Barackbook.com is a parody of the popular social networking site facebook.com and an all-out attack against Barack Obama by the Republican Party. The website, which was launched on July 29, 2008 highlights Barack’s past and present associations with people and groups of questionable integrity. For instance, the site points out that Detroit mayor and superdelegate Kwame Kilpatrick endorsed the presidential hopeful; and is now facing perjury and other felony charges as a result of a scandal involving an affair with his former chief of staff. The site also includes articles, video clips and commercials that are part of John McCain’s advertising campaign to reinforce the idea that Obama is unequipped to lead the nation. The obvious goal of barackbook.com is to tarnish the reputation and credibility of Barack Obama, thereby strengthening John McCain’s bid for the presidency.
Barackbook is a very clean website, with Barack’s friend feed list being the most prominent feature on the homepage. The name’s of Obama’s friends are hyperlinked, taking visitors to a page where under a “Who am I” heading, readers can review headlines about the organizations’ or person’s questionable activities. Other sections of this page include “Facts about Me and Barack,” “My Donations and Bundling for Barack,” and “What Barack Says About Me.” There are also hyperlinks to full text articles and op-eds that provide more information on whatever the negative deed is that Obama’s “acquaintance” is responsible for.
Barackbook.com provides information - albeit inconsequential, for anyone looking for dirt on Barack Obama. It appears that the target audience for the website is anyone who is familiar with facebook.com and is interested in learning about Barack’s connections with people who lack some degree of integrity. The site would not appeal to informed voters who know and understand the real issues of this campaign. The only value Barackbook.com would have for its Republican visitors is a good chuckle.
The website offers users the option to add barackbook as an application on their real facebook profiles. Barackbook provides links that allow visitors to donate to the Republican National Committee, create an online account with the organization, sign up for mobile updates and share the webpage with others. The site does not provide users with an opportunity to leave comments or join groups. According to politico.com, barackbook once had a discussion feature, but was inundated with comments from Obama supporters. The site helps to strengthen the Republican Party’s online presence. The party has been viewed as behind the technology curve in comparison to Barack Obama and his aggressive and successful online initiatives. The Republican Party clearly put a lot of thought into barackbook and keeps the website current, even offering visitors to sign up to have updates sent to their mobile phones.
Although the site is not listed in Google’s top 30 with Barack Obama or Republican Party keyword searches, barackbook has received press from traditional media. The Republican Party is receiving mixed, but mostly positive reviews for this online advocacy effort. The group is receiving nods for its creativity in the development of barackbook, although some Republican bloggers have commented that they find the site insulting to young Republicans due to its attempt to use the facebook simulated platform to relate to voters. The Huffington Post calls the site just plain old “lame.”
A google search did not yield any evidence that Barack Obama’s camp has responded to barackbook.com. The senator’s official website www.barackobama.com has a page dedicated to debunking untruths and misconstrued statements, however there is no mention about any of the content found on barackbook.com. I am not a political strategist, but it just seems like plain old common sense to ignore barackbook.
Barackbook is a weak attempt to beat Obama at his own game. As one blogger accurately puts it, if the election was to be held today on facebook, Obama would win by a landslide. Mc Cain’s 200,000 friends would be no match for Obama’s 1.3 million friends on the social networking site. Chris Hughes, co-founder of facebook who is also the brains behind my.barackobama.com is probably flattered by the Republican Party’s version of his highly successful creation.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Podcasting Primer
Podcasting
Introduction
Podcasting is a means of distributing recurring audio content via the internet. Audio files are saved in a format that is readable by computers or other digital media device, and made available online for downloading. The word podcasting was derived from the terms “iPod” – Apple’s popular MP3 player and “broadcasting.”
Podcasts are another tool being used by the media, corporations and non-profit organizations to disseminate messages. Research has shown that about 29 percent of the 22 million people who own MP3 players have downloaded podcasts. The largest age group of podcast listeners are between the ages of 18 – 28.
Background
The three pioneers who made podcasting possible are Tristan Louis, David Winer and Adam Curry. In October 2000, Tristan Louis, a writer and entrepreneur proposed the idea of enhancing RSS technology, which originally only allowed for text feeds of Website content. Technologist David Winer developed a new component called an enclosure, which allowed multimedia files to be enclosed into feeds. Former MTV video jockey Adam Curry developed the software that allowed people to manage their podcast subscriptions. This software known as podcatchers provides listeners with the ability to transfer files to media player software.
