Comments on: Obama: The Tech-Savvy Prez? http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/2010/05/10/obama-the-tech-savvy-prez/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:53:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: adrienne http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/2010/05/10/obama-the-tech-savvy-prez/comment-page-1/#comment-1177 adrienne Tue, 11 May 2010 17:55:34 +0000 http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/?p=2206#comment-1177 There's a lot of sarcasm in my post, but engaging online isn't just about employing emerging tactics. It requires a complete change in perspective from organizations. You can't use one without ramifications from the other. There’s a lot of sarcasm in my post, but engaging online isn’t just about employing emerging tactics. It requires a complete change in perspective from organizations. You can’t use one without ramifications from the other.

]]> By: Heather http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/2010/05/10/obama-the-tech-savvy-prez/comment-page-1/#comment-1176 Heather Tue, 11 May 2010 16:14:27 +0000 http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/?p=2206#comment-1176 Absolutely fair enough. Re-reading and focusing on the transparency message gives me a bunch to think about in how we use new media in more professional spheres. Absolutely fair enough. Re-reading and focusing on the transparency message gives me a bunch to think about in how we use new media in more professional spheres.

]]> By: adrienne http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/2010/05/10/obama-the-tech-savvy-prez/comment-page-1/#comment-1175 adrienne Tue, 11 May 2010 14:00:30 +0000 http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/?p=2206#comment-1175 Not necessarily Heather. Have you seen any posts about Palin recently? Also, for the record, I've criticized Palin's use of <a href="http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/2009/11/17/1287/" rel="nofollow">technology</a> before. She's mastered tweeting and Facebook notes but generally has a terrible online footprint. While I'm opposed to Obama on virtually all policy issues, I'll call out anyone who hypocritically uses new media. I would hope as a fellow communications professional, you could get beyond partisan defense of a candidate and agree with my point about the importance of authenticity and transparency. This isn't Obama's first attack on technology. He's constantly berating bloggers and new media. It's absolute hypocrisy to be billed as a tech-friendly president who gives Queen Elizabeth an iPod with his speeches on it and then attacks technology in a commencement speech. This isn't not understanding how to use technology, and stumbling to pull up the keyboard on an iPhone. Obama dislikes of what technology brings about in modern society and indicates that he prefers traditional media that can be centrally controlled through DC and the good 'ol boy network as it was prior to Clinton's second administration. Part of new media is 100% transparency and authenticity as Plouffe said. It's perfectly fine for a campaign to do those activities, but they made it seem as though Obama was directly behind them. There are too many honest candidates out there tweeting and writing blog posts for this type of cover to continue. It's time for candidates to be forthcoming with their social media use. As a communications person, you should also recognize that the message can no longer be controlled and transparency is key above everything else. You're smart enough to understand that argument, too. If you are still in the "control the message camp," you shouldn't be engaging online to begin with. The minute you send the first tweet or create a Facebook profile, you lose control. You can still balance your image and manage it, but you cannot in any way completely control it. Obama speaks out of both sides of his mouth regarding technology. He's either for it or opposed to it. His actions and campaign tactics would imply that he's for it, yet these comments (and previous ones) definitely put him in the Luddite column. When you use technology to win a seat, you have to embrace everything that comes with it. That means understanding bloggers and social media will criticize you and present a 24/7 attack machine that double-checks every sound bite and press release for accuracy and honesty. Obama can't have it both ways. Not necessarily Heather. Have you seen any posts about Palin recently? Also, for the record, I’ve criticized Palin’s use of technology before. She’s mastered tweeting and Facebook notes but generally has a terrible online footprint.

While I’m opposed to Obama on virtually all policy issues, I’ll call out anyone who hypocritically uses new media. I would hope as a fellow communications professional, you could get beyond partisan defense of a candidate and agree with my point about the importance of authenticity and transparency.

This isn’t Obama’s first attack on technology. He’s constantly berating bloggers and new media. It’s absolute hypocrisy to be billed as a tech-friendly president who gives Queen Elizabeth an iPod with his speeches on it and then attacks technology in a commencement speech. This isn’t not understanding how to use technology, and stumbling to pull up the keyboard on an iPhone. Obama dislikes of what technology brings about in modern society and indicates that he prefers traditional media that can be centrally controlled through DC and the good ‘ol boy network as it was prior to Clinton’s second administration.

Part of new media is 100% transparency and authenticity as Plouffe said. It’s perfectly fine for a campaign to do those activities, but they made it seem as though Obama was directly behind them. There are too many honest candidates out there tweeting and writing blog posts for this type of cover to continue. It’s time for candidates to be forthcoming with their social media use.

As a communications person, you should also recognize that the message can no longer be controlled and transparency is key above everything else. You’re smart enough to understand that argument, too. If you are still in the “control the message camp,” you shouldn’t be engaging online to begin with. The minute you send the first tweet or create a Facebook profile, you lose control. You can still balance your image and manage it, but you cannot in any way completely control it.

Obama speaks out of both sides of his mouth regarding technology. He’s either for it or opposed to it. His actions and campaign tactics would imply that he’s for it, yet these comments (and previous ones) definitely put him in the Luddite column. When you use technology to win a seat, you have to embrace everything that comes with it. That means understanding bloggers and social media will criticize you and present a 24/7 attack machine that double-checks every sound bite and press release for accuracy and honesty. Obama can’t have it both ways.

]]> By: Heather http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/2010/05/10/obama-the-tech-savvy-prez/comment-page-1/#comment-1174 Heather Tue, 11 May 2010 13:50:58 +0000 http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/?p=2206#comment-1174 If someone wrote a post like this about Sarah Palin, you'd go ballistic. I'm a pretty adept tech person, and I have a hard time figuring out how to dial an iPhone if the keypad isn't already up, and other Mac technologies are a big transition for me, because I'm a PC girl. I'm sure, that, like me, there are plenty of Americans who haven't ever used a gaming system, but could figure it out. Obama has had 20+ communications people (I'm guessing that's a huge underestimate too) working for him since Twitter went huge a couple years ago, and as a comm person, you know that staff wants control of that message - so that a tweet with an unfortunate spelling error doesn't get blown out of proportion by the world media. A person can also be supportive of a policy or an ideal - and be heralded as it's champion without actually being able to DO it themselves. (Think: a Senator being a champion for cancer patients who was never an oncologist.) If you're going to vent and rant about the left making hay out of a blade of grass, you should lead by example. You're smart enough to be making the big arguments. It's why people like to read you. If someone wrote a post like this about Sarah Palin, you’d go ballistic. I’m a pretty adept tech person, and I have a hard time figuring out how to dial an iPhone if the keypad isn’t already up, and other Mac technologies are a big transition for me, because I’m a PC girl. I’m sure, that, like me, there are plenty of Americans who haven’t ever used a gaming system, but could figure it out. Obama has had 20+ communications people (I’m guessing that’s a huge underestimate too) working for him since Twitter went huge a couple years ago, and as a comm person, you know that staff wants control of that message – so that a tweet with an unfortunate spelling error doesn’t get blown out of proportion by the world media. A person can also be supportive of a policy or an ideal – and be heralded as it’s champion without actually being able to DO it themselves. (Think: a Senator being a champion for cancer patients who was never an oncologist.)
If you’re going to vent and rant about the left making hay out of a blade of grass, you should lead by example. You’re smart enough to be making the big arguments. It’s why people like to read you.

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