First congressional committee iPhone app launched
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/05/iphoneapp.jpg caption="On Thursday, Republicans will launch the first Congressional committee iPhone app."]Washington (CNN) - With Republicans on Capitol Hill eyeing the next two elections, strategists have been aggressively gearing up on the digital front.
Much of the focus has been on the campaign side, with a focus on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. On Thursday, Republicans will launch the first Congressional committee iPhone app in an effort to expand how Congress uses mobile technology.
The app, called GovWatch, was created by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, the ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. An Issa aide said the app will act as a one stop shop for users to interact with Republicans on the committee via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and through the committee's website.
Leading the effort on the iPhone app has been Seamus Kraft, the committee's Director of New Media.
"GovWatch centralizes and mobilizes all of our digital communications, allowing the user to view and share our government watch-dogging work without leaving the app," Kraft told CNN in an e-mail.
Senators urge Facebook CEO to change privacy settings
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/27/art.zucker.gi.jpg caption="Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked Tuesday by four senators to reconsider recent privacy setting changes on the popular social media website."]Washington (CNN) – Four Democratic senators called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Tuesday to reconsider the recent changes in its privacy settings and asked the Federal Trade Commission to streamline guidelines regarding privacy on all social networks.
"Now users have less control over private information and it was done without the users' permission," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said at a Capitol Hill news conference.
Schumer, Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Mark Begich of Alaska and Al Franken of Minnesota sent a letter to Zuckerberg about Facebook's decision to allow third-party sharing of user's information.
"We are writing to express our concern regarding recent changes to the Facebook privacy policy and the use of personal data on third party websites," the senators wrote. "The expansion of Facebook – both in the number of users and applications – raises new concerns for users who want to maintain control over their information."
Study scores congressional websites
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/22/art.murkowski.web.jpg caption ="Lisa Murkowski of Alaska won a platinum medal for best Senate member website"]Washington (CNN) – A new study unveiled Wednesday night about use of technology by Congress had some good news for both Democrats and Republicans. The study also concluded that the Senate is doing a better job overall than the House when it comes to communicating online.
The study by the Congressional Management Foundation was used to determine the Mouse Awards, a competition intended to encourage technological innovation on Capitol Hill. Member websites are judged on 93 criteria, including the timeliness of their content, the amount of information on the issues, how the site handles constituent services and casework, the integration of social media, the ability to search, and usability.
"The most effective websites are those where the congressional office treats their website as a second or third district office where a constituent can get any service or kind of information that the office can make available online," said Congressional Management Foundation spokesman Tim Hysom told CNN. He noted that one of the biggest problems on websites is "not providing easy access to the members voting record."
Clinton participates in Earth Day 'Digg Dialogg'
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/22/art.billclinton.gi.jpg caption="Former President Bill Clinton responded to questions posed by Digg users."] New York (CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton recommended on Thursday that every big landfill in America be closed. The statement was in response to a question posed not by a journalist, but by a Digg user.
President Clinton approached Digg, a social voting site, about engaging their community on questions for an "Earth Day Digg Dialogg." Recent participants in Digg Dialogg include Al Gore and Toyota executive Jim Lentz. For the discussion with Clinton, users were able to submit questions, which members of the community voted on. The former president was filmed answering the top six questions on Monday in New York and the video aired Thursday.
Users submitted over 900 questions during a 24-hour period last week. Top questions selected by the Digg community, made up of over 40 million active users, included what the inherent problems are with electric cars, Clinton's thoughts on whether or not Glacier National Park will be around for the next generation, and immediate steps of action people can take to help combat climate change.
CNN Radio: 'Golden Age' of political social media?
(CNN) - Political candidates have learned to use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking tools to promote their campaigns. But is there room for yet another?
"If you look at these types of sites, the last thing we need to do is start creating these networks all over again because it is pretty time-consuming," says David Almacy, the White House Internet Director for much of former President Bush George W. Bush's second term.
Now a senior vice president at Edelman Communications, Almacy said that he worries some new "fad" for communicating a political message might come along forcing campaigns to start from scratch, which he said could frustrate supporters who are comfortable with the current online networking tools.
He thinks the major sites have not matured completely, but are well established and useful enough that "we're on the cusp of it coming into more of a 'Golden Age'" with less need for something new to engage voters and activists.