Podcasts give listeners the liberty to listen to broadcasts at their convenience, instead of having to tune in to hear shows in real time. Podcasts are available in RSS (real simple syndication), which is technology that allows listeners to subscribe to broadcasts. RSS retrieves new podcast episodes when they are published and automatically delivers them to the subscriber. Other benefits of podcasting include fewer restrictions because content is distributed over the internet; and a low cost of production, which releases podcasters from pressure to secure funding from advertisers. This freedom allows for podcast content to be geared toward very specific audiences.
There are three main types of podcasts:
• Host-driven – the show’s host is the driving force of the broadcast
• Topic-driven – a show that is about a specific subject matter
• Actual radio shows – traditional radio broadcasts that are also available as podcasts
Role of the Innovation
Organizations are Using Podcast To:
1. Fuel the fire of enthusiasts: General Motor’s “Fastlane” podcast is all about vehicle production and auto racing
2. Build their image: Mc Donald’s promotes its quality and safety assurance initiatives by podcast
3. Provide services: the City of Philadelphia offers city tours
4. Academic purposes: Stanford University offers lectures via podcast; Duke University preloads orientation information on iPods for students
5. Promotions/marketing supplement: Hollywood has used podcasts to provide actor interviews and behind-the-scenes information to promote movies
6. To deliver religious messages: many churches offer sermons via podcasts
7. To offer customer support: Oracle provides the latest information about their products via podcast
Podcasting and Strategic Communication
As of April 2005, over 6 million American adults who have MP3 players have downloaded podcasts. Men and women have the same likelihood to listen podcasts; however males are more likely to own an iPod or MP3 player than females. The percentages of podcast listeners are about the same for both broadband and dial-up customers.
It is estimated that by 2010, 50 million people worldwide will be listening to podcasts. More and more, organizations are taking advantage of podcasting to support their internal communications, marketing, public relations, financial communications and customer relations efforts. Organizations must determine for themselves how a podcast may fit into their strategic communications goals.
Podcasting is a good way to carry uncomplicated messages to the right audience. The right audience could generically be described as an audience that has technological interest, access and know-how, as these three things are necessary to motivate potential listeners to seek-out and subscribe to podcast productions. Research shows that more than half of iPod and MP3 owners have downloaded podcasts.
Two-way communications is integral to public relations. Podcasts permit organizations to send controlled messages to target audiences. Podcasts do not however provide a platform for listeners to respond to broadcasts. In support of the two-way model of communications, podcasts could be hosted on a blog-site, giving listeners the ability to provide valuable feedback.
Podcasting is a good tool to strengthen the internal and external relationships of an organization. They could be used to help educate employees of new policies and procedures, or in team building initiatives. As it relates to external audiences, podcasts can help to feed the passion of enthusiasts, ensuring brand loyalty. Podcasts can also keep influencers informed of the intricacies of concepts or products, equipping them to serve as effective ambassadors to the organization.
The Future
Apple has applied for a patent for an application that would allow podcast listeners to customize broadcasts. With a backend delivery system, listeners could create custom files, pulling out only the portions of a podcast that they would like to hear. For example, a podcast could be created that includes ten minutes of world news from BBC and five minutes of sports information from ESPN.
For Further Information:
Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson, How to Do Everything with Podcasting (The McGraw-Hills Companies, 2007)
The Go to How To Pocasting (Barnes & Noble)
www.appleinsider.com
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/194/report_display.asp
Introduction
Podcasting is a means of distributing recurring audio content via the internet. Audio files are saved in a format that is readable by computers or other digital media device, and made available online for downloading. The word podcasting was derived from the terms “iPod” – Apple’s popular MP3 player and “broadcasting.”
Podcasts are another tool being used by the media, corporations and non-profit organizations to disseminate messages. Research has shown that about 29 percent of the 22 million people who own MP3 players have downloaded podcasts. The largest age group of podcast listeners are between the ages of 18 – 28.
Background
The three pioneers who made podcasting possible are Tristan Louis, David Winer and Adam Curry. In October 2000, Tristan Louis, a writer and entrepreneur proposed the idea of enhancing RSS technology, which originally only allowed for text feeds of Website content. Technologist David Winer developed a new component called an enclosure, which allowed multimedia files to be enclosed into feeds. Former MTV video jockey Adam Curry developed the software that allowed people to manage their podcast subscriptions. This software known as podcatchers provides listeners with the ability to transfer files to media player software.
