Read the complete and original post at www.allfacebook.com

Not so fast! When used properly, political ads on Facebook are useful, says one public-affairs strategist in response to a study by a pair of academics that claims just the opposite.

We told you about the study by University of California, Berkeley graduate student David Broockman and Donald Green, a political science professor at Columbia University in New York, who concluded that Facebook ads don’t have much effect on name recognition or likeability based on an analysis of ads for a state legislative candidate.

Bradley Portnoy, of strategic communications and public affairs firm Powell Tate — which, let’s face it, is in the business of buying Facebook ads for clients — lays out an opposing and convincing viewpoint in a blog post.

Portnoy emphasizes a theme we’ve heard from others, including Mitt Romney’s campaign: Engagement is key. It’s critical to choose the appropriate Facebook ad or social platform that builds a relationship with voters.

Facebook ads can’t be examined in a vacuum. These ads have to be part of a larger digital strategy — promoting great content, such as a video, an image, or an interactive experience, Portnoy explains.

As of late September, 88% of registered voters own a cell phone of some kind—and significant numbers of these voters are using their mobile devices to get information about the 2012 election, to interact with the campaigns, and to converse with other voters about political issues:

—27% of registered voters who own a cell phone have used their phone in this election campaign to keep up with news related to the election itself or to political issues in general.

—Three quarters of these cell-owning registered voters use their phone to send or receive text messages, and within this group:

19% have sent text messages related to the campaign to friends, family members, or others

5% have signed up to receive text messages directly from a candidate or other group involved in the campaign

5% say that they have received unwanted election-related text messages that they did not sign up to receive

Smartphone owners are using their mobile devices as a tool for political participation on social networking sites and as a way to fact check campaign statements in real time. Roughly half (48%) of registered voters who own a cell phone say that they have a smartphone, and within this group:

45% have used their smartphone to read other people’s comments on a social networking site about a candidate or the campaign in general

The complete and original story can be found at www.kbtx.com

Texas A&M University had an official debate watch party at the new Memorial Student Center where dozens of students were watching two different screens- the debate and social media websites.

For the first time, The Texas A&M communication department collaborated with 11 other universities across the nation like Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh. The communication departments at those schools decided on a specific hashtag. A hashtag is a keyword or topic embedded in a tweet on Twitter. That hashtag was used by students at these schools to share their opinions and take part in discussions about what was being debated.

Tweets were flowing in by several dozen students at Texas A&M University. The debate is approved by the Commission of Presidential Debates which is a national voter education program.

Read the complete and original post at www.jenngustetic.com

It’s not impossible. Government CAN BE both functional and beautiful.

Today the White House hosted a Champions of Change event in Washington DC highlighting thirteen local government innovators that are doing just that. According to Gov Tech, these champions have “worked to build a better future for their citizens, create jobs in their community, and ensure more efficient and effective government by making information and public data more accessible”. The folks highlighted today understand that true local innovation—changing the paradigm of the citizen’s relationship with its government—is not just as simple as creating “an app for that”.

Figure 1: Some Features of Transformative Local Innovations

When citizen engagement, crowdsourcing, and design thinking are also considered in the innovation process, truly transformative approaches to local government emerge that are changing the way we can think about what’s possible in governing. An app might be the mechanism, but how to build in engagement and design are lessons that many government agencies are still learning. When governments do this however, innovation efforts result in citizens who find more value from, participate in, and contribute to their community’s well being. According to Doug Matthews from Austin, Texas, almost as important as the function of a tool/product is the beauty of that function. The innovators highlighted today understand that well-designed government innovations should be many things, not just functional:

Innovative

A useful product

Aesthetic

An understandable product

Unobtrusive

Honest (don’t make promises you can’t keep)

Long lasting

Thorough

Environmentally friendly

As little design as possible (focus on only the essential elements)

Seeing Design Thinking in action in local communities around the US is incredibly gratifying. Design Thinking in and of itself has become a movement over the last several years spearheaded by the likes of the Stanford Design School and design firm IDEO (Disclaimer: Last year I kicked off a Design Thinking DC Meetup Group with a friend and colleague, Stephanie Rowe, to get this conversation going in DC). But when COMBINED with the other tactics we’re seeing these local governments use—Design Thinking becomes a force multiplier for real, honest to goodness impact in people’s lives.

