οποία οφείλουν να σταματούν σε διάβαση πεζών!) κατεβαίνουν από το πεζούλι του πεζοδρομίου, ανακάμπτοντας την ροή της κίνησης, και κάνουν μια αρχή. Τα αυτοκίνητα σταματούν, και έπειτα όλοι οι πεζοί ακολουθούν αυτόν ή αυτήν που έκανε ...

Having watched Anthony Weiner admitting sending out an explicit, private, photo to one of his twitter followers I was really amazed that he didn't conclude with resigning from his seat. But what can we learn from the social media strategy of Anthony Weiner? Well, first of all don't send out private, or explicit, photos to your twitter followers/ facebook supporters a.k.a. your constituents/voters... But kidding aside, if Anthony Weiner didn't send out photos, or had intimate cyber relations with women online, his social media strategy would be excellent! A politician that uses Social Media on his own, without having a staffer doing all the work, and actually connecting with followers and supporters actively, is a great example of Political Social Media communications. Social Media engagement should be done by the politician, without any other people interfering. In Anthony Weiner's case, it just got too personal, and then it really went wrong. During the past day...

Sarah Palin concludes her latest facebook note with "November 2012 can’t come soon enough." , while Obama promotes a Strategy update video on: "What We're Building This Summer" . When you compare these two facebook messages one can understand that Obama is building on an ongoing campaign with volunteering initiatives and grassroots organizing; while Palin is asking: "Should we be borrowing money from China to turn around and give it to the Muslim Brotherhood?". This is the time to start organizing to campaign for 2012; not the time to engage in creative political rhetoric or 2012 debate talking points.  Here you can watch battleground States Director Mitch Stewart reporting on the nuts and bolts of what volunteers are building, for Barack Obama 2012.

Having watched the President's speech on American Diplomacy in the Middle East & North Africa I have to say that I agree with the majority of the arguments raised. Once again, President Obama has mentioned the important role that the Internet and Social Media have played in shaping change in the Middle East and North Africa: Cell phones and social networks allow young people to connect and organize like never before. And so a new generation has emerged. And their voices tell us that change cannot be denied. Satellite television and the Internet provide a window into the wider world We will support open access to the Internet, and the right of journalists to be heard -– whether it’s a big news organization or a lone blogger. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also mentioned in her Remarks on the Release of President Obama Administration's International Strategy for Cyberspace: we seek to maximize the internet’s tremendous capacity to acceler...

After some days since my last Blog post, I wanted to write something today since there is yet another media strike in Greece. I remembered writing " A country with no Mass Media Communications (for 4 days) " just over a month ago. Well today is happening again but this time just for one day. Again most people that want to get informed are turning to twitter Blogs and News Portals that don't participate in the strike. The News are not on strike, just some journalists that report or comment on them. People that want to get informed are keeping informed. Mass media communications have given way to social interactions (New Media).

I really want to commend Benjamin Netanyahu on his initiative to engage with people online. It is truly remarkable that a head of state is coming out openly and accepting questions from a global audience! The office of the Israeli PM states that: This will be a unique project since Prime Minister Netanyahu will be the first head of government to be in continuous contact will (with) websurfers, and will not suffice with isolated interviews only. ( small misprint there ) I have previously blogged on Israeli politics and social media, and the overall theme is that is clear, straightforward and open. Just like social media needs to be; especially when dealing with global political communications, or international political leaders being active in New Media. It's about being clear, honest and fully transparent. I am planning to address a question Benjamin Netanyahu soon, and hopefully he will respond. On a last note, I want to suggest a bit of housekeeping. ...

According to Bill Maher the logo of the Mitt Romney campaign for 2012 looks like a toothpaste ad; and yes funny enough it does. My assessment on the logo is different. When you look at it, it clearly represents the number 2. Most noticeably the middle white number 2, but also the left red and the right blue. Isn't it obvious? Any respectable logo designer or copywriter will tell you so! Now, you don't put the number 2 on the logo of someone aiming for the office of the President of the United States.  Is it just a bad logo design? Here you can watch the Mitt Romney "Believe in America" Video:

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, came out with a video on April 15th in asking people to send YouTube videos and tell the GOP why they "Can't Afford 4 More Years". The winning submission will receive a $100 gift certificate to the GOPStore.com and could be showcased in the GOP.com website. My first comment is that this contest seems outdated. Yet another example of a safe political communications strategy in trying to copy-paste tried ideas. This has already been done before, it's not innovative or cool anymore, and by the looks of it, with 3,355 views of the Reince Priebus video in 6 days, the Video contest is not going to be a success. It all seems really amateur in setting up a YouTube contest. But worry not, I am sure the GOP online communications team is only just beginning, that's right, Reince Priebus also opened a facebook page ; I bet this comes really handy in getting the video contest " viral ". I don...

