Crackling Logs and YouTube
I have to say, I think this is a positively brilliant idea.
Obama is going to record his Presidential "Fireside Chats", pioneered by FDR, and post them on YouTube. Ah, our first Web 2.0 president is continuing with his social media power. And I think it’s fantastic.
Think about it – When FDR started those Fireside Chats over the radio, the radio was the global means of communication. People listened for entertainment and for news. It was the Internet of the 1930s.
The Fireside Chats are still broadcast on the radio (did you know that?), although I couldn’t tell you where on the dial to find them. They’re usually only 4 minutes long, so posting to YouTube is perfect. I bet they get a lot more response than those radio addresses over the last 8 years. They don’t require any time from network TV and really, they can film this with a laptop and a flip video camera. It’s not a big-budget item, but it does get the message out.
While we’re on the topic, have you seen Change.gov? It’s the transition web site, and it’s fantastic. It includes a blog with latest news, as well as short videos from key members of Obama’s transition team. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to work with Obama’s social media team. I have a definite knowledge of this stuff, but his team is the best in the business. It makes me wonder, in what ways will they use social media to broadcast the inauguration?
Here’s the first Fireside Chat. Let’s call it pre-Presidential. What do
you think of this idea? A better way to communicate with the masses?
Dave Ferguson
November 24th, 2008 at 1:59 pm #
The parallels are obvious — people couldn’t reply to FDR in the fireside chats, but the broadcasts offered a way for anyone to hear directly from FDR. It was a simpler, less scripted time, but that doesn’t mean it was unscripted.
The downside to YouTube, specifically, is the deluge of comments that will follow. Still, anyone who wishes can hear what Obama says, so there’s a lot of potential for discussion.
You can find recordings of some of the original fireside chats here: http://tinyurl.com/5djq2q
Anna
December 5th, 2008 at 2:15 pm #
I disagree somewhat—I think the “deluge of comments” that will follow Obama’s fireside chats will be interesting to read. Maybe I’m growing numb to obnoxious or offensive threading, but I think the possibilities for discussion that YouTube presents to Obama’s listeners is exciting.
I agree that the Web 2.0 influence has been mind-blowing to watch throughout the campaign and now, post-election. The Obama campaign raised $650 million–twice what McCain earned—mostly through small donations made online. It also mobilized an army of about 7 million volunteers to register new voters. None of that, of course, would have been possible without Web 2.0.
Change.gov is seen by many Americans to be part of Obama’s pledge to make the governing process more transparent. It offers a comprehensive guide to the presidential transition process, as well as a Government Accountability Office listing of the 13 most urgent issues that the pres-elect will soon face. These include, of course, the economic crisis as well as the ongoing conflicts in Iran and Afghanistan. The Change.gov blog will also document the transition process and provide biographies and background in the people Obama is recruiting.
I know that everyone here at Coggno is interested in finding out what kinds of changes our future president and his newly-appointed team will implement. Change.gov is a convenient portal into some of the inter-workings of our new government.