Read the complete and original post at www.fresnobee.com

After years of promises, California's online registration system is in place. For the first time, citizens with state drivers licenses or DMV identification cards will be able to submit voter registration applications online, using their computers, electronic tablets, or smart phones.

After they fill out the forms, their signatures will be digitally transferred from their drivers licenses or ID cards to their voter registration applications.

Eligible voters can find the registration applications at: RegisterToVote.ca.gov.

The online system makes registration easier for voters and saves money and time for county registrars. Under the old system, every application had to be handled manually. Even those filled out online still had to be printed, signed and mailed to local registrars. There, the applications were scanned into computers. If applicants filled out the forms in long hand, registrars had to retype the information into computers, often having to decipher barely legible handwriting. Mistakes were rife.

The Republican Party broke new social media ground at it National Convention in Tampa, Florida last month by blanketing its convention hall in real-time tweets. Now, Mass Relevance, the firm that facilitated that Twitter initiative is making custom platforms developed for the RNC, Pepsi and other brands available as a set of templated products.

As an official Twitter partner, Mass Relevance has access to Twitter's data-laden firehose. The firm filters posts and images from Twitter and helps brands and organizations surface that information and content in meaningful ways. For the RNC's Convention Without Walls, for example, Mass Relevance categorized millions of tweets prompted by the event's speakers and other messaging, organizing them according to pre-planned criteria as well as reactionary filters that were determined as the event took place.

The end result was a stream of select tweets that were displayed on the convention website as well as on large physical backdrops behind the stage (seen in photo here) and digital "ribbons" surrounding the convention forum. The goal was to have Twitter content that reflected issues being discussed on stage - the economy for instance - presented as speakers talked about them.

Read the complete the complete and original post at www.post-gazette.com

An intriguing new political organizing tool is seeking to take the greatest asset of organized labor -- its strength in numbers -- and multiply it with the help of social media.

The new technology from the AFL-CIO's political arm, unveiled Tuesday, allows users to build political networks through their Facebook contacts and find local volunteer events like phone-banks or door-knocking. Users are awarded points for every time they do campaign work, which they can use to direct political help -- such as direct mail pieces or Web advertisements -- to candidates they support.

The idea is not just to give people incentives, "but to change the way they engage in politics, and multiply the effect of what they do," said AFL-CIO political director Michael Podhorzer. "There have been systems that seem similar -- you register 100 people and get a bumper sticker and that's the end of the process. Here you register 100 and you get canvassers for Mark Critz. It all stays in the real world and in politics."

The initiative is called "RePurpose." Leaders from the 12 million-member union federation and its political arm, Workers' Voice, who largely support President Barack Obama and other Democrats, said it will help them compete with the unfettered spending of Republican-supporting SuperPACs and nonprofits allowed by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and related legal changes.

"But instead of joining them in the gutter, Workers' Voice will counter their cynicism by combining old-fashioned energy with cutting edge technology," said an AFL-CIO statement on the effort. "Increasing grassroots organizing, field programs and voter registration will not only help us succeed in the 2012 elections but help build and maintain a permanent progressive infrastructure for future legislative and political work."

This post was originally posted at www.allfacebook.com

Facebook and social media played a pivotal role in the outcomes of several U.S. Senate primaries this summer. A new case study broke down just how the social network propelled one tea party candidate in Texas from a virtual unknown to a political insider.

The politico’s handbook, Campaigns & Elections, features a profile of Senate candidate Ted Cruz’s recipe for primary success by his digital strategist, Vincent Harris. Cruz was a featured speaker at last month’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

One of the takeaways is the boost that social media can give unknown candidates who lack the resources to launch radio and television advertising.

For example, Cruz spent money on Google search ads, as well as advertising on Bing and Yahoo, which yielded a 10-to-1 return on investment.

