July 11, 2012 •
Political Campaigns and Social Media
Social media is playing a high profile role in the 2012 political campaigns and these articles seek to make sense of the latest trends:
“CNN, Facebook Partner to Make ‘America’s Choice 2012’ Political Coverage an Interactive, Social Experience” on CNN News.
“Facebook Wants to Be the ‘Second Screen’ of Election 2012 Coverage” by Zoe Fox in Mashable.
“Facebook will be a key part of the 2012 election” in the Capitol Column.
“Social Fundraising Platform Rally To Launch One-Click Donations” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
Also, be sure to take a look at:
“A Politician’s Guide to Social Media (VIDEO)” in Government Technology.
Video courtesy of Govgirlblog on YouTube.
June 29, 2012 •
Last Minute Campaign Finance Headlines before the Weekend
Let’s wrap up the work week with this campaign finance news roundup:
“Va. appeals court affirms campaign finance law” by Larry O’Dell in CBS News.
“Former DeLay aide pleads guilty in campaign finance case” by Laylan Copelin the Austin Statesman.
“Conservative Super Pacs turn to social media and internet to expand reach” by Ed Pilkington and Amanda Michel in the Guardian.
“Funny-named political committees are proliferating” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.
June 29, 2012 •
Government and Campaigns Technology News Update
We are always following news about the interplay between government, political campaigns, social media, and technology:
“David All Shares Ideas on Emerging Trends for Campaigns and Elections” by Matt Williams and Matt Pittman in Government Technology.
“Apps Challenge Aims to Improve Detroit Through Technology” by Brian Peteritas in Governing.
“How 3 Startups Are Improving Urban Life Through Tech” by Jennifer Diamond in Mashable.
“States, Cities Use Social Networks to Test Open Records Laws and Transparency Goals” by Dylan Scott in Governing.
“Reps. Delete Tweets Celebrating Overturning of Affordable Care Act” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
“Heavy Twitter Traffic for Scotus Ruling” by Rubina Madan Fillion and Brian Aguilar in The Wall Street Journal.
June 5, 2012 •
Take a Look at the Tuesday News Roundup!
The American League of Lobbyists is approaching Congress to make ethics training mandatory for lobbyists. Also, we have campaign finance, redistricting, and social media in today’s summary.
Lobbying
“Lobbyists ask Congress for a mandate on ethics” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Campaign Finance
“Tammany businessman’s allegedly illegal campaign donations went to Gov. Jindal’s 2007 run” by Claire Galofaro in the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Redistricting
Iowa: “Redistricting makes for tumultuous Iowa primary” by The Associated Press in the Quad-City Times.
New Hampshire: “Court to hear challenges to NH redistricting plan” by Holly Ramer (Associated Press) in the Boston Globe.
Social Media
“Political campaigns are in a constant technology arms race” by Scott Canon in the Kansas City Star.
May 16, 2012 •
Speaker.gov is Back and More Gov 2.0 News
We are always intrigued by the interplay between government, political campaigns, social media, and technology.
“House Republicans Relaunch Speaker.gov” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
Having a good social media policy in place is crucial: “Think before You Tweet” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.
Social-media style journalism and the Obama campaign: “We’re All Journalists, Indeed: Obama Campaign Guests Checked Mobile Phones at the Door” by Nick Judd in TechPresident.
Do-it-youself ROI for government websites: “Free Tool Gauges Website Engagement Effectiveness” by Brian Heaton in Government Technology.
April 23, 2012 •
Government Tech News
Here is the latest news about government technology and social media:
“This Week in Tech: House boots up ‘cyber week’” by Brendan Sasso and Andrew Feinberg in The Hill.
NCSL is hosting its “Social Media Policies for State Legislatures” webinar on April 27.
Nextgov gives us a sneak preview of their forthcoming new website!
Here is a link to The New York Times Election 2012 App for iPhone and Android. Their site gives this description:
“News, opinion, polls and live election night results. From The Times and other top sources around the Web. It’s the best campaign coverage anywhere, all in one app.”
District of Columbia: “Hackers Shut Down District of Columbia Government Website” by Nikita Stewart in The Washington Post.
Iowa: “Iowa lawmakers go on camera to deliver updates” by James Q. Lynch in the Quad-City Times.
April 9, 2012 •
Monday Government 2.0 Roundup
Here are the latest news and discussions covering government technology and use of social media:
“State Dept. competition expands horizons of social networking” by Jared Serbu on Federal News Radio.
“5 Best Practices for Open Local Government” by Noelle Knell in Government Technology.
“Study: Social Media Has Mixed Impact on Elections” by John P. Mello, Jr. in PC World.
“Government Dashboards – Measuring Performance” by Vivienne Kamphaus on Govloop.
“What the Feds are Twittering Right Now” from Nextgov.
New York City, NY: “City to Install ‘Smart Screens’ in Some Public Phone Booths” by Matt Flegenheimer in The New York Times.
April 5, 2012 •
Government Tech and Social Media Report
Stay on top of the latest news and discussions covering government technology and use of social media:
“Twitter, Facebook now tools for Big Brother” by David Saleh Rauf in Politico.
“Blending Governance and Twitter” by Chrystia Freeland in The New York Times.