Podcasts give listeners the liberty to listen to broadcasts at their convenience, instead of having to tune in to hear shows in real time. Podcasts are available in RSS (real simple syndication), which is technology that allows listeners to subscribe to broadcasts. RSS retrieves new podcast episodes when they are published and automatically delivers them to the subscriber. Other benefits of podcasting include fewer restrictions because content is distributed over the internet; and a low cost of production, which releases podcasters from pressure to secure funding from advertisers. This freedom allows for podcast content to be geared toward very specific audiences.
There are three main types of podcasts:
• Host-driven – the show’s host is the driving force of the broadcast
• Topic-driven – a show that is about a specific subject matter
• Actual radio shows – traditional radio broadcasts that are also available as podcasts
Role of the Innovation
Organizations are Using Podcast To:
1. Fuel the fire of enthusiasts: General Motor’s “Fastlane” podcast is all about vehicle production and auto racing
2. Build their image: Mc Donald’s promotes its quality and safety assurance initiatives by podcast
3. Provide services: the City of Philadelphia offers city tours
4. Academic purposes: Stanford University offers lectures via podcast; Duke University preloads orientation information on iPods for students
5. Promotions/marketing supplement: Hollywood has used podcasts to provide actor interviews and behind-the-scenes information to promote movies
6. To deliver religious messages: many churches offer sermons via podcasts
7. To offer customer support: Oracle provides the latest information about their products via podcast
Podcasting and Strategic Communication
As of April 2005, over 6 million American adults who have MP3 players have downloaded podcasts. Men and women have the same likelihood to listen podcasts; however males are more likely to own an iPod or MP3 player than females. The percentages of podcast listeners are about the same for both broadband and dial-up customers.
It is estimated that by 2010, 50 million people worldwide will be listening to podcasts. More and more, organizations are taking advantage of podcasting to support their internal communications, marketing, public relations, financial communications and customer relations efforts. Organizations must determine for themselves how a podcast may fit into their strategic communications goals.
Podcasting is a good way to carry uncomplicated messages to the right audience. The right audience could generically be described as an audience that has technological interest, access and know-how, as these three things are necessary to motivate potential listeners to seek-out and subscribe to podcast productions. Research shows that more than half of iPod and MP3 owners have downloaded podcasts.
Two-way communications is integral to public relations. Podcasts permit organizations to send controlled messages to target audiences. Podcasts do not however provide a platform for listeners to respond to broadcasts. In support of the two-way model of communications, podcasts could be hosted on a blog-site, giving listeners the ability to provide valuable feedback.
Podcasting is a good tool to strengthen the internal and external relationships of an organization. They could be used to help educate employees of new policies and procedures, or in team building initiatives. As it relates to external audiences, podcasts can help to feed the passion of enthusiasts, ensuring brand loyalty. Podcasts can also keep influencers informed of the intricacies of concepts or products, equipping them to serve as effective ambassadors to the organization.
The Future
Apple has applied for a patent for an application that would allow podcast listeners to customize broadcasts. With a backend delivery system, listeners could create custom files, pulling out only the portions of a podcast that they would like to hear. For example, a podcast could be created that includes ten minutes of world news from BBC and five minutes of sports information from ESPN.
For Further Information:
Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson, How to Do Everything with Podcasting (The McGraw-Hills Companies, 2007)
The Go to How To Pocasting (Barnes & Noble)
www.appleinsider.com
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/194/report_display.asp
Friday, August 15, 2008
Puttin' this Learnin' 2 Use
This week I assumed my position as a Sr. Communications Associate at IQ Solutions. IQ is a communications firm that specializes in health issues. I’ve been seeking the ideal professional environment for myself for two years now, and I can proudly say that I have finally found it. It may sound premature for me to come to such a conclusion, but when you know what’s right for you - you know.
IQ’s mission is to improve quality of life. What’s refreshing is that they don’t just talk it, they walk it. The firm believes strongly in work/life balance, offering flex schedules and telecommuting, encouraging the use of leave time and relieving employees from pressure to put in long hours. Other perks include tuition reimbursement, gym membership, on-site yoga during the work day and breakfast treats twice a week. I knew something was special about this firm when I visited their website in preparation for my interview and read that an employee gave their co-worker a kidney!
Having worked in largely autonomous roles for the past two years, I was eager to get back into a team environment. I suspect that I would have to conjure up some of what I learned about team dynamics from our management class as I get to know and interact with my colleagues.
