Author: John Ayers

#Social #Media and #Barack #Obama Dot Com. Are You In?

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
I generally stay away from two things in large scale conversation. Religion and Politics.

Meaning I only have these discussions usually just with people who I know quite well and our differences in opinion on the subject matter doesn’t jeopardize the relationship or friendship we have.

But with the recent visit from President Obama to Facebook and then to Los Angeles (where I am) I was intrigued to hear and see some of the dialogue, so much so that while on-line… I clicked from one site to another and ended up at BarackObama.com… which simply asked one question.

ARE YOU IN?

Screen_shot_2011-04-22_at_8

Without getting into my personal political leanings, or who I voted for in the past 20 years or who I will vote for in the next… I asked myself… well AM I IN?

Couple things came to  mind.
What if I’m not?
Who else is “IN”?
If I say I’m in… have I just committed to something that I wish I wouldn’t have.
The questions continued… and I exited the site.
You can opt to click thru by simply hitting the small italic type underneath that reads “Continue to the website…

But see our on-line experience is more that a web-site.
It was a web-site 3-4 years ago perhaps when the 2008 Presidential campaign was taking place.
But our User Experience expectations, our on-line appetite and internet savvy has evolved.

Mr Obama was the first Presidential candidate to utilize social media… really the first one who had access to it to the degree that it became available and it appears he is going after a social media run for pres in 2012 in a similar fassion.

But is this entrance into the site… working? Is it inviting? Is it what he should be asking? Is it a turn-off?
If the country were humming along with record low unemployment.
With honest Wall Street back on track and some who were serving time for wrong doings.
With gas prices at a reasonable place.
With the educational system on a solid trajectory.
With the conflict we’ve been involved with coming to some conclusions.
With Washington insiders that are no-longer insiders on both the left and right.

If all of this were better than the American people believe it to be currently…

Well then maybe “ARE YOU IN?” would be a good question to ask.  Yes, you might be “IN” then – perhaps most would say they are “IN”.

But I was watching CNN and they cited a recent NY Times CBS Poll and what it indicated… hmm the stats don’t look good… and the use of social media in his 2008 run, though very successful, may not work going forward. START AT PAGE 12 “President Obama and the Economy” and you may thing that the BarackObama.com site may want to re-think their home page.

For me, I am kinda bitter about politicians on both sides of the aisle… so I’ll just recommend the UX consideration.
Cheers,
John

#Social #Media and #Barack #Obama Dot Com. Are You In?

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment

I generally stay away from two things in large scale conversation. Religion and Politics.

Meaning I only have these discussions usually just with people who I know quite well and our differences in opinion on the subject matter doesn’t jeopardize the relationship or friendship we have.

But with the recent visit from President Obama to Facebook and then to Los Angeles (where I am) I was intrigued to hear and see some of the dialogue, so much so that while on-line… I clicked from one site to another and ended up at BarackObama.com… which simply asked one question.

ARE YOU IN?

Screen_shot_2011-04-22_at_8

Without getting into my personal political leanings, or who I voted for in the past 20 years or who I will vote for in the next… I asked myself… well AM I IN?

Couple things came to  mind.
What if I’m not?
Who else is “IN”?
If I say I’m in… have I just committed to something that I wish I wouldn’t have.
The questions continued… and I exited the site.
You can opt to click thru by simply hitting the small italic type underneath that reads “Continue to the website…

But see our on-line experience is more that a web-site.
It was a web-site 3-4 years ago perhaps when the 2008 Presidential campaign was taking place.
But our User Experience expectations, our on-line appetite and internet savvy has evolved.

Mr Obama was the first Presidential candidate to utilize social media… really the first one who had access to it to the degree that it became available and it appears he is going after a social media run for pres in 2012 in a similar fassion.