“Social media as election predictor? Not so fast” by Puja Murgai on Politico.
“A Road Map Emerges for State Digital Preservation” by Noelle Knell in Government Technology.
“Louisville government rated among top 10 social media cities” by Thomas McAdam in the Louisville City Hall Examiner.
This articles talks about the trend toward tagging objects in the physical world in order to track it all with the internet and mobile devices: “Internet of Things Comes to Government” from Government Technology.
How does your state measure up in providing high speed internet access? “States Race to Improve Broadband Speeds” by Mike Maciag in Government Technology.
The State Department held a social media contest where the participants were given the task of finding fake jewel thieves. MIT’s Team Crowdscanner was the winner: “MIT team thinks outside the box to snag social media prize” by Andrew Lapin in Nextgov.
Here is a Govloop discussion “What Are Your Tech Needs for Teleworking?” posted by Pat Fiorenza.
March 21, 2012 •
Government Tech and Social Media News
A new Facebook app for tracking legislation, government social media skeptics, and California gets a new Director of the Office of Technology Services:
Federal: “New Facebook Open Graph App Makes Lawmaking Social, Brings House Bills To The Crowds” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident. Here is the link to the new Citizen Cosponsor app.
Federal: “Social media challenges federal oversight of agency communications” by Alice Lipowicz in Federal Computer Week.
State and Local: “Social Media Still Has Skeptics in Government” by Matt Williams in Government Technology.
California: “Y2K Expert to Lead California’s Technology Services” by Ashley Nelson in Government Technology.
New Jersey: “Morris County named a best case example of e-government” by The Independent Press on NJ.com.
March 6, 2012 •
Social Media and Super Tuesday!
Here is a look at Super Tuesday through the lens of Facebook and Twitter:
“Can social media predict election outcomes?” by Jon Swartz in USA Today.
“Twitter and The Countdown To Super Tuesday” by Shea Bennett on All Twitter.
“Romney to Win Republican Nomination, Facebook Says” by Kate Knibbs in Mobiledia.
“Facebook users not talking about Rick Santorum (infographic)” by Emil Protalinski on ZDNet.
“Will Romney’s Facebook fans help win Super Tuesday?” by Athima Chansanchai on MSNBC’s Digital Life.
“Santorum’s Facebook Fans Silent Before Super Tuesday” by Jennifer Moire on All Facebook.
February 6, 2012 •
West Virginia Legislature Gives Reminder about Use of Social Media
Because of the social media capabilities of the latest mobile devices, the West Virginia Legislature is putting out a reminder to lawmakers about the ban on electronic communications during floor sessions.
For full news coverage, read:
“W.Va. lawmakers navigate lobby ban, social media” by The Associated Press in the Washington Examiner.
“W.Va. lawmakers seek buffer from e-lobbying but not blockade with public in social media age” by Lawrence Messina (Associated Press) in The Republic.
Photo of the West Virginia State Capitol Building by Analogue Kid on Wikipedia.
February 3, 2012 •
Lobbying, Campaign Finance, and Redistricting in the News
Friday News Roundup
Lobbying
“A record year for lobbying industry” by Michael Shaw in the Sacramento Business Journal.
“Lobbying Money Hits New Record” by Jenny O’Mara on KBPS.org.
Campaign finance
“Michigan Democrats are taking 1st shot at corporate funding with proposed ethics, campaign finance reform” by Rob South in Michigan Live.
Gov 2.0 and Social Media
“Consumers Turn to Social Media for Presidential Campaign Info” in yesterday’s eMarketer.
“New York City Readies for a Website Overhaul” by Sarah Rich in Government Technology.
Redistricting
Iowa – “5 Iowa legislators resign following redistricting” by The Associated Press in the Muscatine Journal.
Massachusetts – “In redistricting’s wake, Rep. Paul Adams opts to run for state Senate” by Matt Murphy in the Boston Herald.
Ohio – “Only 3 of 16 districts competitive in new map” by William Hershey in the Dayton Daily News.
Pennsylvania – “Targeted lawmakers stuck in ‘political limbo’” by Rachel Weaver in today’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
January 4, 2012 •
Lobbying in the News
New York lobbyist Richard Lipsky to plead guilty, a pep talk for lobbyists to use social media, and a phone app to log lobbying activity.
“Lobbyist Is Expected to Plead Guilty in Corruption Case” by Benjamin Weiser in The New York Times .
“Why Would a Lobbyist Need Social Media?” by John Hall on Social Media Today.
“Too many lobbyists? There’s an app for that” by Anthony Man and Larry Barszewski in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. (Thank you George Ticoras for seeing this one!)
January 3, 2012 •
The FEC Goes Mobile
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has unveiled pages optimized for mobile devices.
According to their announcement, you can now view the following on your mobile phone:
- presidential candidate summary data
- a calendar with dates for commission meetings, reporting deadlines, conferences, advisory opinions, and litigation
- an audio archive of recent hearings
- the FEC YouTube channel
- The FEC Twitter feed
FEC Chair Cynthia Bauerly said, “I am pleased to announce the launch of the FEC’s new mobile interface. … I greatly appreciate the efforts of the agency staff who worked on this project, which will further the FEC’s mission of disclosing campaign finance data.”
Here is the FEC’s press release about the new pages.
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.