So, Tim Pawlenty tweeted before the President's facebook townhall: Have a tough question for @BarackObama 's Facebook townhall today, submit questions that are unlikely to be answered here When I saw this I thought that it would link to the facebook live page so that people would actually ask the President all the " questions that are unlikely to be answered " but no... it linked to a page at the T-Paw website with a condescending photo of Obama asking people to: "Use the form below to let us know what questions need to be addressed but won't be asked at tomorrow's campaign event." This is so wrong in terms of new media communications in Politics! If T-Paw actually directed people to the facebook live page it could have been a really great tactical move to actually get his followers to ask the questions that " need to be addressed " at the actual event that they could have been addressed! It could have been a really smart move by T-P...

In the age of 24 hour Blogging and Social Media, debunking a smear can be proven to be a near impossible task. You can address or "put the record strait", however you cannot make the smear disappear. When you make it an issue, it becomes an issue. Back in June of 2008, Barack Obama, launched http://www.fightthesmears.com/ a website to report, explain and debunk smears concerning Obama. At the time I wrote : It is a move that has got mainstream media publicity and a great tool to defend against Internet rumors becoming campaign issues. Lately, I came across http://www.icorrect.com/ which is something like http://www.fightthesmears.com/ for celebrities and people in the public domain. However,  Smears exist not because the truth is not available! You can watch a very interesting interview of the founder of http://www.icorrect.com/ on the Colbert Report here: This time around, and with the 2012 campaign coming up, it is still very difficult to once and ...

When I updated the Organizing for America app in the iPhone, it transformed to the 2012 election app. It is a pretty straightforward app, with news, multimedia, local events and a donation button (although you have to leave the app to make an actual donation). Using the app, I came across the local events function, I found it really interesting when the app stated that: "Obama" Would like to Use your Current Location . Maybe the choice of words isn't the best, I think that "Organizing for America" Would like to Use your Current Location is the correct phrasing; but I might be wrong. Currently I am in Athens, Greece; but this iPhone app does not offer me any events in my local area, although there are programmed events . I know that http://www.democratsabroad.org/ are really active in Europe, they have "Country Groups" which organize, promote events , register voters, and encourage U.S. citizens to vote early and post their votes. Maybe it's s...

From the 7th to the 10th of April the Greek mainstream Media is on strike. This means that almost all journalists, reporters, technical staff and other people involved in the production and presentation of the news are not at their desks. Greek Journalists on Strike It's the first time, since I remember, that the Media strike lasts for longer than a day. When I first heard of the strike, I remembered writing this post back in June of 2010, explaining why the Greek Media is at a crucial point. " Greek media crisis ". Nothing much has changed since that post. The situation in the Greek Media is going from dire to ridiculous. Most of the traditional Greek Media do not want to know what is happening online.  An explosion of News Blogs, and News Portals, that are independently owned, are not taking part in the strike. Not to mention that some people get their news from twitter and facebook. Many Greek News Blogs keep posting updates, and most of the people I talked to ar...

Shimon Peres & Benjamin Netanyahu, in two different occasions, talked about the role of the Internet in the recent events throughout the Middle East. Peres at a Chatham House Conference: Sixty Years of British-Israeli Diplomatic Relations (30 March 2011), and Netanyahu in a recent YouTube interview (31 March 2011). Both messages carry the same principles. Peres said: It's actually a revolt without organizers. Nobody knows who organized it. It arrived from an unknown combination of sentiments and knowledge introduced to the younger generation by modern communication, the internet, smartphones, Facebook. For the first time, young people in the Arab world could have seen with their own eyes the ugly face of dictatorship, of corruption, of want. And they could have compared their lot with the lot of other young people in the world. And ask themselves why they're not here. And actually, it is really a revolt, unorganized, spontaneous, against autocracy, against oppressi...