Within my first week, more concepts from my graduate program surfaced than they had in months with other employers. We’ve discussed serving our client by employing six sigma efficiency theories and online marketing strategies - and I’m sure that’s just the tip of the iceberg of implementing the concepts that I’ve learned over the course of the past 11 months. Who knows, maybe I’ll even find someone who has read any of the three communications related books that I’ve read and had to write book reviews for so that I could exercise some of that cocktail party knowledge that we’ve been working on. ;-)
So, if anyone’s interested in coming to work at IQ, please tell them you were referred by me, cause I could certainly use the referral bonus.
Cohort 17: Only four more classes to go!! In the words of Steve Covey, “keep the end in mind!”
Signing off of PR Passion indefinitely,
Tiffany
Peace.
IQ’s mission is to improve quality of life. What’s refreshing is that they don’t just talk it, they walk it. The firm believes strongly in work/life balance, offering flex schedules and telecommuting, encouraging the use of leave time and relieving employees from pressure to put in long hours. Other perks include tuition reimbursement, gym membership, on-site yoga during the work day and breakfast treats twice a week. I knew something was special about this firm when I visited their website in preparation for my interview and read that an employee gave their co-worker a kidney!
Having worked in largely autonomous roles for the past two years, I was eager to get back into a team environment. I suspect that I would have to conjure up some of what I learned about team dynamics from our management class as I get to know and interact with my colleagues.
Within my first week, more concepts from my graduate program surfaced than they had in months with other employers. We’ve discussed serving our client by employing six sigma efficiency theories and online marketing strategies - and I’m sure that’s just the tip of the iceberg of implementing the concepts that I’ve learned over the course of the past 11 months. Who knows, maybe I’ll even find someone who has read any of the three communications related books that I’ve read and had to write book reviews for so that I could exercise some of that cocktail party knowledge that we’ve been working on. ;-)
So, if anyone’s interested in coming to work at IQ, please tell them you were referred by me, cause I could certainly use the referral bonus.
Cohort 17: Only four more classes to go!! In the words of Steve Covey, “keep the end in mind!”
Signing off of PR Passion indefinitely,
Tiffany
Peace.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
"Click on Democracy" Book Review
Click on Democracy
The Internet’s Power to Change Political Apathy into Civic Action
By: Steve Davis, Larry Elin and Grant Reeher
Recognizing that the Internet would influence the upcoming 2000 presidential elections, a dean at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications invited faculty and staff members to come together and research the Internet’s role in the upcoming election for the possibility of writing a book.
The group anticipated that the Internet would primarily be used to disseminate news and information, which would lead to a better-informed electorate and higher voter turnout at the polls. The group began their research by canvassing traditional media Websites and political candidates’ sites. This approach did not prove promising as big media companies scaled back their online initiatives and small media outlets began to fold. The researchers also found that political party and candidate Websites were often not up-to-date with information. Just when the group began to think that there was no real story, they had an eureka moment and focused their efforts on exploring online political communities.
“Click on Democracy” is a 262-page book that discusses how the Internet helped to reconnect people and provide a platform for communication, even without the guidance and help of the media and political organizations. The book cites Robert Putman’s “Bowling Alone” to illustrate the fact that over the past 40 years Americans have become less and less engaged in community and political activities.
The book delves into how both politicians and John Q. Public successfully and unsuccessfully engaged voters online in the name of democracy. “Click on Democracy” introduces readers to dozens of people who participated in online political activities during the 2000 election campaign. Examples include S.B. Woo who co-founded the 80 – 20 Initiative, a nonpartisan Asian-American political action committee; Charles Ellison who developed politicallyblack.com for educated middle class African Americans who were savvy about politics and policy, and Ed Rudd, a Gore volunteer who stayed abreast of campaign information and drafted e-mails for forwarding to other Democrats. And the list goes on and on and on of such scenarios, and even includes insignificant biographical information of these cyber crusaders.
The portion of the book that I found most interesting was the online initiative to coordinate vote trading between Ralph Nader and Al Gore supporters. The concept was for Democrats across state lines to trade votes in swing state elections to help the candidate with the better chance of beating Bush win that state. Perfect strangers developed a trust that was founded on their belief that Bush should not be reelected, and were actually willing to trust each other enough to swap their votes. One vote trading Website, voteswap2000, received an e-mail from California’s Secretary of State indicating that brokering votes was illegal in California, and carried a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each violation. The book points out how our founding fathers could not have foreseen citizens’ ability to overcome geographic barriers and organize and unite in support of shared political goals. The Internet provides a way for voters to somewhat bypass the electoral system. Vote swapping between Nader and Gore supporters allowed Nader to better compete nationally for liberals’ votes. “Click on Democracy” quotes one “Nader trader” as saying, “we are smarter than the system we’ve been given.”