Here’s a look at how Cruz’s Facebook strategy played out:

Facebook ads supplemented Cruz’s organic support on Facebook, as well as Twitter.

On the day of the election, the digital team ran a get out the vote (GOTV in campaign parlance) promoted post to fans and fans of their endorsements, which generated 793,432 impressions, 1,136 clicks, 1,880 likes, and 1,098 shares. This way, if the content wasn’t organically showing up on voters’ news feeds, it made our way onto their screens with ads reminding them to go vote.

The Cruz Facebook page was updated 11 times that day, with a total of 2,646 shares and 14,253 likes on its posts. The David Dewhurst campaign updated its Facebook page just once, yielding 49 shares and 392 likes.

Harris said tools to promote the campaign were shared with voters, such as a Facebook timeline cover image and profile pictures that touted its #ChooseCruz hashtag.

Harris added:

Read the complete and original post at www.businessweek.com

Twitter Inc. has to turn over information about an Occupy Wall Street protester’s posts or face a fine, a judge ruled, giving the company three days to show it isn’t in contempt of court.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Matthew A. Sciarrino Jr. in Manhattan today said Twitter must produce the information by Sept. 14 or provide its earnings statements from the last two quarters so he can decide on a fine. The judge had asked Twitter to show why it wasn’t in contempt of court after refusing to produce information about Twitter posts by protester Malcolm Harris in response to a subpoena from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

“I can’t put Twitter or the little blue bird in jail, so the only way to punish is monetarily,” Sciarrino said.

Sciarrino ruled June 30 that Twitter must turn over Twitter’s posts from Sept. 15 to Dec. 30 and user information linked to the “@destructuremal” account of Harris, who was arrested on Oct. 1 with about 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge, denying the company’s request to quash the subpoena. Twitter then asked for a stay that would block enforcement of the order while it appealed Sciarrino’s decision. That request was denied Sept. 7, according to court records.

Novel Issue

Twitter “is interested in having a fair hearing on this issue, it’s a novel issue,” the company’s lawyer Terryl L. Brown told Sciarrino, saying it wanted more time to appeal his June 30 ruling. Sciarrino said his hearing was a fair one, and the company has already had 73 days to comply with his order.

You can find the the new appp and the original post at www.whitehouse.gov

Today, we're excited to announce some big changes to the way you connect with the White House. More Americans rely on tablets and smart phones for news and information than ever before and we've certainly seen these trends reflected at WhiteHouse.gov. Over the past two years the number of mobile visits to the site has tripled, reaching 15.17% of total traffic. In order to meet this growing demand, we've relaunched the entire White House mobile program, making it even easier to see what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Today, we're excited to announce some big changes to the way you connect with the White House. More Americans rely on tablets and smart phones for news and information than ever before and we've certainly seen these trends reflected at WhiteHouse.gov. Over the past two years the number of mobile visits to the site has tripled, reaching 15.17% of total traffic. In order to meet this growing demand, we've relaunched the entire White House mobile program, making it even easier to see what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

First, we revamped the mobile version of WhiteHouse.gov, giving it a new look and making more than 99% of the site available to mobile users. We've also released new versions of the White House apps for the iPhone and Android, rebuilding them from the ground up and adding several new features. For the first time, these apps are also fully compatible with the iPad and Android tablets.

When it comes to following political conventions, Twitter may soon trump television.

TV viewership for last week's Republican National Convention dropped sharply from 2008, suggesting interest in this presidential race falls short of some past contests. But the convention was a hit online and on social networks, the latest evidence of the political conversation's gradual migration from traditional media to the Web.

The Nielsen Co. estimates that about 30.3 million viewers across 11 television networks watched convention coverage Thursday night when Mitt Romney delivered his prime-time speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination. That's a 23 percent plunge from the same night four years ago when nearly 39 million people tuned in to watch then-GOP nominee John McCain address the convention and the nation.

The erosion of TV viewership from 2008 was sharper still on Wednesday night when Romney running mate Paul Ryan drew about 22 million viewers for his acceptance speech. That's a 41 percent drop from 2008 when some 37 million tuned in for vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin's debut on the national stage.