It has been some time since my last Blog Post, I have many excuses for that, mainly work, work and more work. (No thoughts in trying to write something about that...) I just wanted to belatedly mention a great event at the White House, on the 25th, honoring the Greek Independence day . I must say that watching and reading on how the Greeks abroad have celebrated this day, it is quite remarkable how the overseas communities have embraced their heritage and common history in remembering their home country, whilst being active in their own communities around the world. Also, I deeply appreciate the message from Archbishop Demetrios in his remarks along President Obama . You can watch the complete event here: The President speaks at a reception honoring Greek Independence Day at the White House. March 25, 2011.

I thought I received an email from the GOP; but no, it was from Melody Barnes and the White House. Melody Barnes is the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, she works as an advisor in Washington DC. In the email she states: The state of the American education system today is unacceptable. (...) For the sake of the next generation, and America's economic future, this has to change. It is unbelievable that a senior White House advisor is using a 2008 talking point. This is what Obama was talking about in the race for the Presidency. It was all about "Change we can believe in", "Vote for Change" and more... How is it that change rhetorics are still in use by the White House, is it a sign that change will be the main theme in 2012? After two years in the White House, the Obama administration states that "Something Must Change". So, what happened during the past years? nothing changed? I think that the 2012 Obama campaign needs to change the creat...

First of all, I want you to look at the print-screen below. It's when Gaddafi delivered his first speech after the clashes started in Libya. At the same time, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, made a statement and the BBC carried the two pictures side by side. Can you see the differences? Clearly there is a stark difference! the man on the left is wearing a suit and making a point; while the man on the right is wearing a brown robe with a turban; plus he is reading a green book. Now, to any person that has watched cartoons is fairly simple to decide who he/she is going to trust. You can clearly identify the bad person in the picture. But is it really so simple? Obviously not. In the video below you can watch Gaddafi in a recent interview with the BBC. Watch how he smirks when the interpreter finishes his question. A BBC report on the ground finds people that support Gaddafi and are loyal to the regime. Gaddafi is known for his outlandish statements and ch...

I've been following what is happening in Libya these days, and I am not sure why this uprising has not been hailed as a Social Media or "facebook revolution". Although this sort of tagging is mostly planted by mainstream media, I am sure that in the aftermath of the middle-east happenings there will be a lot of analysis and even research on how the Internet played a part. In one of my past posts, I wrote on " The Internet and Social Media in #Egypt, how It really matters ". Saif al-Islam Gaddafi , the son of Muammar al-Gaddafi , on a recent speech to the Libyan people (February 20th) referred to some people that want to drag Libya into: "what happened in Tunisia and in Egypt and it started by facebook, emails and twitter and in their media campaign". In an article " Libyan dictator warns against use of Facebook " Emil Protalinski confirms what Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said. So, not only citizens know how Social Media impact t...

In my Last Blog post " Papandreou talks about the role of Social Media in Government " I promised to write on how New and Social Media impact public diplomacy. I have been rather busy lately (haven't Blogged as much as I would like), however, in this post I want to draw your attention to a recent Facebook DC Live Event: Social Media and the World Stage , which was hosted by Facebook Washington DC. In this Video Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Senior Innovation Adviser Alec Ross and Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Baer talk about how people around the world have been empowered by social media. Watch live streaming video from facebookdclive at livestream.com I remembered Eric Schwartzman saying that there are no secrets any more, only information, that is not yet known. So, in the age of the Internet, do you believe that the " Chatham House Rule " can be applied in New and Social Public Diplomacy? Also, let me draw you attention ...

In a recent speech to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Athens, the Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou referenced Social and New Media and their role in Government. You can watch what Papandreou said here: Some excellent points there. I also recommend watching the speech in its entirety; a starting point in understanding Greece in current affairs. P.S. I write this post, having Blogged on " The Internet and Social Media in #Egypt, how It really matters ". There is so many information, great examples and ideas that I want to share, on how Social and New Media can play a role in not only public communications, but innovative governance and public diplomacy; I promise to write an extensive post in the near future.