The authors of “Click on Democracy” think that the catalyst that will define how the Internet will foster democracy in our country is how grassroots organizations and large institutions intersect. The book was published in 2002 and offered these recommendations to develop the Internet’s potential as a political tool:
• Large institutions should invest more money into their online initiatives
• Build more online communities that allow for two-way communication, which will spark active participation. In 2000, the typical model was that organizations were communicating with their audience, but did not provide an infrastructure for their constituents to communicate with each other
• The government must alleviate the digital divide by putting computers in each home. The authors state that in the past, the federal government has stepped up to address the needs perceived to be crucial to democracy and the actual living of one’s life. Examples include government initiatives that make obtaining a college education more attainable and old-age pensions and healthcare.
• Engage the country’s youth
Over the past eight years, we’ve seen all of these occur except the government ensuring that there are computers in every home.
“Click on Democracy” is a useful read for those who have a strong interest in online communities and/or politics, as well as a great deal of patience to read through what I feel was insignificant data about people who played some roll, albeit small, in online interactions during the elections process.
The Internet’s Power to Change Political Apathy into Civic Action
By: Steve Davis, Larry Elin and Grant Reeher
Recognizing that the Internet would influence the upcoming 2000 presidential elections, a dean at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications invited faculty and staff members to come together and research the Internet’s role in the upcoming election for the possibility of writing a book.
The group anticipated that the Internet would primarily be used to disseminate news and information, which would lead to a better-informed electorate and higher voter turnout at the polls. The group began their research by canvassing traditional media Websites and political candidates’ sites. This approach did not prove promising as big media companies scaled back their online initiatives and small media outlets began to fold. The researchers also found that political party and candidate Websites were often not up-to-date with information. Just when the group began to think that there was no real story, they had an eureka moment and focused their efforts on exploring online political communities.
“Click on Democracy” is a 262-page book that discusses how the Internet helped to reconnect people and provide a platform for communication, even without the guidance and help of the media and political organizations. The book cites Robert Putman’s “Bowling Alone” to illustrate the fact that over the past 40 years Americans have become less and less engaged in community and political activities.
The book delves into how both politicians and John Q. Public successfully and unsuccessfully engaged voters online in the name of democracy. “Click on Democracy” introduces readers to dozens of people who participated in online political activities during the 2000 election campaign. Examples include S.B. Woo who co-founded the 80 – 20 Initiative, a nonpartisan Asian-American political action committee; Charles Ellison who developed politicallyblack.com for educated middle class African Americans who were savvy about politics and policy, and Ed Rudd, a Gore volunteer who stayed abreast of campaign information and drafted e-mails for forwarding to other Democrats. And the list goes on and on and on of such scenarios, and even includes insignificant biographical information of these cyber crusaders.
The portion of the book that I found most interesting was the online initiative to coordinate vote trading between Ralph Nader and Al Gore supporters. The concept was for Democrats across state lines to trade votes in swing state elections to help the candidate with the better chance of beating Bush win that state. Perfect strangers developed a trust that was founded on their belief that Bush should not be reelected, and were actually willing to trust each other enough to swap their votes. One vote trading Website, voteswap2000, received an e-mail from California’s Secretary of State indicating that brokering votes was illegal in California, and carried a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each violation. The book points out how our founding fathers could not have foreseen citizens’ ability to overcome geographic barriers and organize and unite in support of shared political goals. The Internet provides a way for voters to somewhat bypass the electoral system. Vote swapping between Nader and Gore supporters allowed Nader to better compete nationally for liberals’ votes. “Click on Democracy” quotes one “Nader trader” as saying, “we are smarter than the system we’ve been given.”
The authors of “Click on Democracy” think that the catalyst that will define how the Internet will foster democracy in our country is how grassroots organizations and large institutions intersect. The book was published in 2002 and offered these recommendations to develop the Internet’s potential as a political tool:
• Large institutions should invest more money into their online initiatives
• Build more online communities that allow for two-way communication, which will spark active participation. In 2000, the typical model was that organizations were communicating with their audience, but did not provide an infrastructure for their constituents to communicate with each other
• The government must alleviate the digital divide by putting computers in each home. The authors state that in the past, the federal government has stepped up to address the needs perceived to be crucial to democracy and the actual living of one’s life. Examples include government initiatives that make obtaining a college education more attainable and old-age pensions and healthcare.