The Republican convention drew an older audience on TV. Of the 22 million who watched Ann Romney speak on Tuesday night, Nielsen found that nearly 15 million were 55 or older. Only 1.5 million were age 18-34.

The 2008 election was an outlier from an otherwise consistent decline in viewership for political conventions over the past 20 years...

Palm trees blow in the wind in front of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, ahead of the Republican National Convention, Aug. 26, 2012 in Tampa, Fla.

(Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The 2012 Republican National Convention opens Monday in Tampa, Fla. All of the traditional media outlets will be on the ground covering the event, but this election year the political parties are also ramping up their social media presence.

Campaign 2012 on CBSNews.com

The RNC is creating several opportunities for supporters to engage on social networks. An official Facebook app called "Convention Without Walls" lets users tell their stories by submitting photos and videos, which can be submitted via YouTube. A Tampa 2012 mobile app has been launched for iPhones and Android devices. The app lets users view the convention schedule (with events now delayed until Tuesday after Tropical Storm Isaac's threat), explore Tampa, and keep up with tweets from prominent Republicans.

For the first time ever, the RNC will live stream the entire convention on its YouTube channel. In April, the RNC named Google and YouTube as the "Official Social Platform and Live Stream Provider."

"Google and YouTube are transforming the political process, providing voters an unprecedented degree of participation and, for the very first time, giving every American who has access to a computer, tablet, video gaming system, interactive television, or video-enabled smart-phone an exclusive backstage pass to the podium of a national political convention," said convention CEO William Harris in a press release.

Social media has grown immensely since the 2008 elections. Aside from the obvious Facebook, Twitter and YouTube profiles, the RNC also has official Instagram, Google+, Pinterest and Foursquare accounts - services that weren't around during the last election cycle. Instagram users can view convention photos using the "Convention Without Walls" Facebook app or by searching GOPconvention on the mobile app.

Supporters can follow Republican presumptive nominee Mitt Romney and his choice for vice president, Paul Ryan, on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Additionally, Spotify users can subscribe to the Romney Ryan 2012 campaign's playlists, as well.

Social media companies are working hard to cater to politicians, supporters and the media. Twitter has set up a political index that profiles the candidates' number of followers, tweets and changes in daily activity. Facebook has an official hub for U.S. politics that highlights politicians and political campaigns.

CBS News will join The National Journal and The Atlantic for daily briefings at both conventions. Briefings start on Aug. 27 at 9:30 a.m. ET and will be streamed live at CBSNews.com.

Here's the full list of social media links for the 2012 Republican National Convention and Romney Ryan 2012 campaign.

Republican National Convention social media profiles

Official website: GOPConvention2012.com

Official Facebook page

Official Google+ page

Official YouTube page

Official Pinterest page

Republican National Convention on Foursquare

GOPconvention on Instagram via Facebook

@GOPconvention on Twitter

Convention hashtag: #GOP2012

Republican National Convention mobile apps

Tampa 2012 iOS app on iTunes

Tampa 2012 Android app at Google Play

Today we’re introducing the YouTube Elections Hub, a one-stop channel for key political moments from now through the upcoming U.S. election day on November 6. You can watch all of the live speeches from the floor of the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions, see Google+ Hangouts with power brokers behind the scenes, and watch a live stream of the official Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. You won’t need to go anywhere else for the must-watch moments of this election cycle...they’re all happening on the Hub live. In addition to videos from politicians and parties, a diverse range of news organizations—both established names in media and sought-after new voices—are sharing their coverage of the political process on the new hub. You’ll find live and on-demand reporting and analysis from ABC News, Al Jazeera English, BuzzFeed, Larry King, The New York Times, Phil DeFranco, Univision and the Wall Street Journal. Each will put their own stamp on the Presidential race—from the conventions to the debates to election night.

Read the complete and original post at www.mashable.com

Missouri Congressman Todd Akin’s statement that a woman’s body has the ability to prevent pregnancy from what he called "legitimate rape" has spawned some clever spoofs across social media sites, but the congressman has found a silver lining.

Read the complete and original post at www.boston.com