Our Thinking

Topic: Online Advocacy

“Help Me Help You……”
Posted 08/31/10

This poetic quote comes from the film, Jerry Maguire, where the professional football player (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) pleads with his agent (played by Tom Cruise) for support so he can do his job: deliver on the football field.  While elected officials don’t have agents, they do have constituents.

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Clickity...clack...
Posted 08/16/10

I’m proud to say my parents didn’t raise me to be a follower, which is perhaps why I haven’t felt it necessary to make the leap from my beloved Blackberry to a newer, “fancier” smartphone.  I take solace in the fact that according to CNN reports, there are millions who suffer from my addiction and haven’t made the plunge.

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No One Paid for this Post
Posted 11/02/09

This weekend I bought a book of brief essays called "This I Believe," based on an NPR project that invites people to share the core beliefs that shape our daily lives, which itself is based on an Edward R. Murrow radio show from the 1950s.  Before I start reading the book, I wanted to give thought to the core beliefs that shape my daily life.

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Punking Traditional Media
Posted 04/18/09

It was reported today in the Los Angeles Times that actor-producer Ashton Kutcher and CNN are in a Battle Royal.  No, CNN didn’t misreport a Kutcher story and the recent CNN ratings were not the subject of a Kutcher practical joke (they really are that low).

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Racing to Twitter
Posted 04/17/09

As Twitter CEO Evan Williams prepares to go on Oprah today with Twitter phenom Ashton Kutcher, my VOX colleagues have been furiously debating the value, power, and practically of the tool for use in public affairs and reputation management campaigns.  Personally, the best use of the tool I’ve seen so far is by Lance Armstrong.

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Diving Into Social Media
Posted 04/01/09

In a recent National Journal column, Charlie Cook pondered the unconventional media that politicians are rushing to employ with President Obama leading the pack.  “…Just because a medium is new doesn’t make it a great idea,” Cook writes, noting that he had yet to see a single intelligent remark twittered by an elected official.  I am not sure Mr. Cook is correct.

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Facebook: Not Just for Kids Anymore
Posted 03/10/09

Fortune.com reported today that the fastest growing group of new U.S. users on Facebook are women 55-to-65 years old. That group, the site says, has grown 175% from September 30 to February 1, while American women overall increased about 43%.

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New School Meets Old School
Posted 03/10/09

A House Subcommittee gathered recently to hear observations from witnesses on the state of K-12 Science Education.  The star witness was the popular “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”

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