• Engage the country’s youth
Over the past eight years, we’ve seen all of these occur except the government ensuring that there are computers in every home.
“Click on Democracy” is a useful read for those who have a strong interest in online communities and/or politics, as well as a great deal of patience to read through what I feel was insignificant data about people who played some roll, albeit small, in online interactions during the elections process.
Coming Full Circle with Technology
My Momma used to say that as time passes on, the world would get weaker and wiser. Sounds like an oxymoron, but I can definitely see that concept unfolding in today’s technology-driven society.
Here are some examples to illustrate my point:
My hometown of New Orleans has a long-standing tradition among its natives to cook and eat red beans on Mondays. Reason being that in the old days of ladies going about the time consuming task of hand washing clothes and hanging them outside on clothes lines to dry, a pot of red beans which did not require the careful eye of a cook, was the ideal dish to serve for a deliciously healthy dinner.
Today, washer and dryer machines has made washing clothes by hand a thing of the past. And the process of cooking red beans – or anything else for that matter has become all the more convenient, thanks to the technology of microwaves, slow-cookers, food processors and the like. Such time saving innovations have made domestic tasks easier. It seems then that people would take full advantage of these amenities and prepare healthy meals at home. So why is America’s obesity rate so high? The growing obesity rate signifies weakness, the development and use of technology to make cooking quicker and easier - wisdom.
In class we discussed Robert Putman’s book entitled “Bowling Alone,” which talks about America’s decline in civic activities as television watching became a major pass-time. Although often referred to as an “idiot box,” television is our primary news source. However, as suggested in “Bowling Alone,” television has weakening our involvement in social, political and community activities.
Bottom line, technology has penetrated every area of our lives, and has even provided us with the option to live alternative lives in the virtual world with applications such as Second Life. There are concerns that members of generation Y may lack traditional social skills being that they came of age in a time of instant messaging, text messages, and online social networks.
Technology is a wonderful thing that makes life easier by saving us time and helping us to stay organized, ideally freeing up more hours in the day that we could spend with family and friends, working toward goals, etc. But it seems like the more time that technology helps us to free up, the more time we spend with technology – websurfing, watching videos on YouTube, downloading media files, blogging and so on.
The book that I chose to review for this class “Click on Democracy” discusses the role the internet played in the 2000 presidential election. Reading the book made me think about how the internet is helping us to come full circle by reconnecting like-minded people who care about improving our society and are using online resources and building organizations such as moveon.org.
Technology is a wonderful thing, and I appreciate the benefits of living in this digital age. I would just like to see our society more frequently using the advantages of technology to make us both stronger and wiser.
Here are some examples to illustrate my point:
My hometown of New Orleans has a long-standing tradition among its natives to cook and eat red beans on Mondays. Reason being that in the old days of ladies going about the time consuming task of hand washing clothes and hanging them outside on clothes lines to dry, a pot of red beans which did not require the careful eye of a cook, was the ideal dish to serve for a deliciously healthy dinner.
Today, washer and dryer machines has made washing clothes by hand a thing of the past. And the process of cooking red beans – or anything else for that matter has become all the more convenient, thanks to the technology of microwaves, slow-cookers, food processors and the like. Such time saving innovations have made domestic tasks easier. It seems then that people would take full advantage of these amenities and prepare healthy meals at home. So why is America’s obesity rate so high? The growing obesity rate signifies weakness, the development and use of technology to make cooking quicker and easier - wisdom.
In class we discussed Robert Putman’s book entitled “Bowling Alone,” which talks about America’s decline in civic activities as television watching became a major pass-time. Although often referred to as an “idiot box,” television is our primary news source. However, as suggested in “Bowling Alone,” television has weakening our involvement in social, political and community activities.
Bottom line, technology has penetrated every area of our lives, and has even provided us with the option to live alternative lives in the virtual world with applications such as Second Life. There are concerns that members of generation Y may lack traditional social skills being that they came of age in a time of instant messaging, text messages, and online social networks.