But is this entrance into the site… working? Is it inviting? Is it what he should be asking? Is it a turn-off?
If the country were humming along with record low unemployment.
With honest Wall Street back on track and some who were serving time for wrong doings.
With gas prices at a reasonable place.
With the educational system on a solid trajectory.
With the conflict we’ve been involved with coming to some conclusions.
With Washington insiders that are no-longer insiders on both the left and right.

If all of this were better than the American people believe it to be currently…

Well then maybe “ARE YOU IN?” would be a good question to ask.  Yes, you might be “IN” then – perhaps most would say they are “IN”.

But I was watching CNN and they cited a recent NY Times CBS Poll and what it indicated… hmm the stats don’t look good… and the use of social media in his 2008 run, though very successful, may not work going forward. START AT PAGE 12 “President Obama and the Economy” and you may thing that the BarackObama.com site may want to re-think their home page.

For me, I am kinda bitter about politicians on both sides of the aisle… so I’ll just recommend the UX consideration.
Cheers,
John

Has #social #media found its true potential in the uprising of countries as we are witnessing in #egypt ?

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
When Twitter co-founders @ev  and  @BIZ developed the 140 character communication, did they or anyone else for that matter – have any sense that it could be a critical tool for those looking to reach out to the world for peace?

Did Facebook founder Matt Z know what his dorm-room idea may be in the realm of the historic global issues unfolding before us?

Social media as powerful as it is in business and commerce – is nothing compared to the sharing of information that is happening.

The gravity that comes with the communication occurring via youtube, twitter, facebook, blogs, and internet news sources is powerful to say the least.

When a mobile phone held by a supporter of a movement can report from their personal perspective, and their image, or ‘voice’ is multiplied many times over, across the globe, it is revolutionary on many levels.

To the degree that communication was shut down… and has become part of the story.

Social media in some ways is leading the story, not by bringing the origin of the thought or emotion, but by spreading those thoughts and emotions. And by its very nature, it is social, it is media, it is real time and it is global.

Has social media made it easier or more difficult for some organizations to help?
Will governments around the globe utilize social media tools in the communications?
Will further unrest build because of the communication flow occurring?
and will there be new tools developed because of the events we are witnessing?

One thing is for certain, social media or the tools that have become synonymous with it has roared onto the western landscape and is making its way across the globe in these very tense times.

I am a strong believer of shared information, and the activists who are putting their lives on the line are changing the way communication, political policy, internet use, news cycles and life itself is unfolding. And in the process are finding a voice they may never otherwise had and are changing the course of history.

Has #social #media found its true potential in the uprising of countries as we are witnessing in #egypt ?

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
When Twitter co-founders @ev  and  @BIZ developed the 140 character communication, did they or anyone else for that matter – have any sense that it could be a critical tool for those looking to reach out to the world for peace?

Did Facebook founder Matt Z know what his dorm-room idea may be in the realm of the historic global issues unfolding before us?

Social media as powerful as it is in business and commerce – is nothing compared to the sharing of information that is happening.

The gravity that comes with the communication occurring via youtube, twitter, facebook, blogs, and internet news sources is powerful to say the least.

When a mobile phone held by a supporter of a movement can report from their personal perspective, and their image, or ‘voice’ is multiplied many times over, across the globe, it is revolutionary on many levels.

To the degree that communication was shut down… and has become part of the story.

Social media in some ways is leading the story, not by bringing the origin of the thought or emotion, but by spreading those thoughts and emotions. And by its very nature, it is social, it is media, it is real time and it is global.

Has social media made it easier or more difficult for some organizations to help?
Will governments around the globe utilize social media tools in the communications?
Will further unrest build because of the communication flow occurring?
and will there be new tools developed because of the events we are witnessing?

One thing is for certain, social media or the tools that have become synonymous with it has roared onto the western landscape and is making its way across the globe in these very tense times.

I am a strong believer of shared information, and the activists who are putting their lives on the line are changing the way communication, political policy, internet use, news cycles and life itself is unfolding. And in the process are finding a voice they may never otherwise had and are changing the course of history.