Social Media Inauguration

Bishin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:10:46 +0000

CNN and Facebook have teamed up to stream the Barak Obama inauguration on CNN.com, so it’s gotten me thinking about Barak, this Inauguration, and Social Media.

Today Barak Obama will be sworn in as 44th President of the United States, but to say this is just an American event would be silly. This election has inspired hope in the hearts and minds of people across the world – not just the United States. As a result, this inauguration watched on television by a global audience of millions, and will also be the first inauguration to be shared over the global social media network of communities (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.)

This morning, CNN is broadcasting President-elect Barack Obama becoming the next President of the United States in a joint effort with Facebook. Clicking on the CNN live application brings the user to a CNN/Facebook hybrid type page that allows you to update your own Facebook status and see status updates from your friends, while simultaneously watching the inauguration. While I could stream the inauguration on another web channel, there’s something great about being able to be watching “with” your friends, even if it’s remotely. If you’re at work today, like I am, you can schedule your lunch for 11:30am – that’s when the swearing-in ceremony takes place, followed immediately by Obama’s inauguration address.

My friend Le refers to Obama’s welcome to DC concert as “The Grammy’s,” and she’s not entirely wrong. This is being treated like a celebrity event, complete with coverage, hoopla and sharing across media channels. Not unlike Kennedy and his Rat Pack, Obama has a whole crew of celebrity supporters (Anyone remember Brother-in-Lawford?)

I’ll leave you with a fun Obama related slip. Did anyone else see Jill Biden’s “oops” moment on Oprah? It went something like this: “Well, Joe was given the choice between being Vice President or Secretary of State…” before she saw the looks coming from both her husband, Oprah, and the entire live audience. It was pretty awesome.
Happy Inauguration Day!

Canadians for Obama

Bishin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:47:39 +0000

I may be Canadian, but it would be silly to say that we, as Canadian citizens, are unaffected by the United States. Like it or not, our economies are inextricably linked. While I can’t say I dislike the discount on the North Face jacket I got this week because of the floundering American dollar, I will say this: Whatever benefits there have been as a result of this recent American Administration, have been minute when compared to the legion of negative consequences. Seriously, did anyone learn anything from Vietnam? Certainly not anyone in the Republican party. And yet, people still vote for them. People still believe in them. And it’s not just Jesus’ henchmen on the right. Whether or not I like to admit it, I have some Republican supporters in my family. Republicans. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But this isn’t about bashing a political party. It’s simply about this: Whether or not we like to admit it, our jobs, our economy, our lives, are all tied into the United States of America. And if they don’t have a good leader, we’re all shit out of luck. So, despite my French patronage and my tendency to say “Aye”, I too am glued to CNN, awaiting the outcome of an election that may very well change all our lives.

Bishin Speaks » barak obama

Social Media Inauguration

Canadians for Obama