Technology is a wonderful thing that makes life easier by saving us time and helping us to stay organized, ideally freeing up more hours in the day that we could spend with family and friends, working toward goals, etc. But it seems like the more time that technology helps us to free up, the more time we spend with technology – websurfing, watching videos on YouTube, downloading media files, blogging and so on.
The book that I chose to review for this class “Click on Democracy” discusses the role the internet played in the 2000 presidential election. Reading the book made me think about how the internet is helping us to come full circle by reconnecting like-minded people who care about improving our society and are using online resources and building organizations such as moveon.org.
Technology is a wonderful thing, and I appreciate the benefits of living in this digital age. I would just like to see our society more frequently using the advantages of technology to make us both stronger and wiser.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Coffee Shop Blog Fight Makes News in the Washington Post
How does a coffee shop dispute among a barista and a non-celeb patron end up on the front page of the metro section of the Washington Post? Easy – when the patron is a blogger.
Jeff Simmermon, a New Yorker goes into a local coffee shop - Murky Coffee in Arlington. Simmermon orders a triple espresso over ice and is told that it is against the store’s policy to serve iced espresso. He then requests a triple espresso and a cup of ice. Grudgingly the barista accommodates him, but not without rebuke; Simmermon defends his right to enjoy his beverage any way that he so chooses.
An hour later, Simmermon is still there waiting on his girlfriend to meet him. Despite his reluctance to spend another penny at Murky Coffee, he has to stick around to wait for his girlfriend longer than he had hoped, and needs another cup of coffee. He requests the strongest iced beverage that’s within the store’s policy. The barista offers him four shots of Americano, easy on the water. Simmermon enjoyed his iced Americano, but leaves a $1 tip with an offensive message on it (f*** you and your precious coffee policy).
He goes back to NY and discusses the experience on his blog entitled And I am Not Lying for Real (www.andiamnotlying.com). To help illustrate his narration, he posts a video clip from a scene of “Five Easy Pieces” with Jack Nicholson, where Nicholson’s character gets into similar squabble with a waitress over his breakfast. There is also a replica of the dollar bill that he left the barista. Summermon even went as far as to say that he won’t return to the coffee shop unless he has matches and a can of kerosene. And I am Not Lying received 100,000 hits that day. Visitors chimed in with comments, mostly in defense of the blogger’s right to have it his way, even when he’s not at Burger King. Others of course defended the barista’s dedication to doing his job by upholding store policy.
And don’t think for one second that Nicholas Cho, the owner of Murky Coffee was going to sit silently on his coffee pot. He blasted back at Simmermon on his company’s Website, www.murkycoffee.com – defending his store’s policies and his barista. Cho encouraged guests to either order something that Murky Coffee serves, or buy their coffee somewhere else. Cho also indicated that he will punch Simmermon in his (d***) if he ever shows his face in his shop again. The Murky Coffee Website received 15,000 hits that day, a far cry from its usual 200.
WOW! Once the coffee cooled, each blogger expressed their regrets about the situation. Simmermon told the Washington Post that he’s not proud of his behavior and that “these things take on a life of their own.” Cho stated that “you have to fight blog with blog…that’s the price you pay when you throw your words out there.”
I think each of these coffee connoisseurs make good points with these statements. It’s so much easier to forget something ever happened when thousands of people were not exposed to the incident. Certainly these two guys could delete their blog entries, but the Post story will remain in the archives. To me words carry much more weight when they are printed/published versus verbally spoken. We are more thoughtful about what we are saying via written communications. I think there’s much to be desired in terms of tack and responsibility in what people publish online.
Joe Heim, the author of the Washington Post article that took the blog war to another level, Espresso, Extra Bitter, says that by blogging about his ordeal, Simmermon “did what comes naturally to literate victims of perceived everyday injustices in the 21st century.”
Hmmm. Has new media really become so prevalent that everyone with the ability to read and write are venting their frustrations online? I don’t think so. I think some bloggers have too much spare time, some want to show how clever they are, some just want to stir the pot on various issues, and some have to blog for their graduate school program. ;-) I’m not suggesting that all bloggers fit into one of these four categories – so no offense to anyone.
Another thought I would like to share is whether or not Americans are becoming more opinionated. Has the ability to give our ideas a broader audience than our circle of family and friends and connect with like-minded strangers made us more apt to let the world know what we are thinking? Or, do we simply feel more secure in expressing our opinions – no matter how negative or offensive, from behind the safety of our computer monitors? I think that latter, which is the danger of the Internet – not so much as in matters of opinion, but in situations such a cyberbullying, where people could really be hurt.