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GOP urges new tech rules on Hill
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/20/art.skype.gi.jpg caption ="House Republican leaders are asking in a letter sent to Democrats that rules governing the use of Skype be re-examined."]Washington (CNN) – House Republican leaders sent a letter Monday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Pennsylvania Rep. Robert Brady asking that House rules restricting the use of video conferencing be eased.
Currently, House rules prohibit members of Congress from using video-conferencing software applications such as Skype.
The letter, released Tuesday afternoon, was signed by House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Eric Cantor of Virginia, Mike Pence of Indiana, Cathy McMorris Rogers of Washington, and Dan Lungren of California is the result of an effort led by Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California to find more effective ways of engaging constituents.
"[T]he House remains tied to outdated rules that make video conferencing difficult and expensive. The fact is we don't need to sacrifice cyber security to open new lines of communication, like with Skype and other similar technology," McCarthy said in a statement. "If members of the House are to effectively represent the will of the people, we must keep pace with secure 21st century communications tools."
House Republicans compete in new media challenge
Washington (CNN) - House Republicans are competing in a three-round new media competition, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, vice chair of the House Republican Conference, announced on Twitter Tuesday.
This week's round focuses on Twitter, with points up for grabs for adding new followers on the growing microblogging and social media service. "[Fifty-six] #GOP offices are in qualifying round. The top 32 will move into bracket-style tourney on Friday," Rodgers broadcasted on Twitter.
"Subsequent rounds will be on @Facebook & @YouTube. Final rounds on all 3," she explained in another tweet.
The 56 Twitter accounts competing in the initial round are a hodgepodge of individual Republicans and the Twitter feeds for select House GOP organizations.
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Obamas limit time first daughters spend online
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/14/art.obama.lawn.jpg caption="Michelle Obama limits the amount of time the first family spends online, she said Wednesday in an interview with CNN."]
Washington (CNN) - First lady Michelle Obama revealed Wednesday that there are strict rules on the use of technology within the walls of the White House's East Wing - at least during the week and only if your name is "Sasha" or "Malia."
"[I]n my household, you know, we try to establish a set of guidelines and rules that make sense - no computers, phones, television during the week," the first lady said Wednesday in an interview with CNN en Espanol's Juan Carlos Lopez that aired on CNN's The Situation Room.
Obama called the question of how much technology is too much a generational issue, but said educators and parents are beginning to understand the unique challenges posed by the Internet and social networking platforms.
"We talk a lot with [our daughters] about the dangers of Facebook and sort of getting into that social networking kind of gossip mill or, you know, that - that comes from those activities," the first lady said, "[W]e spend a lot of time talking to our kids. And fortunately, more schools are understanding the challenges and they're doing more to educate families, as well as parents and children, about the pros and cons of excessive use of the Internet and all these new networking technologies."
Obamas limit time first daughters spend online
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/14/art.obama.lawn.jpg caption="Michelle Obama limits the amount of time the first family spends online, she said Wednesday in an interview with CNN."]
Washington (CNN) - First lady Michelle Obama revealed Wednesday that there are strict rules on the use of technology within the walls of the White House's East Wing - at least during the week and only if your name is "Sasha" or "Malia."
"[I]n my household, you know, we try to establish a set of guidelines and rules that make sense - no computers, phones, television during the week," the first lady said Wednesday in an interview with CNN en Espanol's Juan Carlos Lopez that aired on CNN's The Situation Room.
Obama called the question of how much technology is too much a generational issue, but said educators and parents are beginning to understand the unique challenges posed by the Internet and social networking platforms.
"We talk a lot with [our daughters] about the dangers of Facebook and sort of getting into that social networking kind of gossip mill or, you know, that - that comes from those activities," the first lady said, "[W]e spend a lot of time talking to our kids. And fortunately, more schools are understanding the challenges and they're doing more to educate families, as well as parents and children, about the pros and cons of excessive use of the Internet and all these new networking technologies."
Twitter archive lands in nation's library
Washington (CNN) - Have you ever tweeted about what you just ate, the person you just met or the awesome CNN story you just read? Now that 140 character message will be archived in the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress has acquired the entire Twitter archive dating back to March 2006. The announcement was made first on the Library's Twitter account: "Library to acquire ENTIRE Twitter archive - ALL public tweets, ever, since March 2006!"
Approximately 50 million tweets are sent out a day and, thus far, five terabytes worth of data. Twitter accounts that are not public and direct messages will not be in the archive.
"We believe Twitter has value in the context of American history and culture," said Library Communications Director Matt Raymond.
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