That’s that. Now back to my homemade espresso that’s sitting here getting cold, made just the way I like it: two shots, some half and half, brown sugar, and regular ‘ol white sugar. What’s in your cup?
Click here to read Espresso, Extra Bitter: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602018.html?referrer=emailarticle
See, I’m literate and was still unsuccessful at making that an embedded hyperlink! ☺
Jeff Simmermon, a New Yorker goes into a local coffee shop - Murky Coffee in Arlington. Simmermon orders a triple espresso over ice and is told that it is against the store’s policy to serve iced espresso. He then requests a triple espresso and a cup of ice. Grudgingly the barista accommodates him, but not without rebuke; Simmermon defends his right to enjoy his beverage any way that he so chooses.
An hour later, Simmermon is still there waiting on his girlfriend to meet him. Despite his reluctance to spend another penny at Murky Coffee, he has to stick around to wait for his girlfriend longer than he had hoped, and needs another cup of coffee. He requests the strongest iced beverage that’s within the store’s policy. The barista offers him four shots of Americano, easy on the water. Simmermon enjoyed his iced Americano, but leaves a $1 tip with an offensive message on it (f*** you and your precious coffee policy).
He goes back to NY and discusses the experience on his blog entitled And I am Not Lying for Real (www.andiamnotlying.com). To help illustrate his narration, he posts a video clip from a scene of “Five Easy Pieces” with Jack Nicholson, where Nicholson’s character gets into similar squabble with a waitress over his breakfast. There is also a replica of the dollar bill that he left the barista. Summermon even went as far as to say that he won’t return to the coffee shop unless he has matches and a can of kerosene. And I am Not Lying received 100,000 hits that day. Visitors chimed in with comments, mostly in defense of the blogger’s right to have it his way, even when he’s not at Burger King. Others of course defended the barista’s dedication to doing his job by upholding store policy.
And don’t think for one second that Nicholas Cho, the owner of Murky Coffee was going to sit silently on his coffee pot. He blasted back at Simmermon on his company’s Website, www.murkycoffee.com – defending his store’s policies and his barista. Cho encouraged guests to either order something that Murky Coffee serves, or buy their coffee somewhere else. Cho also indicated that he will punch Simmermon in his (d***) if he ever shows his face in his shop again. The Murky Coffee Website received 15,000 hits that day, a far cry from its usual 200.
WOW! Once the coffee cooled, each blogger expressed their regrets about the situation. Simmermon told the Washington Post that he’s not proud of his behavior and that “these things take on a life of their own.” Cho stated that “you have to fight blog with blog…that’s the price you pay when you throw your words out there.”
I think each of these coffee connoisseurs make good points with these statements. It’s so much easier to forget something ever happened when thousands of people were not exposed to the incident. Certainly these two guys could delete their blog entries, but the Post story will remain in the archives. To me words carry much more weight when they are printed/published versus verbally spoken. We are more thoughtful about what we are saying via written communications. I think there’s much to be desired in terms of tack and responsibility in what people publish online.
Joe Heim, the author of the Washington Post article that took the blog war to another level, Espresso, Extra Bitter, says that by blogging about his ordeal, Simmermon “did what comes naturally to literate victims of perceived everyday injustices in the 21st century.”
Hmmm. Has new media really become so prevalent that everyone with the ability to read and write are venting their frustrations online? I don’t think so. I think some bloggers have too much spare time, some want to show how clever they are, some just want to stir the pot on various issues, and some have to blog for their graduate school program. ;-) I’m not suggesting that all bloggers fit into one of these four categories – so no offense to anyone.
Another thought I would like to share is whether or not Americans are becoming more opinionated. Has the ability to give our ideas a broader audience than our circle of family and friends and connect with like-minded strangers made us more apt to let the world know what we are thinking? Or, do we simply feel more secure in expressing our opinions – no matter how negative or offensive, from behind the safety of our computer monitors? I think that latter, which is the danger of the Internet – not so much as in matters of opinion, but in situations such a cyberbullying, where people could really be hurt.
That’s that. Now back to my homemade espresso that’s sitting here getting cold, made just the way I like it: two shots, some half and half, brown sugar, and regular ‘ol white sugar. What’s in your cup?
Click here to read Espresso, Extra Bitter: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602018.html?referrer=emailarticle
See, I’m literate and was still unsuccessful at making that an embedded hyperlink! ☺
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