The Femocrat

Ode to Annoying Commuters

2005-08-09T14:11:00.000-04:00

I call you a subway immigrant
Because you appear to carry everything you own on your back.
As if the enormous backpack didn't hold enough
You have two or three bags dangling from your arms.
What could be in those bags, I wonder.
You aren't a terrorist.
Not in Ferragamo shoes.

Journey on my friend with the Jansport hump.
This is my stop.
But please remember for the sake of your next travel partner,
When you turn around
That gigantic nylon appendage
Smacks someone in the face.

Brits are Funny

2005-07-29T10:15:00.000-04:00

More Gifts for the Good People of Political Communication Strategy

2005-07-22T17:23:00.000-04:00

The Femocrat is here to serve!

I now have a thorough outline of The PR Crisis Bible as well as Out of Control for anyone who wants them to help study for the final. I still can't post documents on here so you'll have to email me at Femocrat (at) gmail.com or leave me a comment if you want them.

We're almost done - summer vacation beckons!

No More Blogging - Ever!

2005-07-22T09:58:00.000-04:00

It's like GSPM, but at the end you might get a job!

2005-07-21T15:03:00.000-04:00

The Hotline is producing a reality TV show just for the GSPM set:

The original series RED/BLUE pits liberals against conservatives in a winner-take-all contest. Contestants drawn from a national search will set up camp in a Georgetown townhouse and do battle for the ultimate political prize: $1 million to spend on a cause or campaign in the 2006 election.

The competitions and the resulting prize will test Americans' commitment to politics in a way we've never seen before. Over the course of 8 episodes, 12 citizens from every imaginable political point of view will battle it out in a series of events that challenge their fundamental beliefs and test their ability to drive a political steamroller."

Gee, this seems like a way to truly bring people together for rational discussion and reflection on issues of national importance. OR it's going to be Fear Factor:Politics! Some liberal is going to have to eat Newt Gingrich's intestines and run naked through a Hill prayer breakfast! Cool!

No Blogging Today Either!

2005-07-21T09:57:00.000-04:00

No Blogging Today

2005-07-20T09:54:00.000-04:00

A Gift for My Friends in Political Communication Strategy

2005-07-19T00:36:00.000-04:00

Hello fellow scholars!

In an effort to prepare for our Political Communication Strategy final, I have prepared a thorough outline of Out of Order as a study aid. Because I'm a giver, I was going to post it here for all to enjoy, but I can't seem to do it on this browser. If you would like a copy of this outline, please email me at femocrat@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

I'm going to work on outlines of the other books and will try to actually post the document on here from another computer tomorrow. Enjoy!

Whoa There, Larry

2005-07-19T00:11:00.000-04:00

After listening to Larry Lessig's fiery speech on free culture, I have to say, I was a little confused. Not knowing much about the issue, it seemed like he was saying we should have no copyrights, everything should be free and we should all live together in some sort of communist fairy land where we plant flowers and sing that Coke song.

So I checked out EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), which he references in the speech and they don't seem like communists, but they do seem pretty smart. Their website says:

The dedicated people of EFF challenge legislation that threatens to put a price on what is invaluable; to control what must remain boundless. Because being able to share ideas and information is the reason the Web was created in the first place.

Now I totally get it. Many of the legal decisions about our online privacy and freedom are being made right now and, for the most part, I didn't even know it. As our lives become more and more entwined with emerging technologies, these decisions are going to have a huge impact on our lives.

I don't believe we should do away with all copyrights, as Larry seems to advocate, but I do believe that we should be able to build on our common knowledge and not value profit more than we value freedom.

Alan Greenspan: Psychic?

2005-07-18T14:38:00.000-04:00

I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but The Cunning Realist has some really interesting (creepy, scary, possibly X Files-ish) information about something the Federal Reserve did prior to the London attack. It's a little bit wonky and I don't completely understand it, but hey, this ain't jounalism - this is blogging! Here's the most interesting part:

The terrorist attacks in London took place on Thursday. The Fed dramatically increased the pool of liquidity available for stocks to a multi-year high 48 hours before that---an ideal amount of time for that liquidity to filter into the market---and kept it elevated for the next few days. And indeed, it worked. The stock market saw heavy buying right at the opening bell on Thursday and has shot straight up since then.

Why did the Fed do this? Was it just another coincidence in our financial markets that somehow managed to immediately precede a major geopolitical event?

Is it possible that Alan Greenspan is the only one in the world with reliable intelligence information?

If any economists accidentally wander onto this post, please leave a comment. I need to know whether this is man-never-walked-on-the-moon kind of stuff or if I should start watching Alan Greenspan for clues on when to leave town.

Now I've Seen Everything

2005-07-17T00:21:00.000-04:00

From PageOneQ today:

In a phone call recorded by PageOneQ and blogACTIVE.com, Robert Traynham, Director of Communications for United States Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) has said he is an out gay man who completely supports the Senator.

I could list some of my favorite Santorum quotes (bestiality anyone?) or just launch into a tirade about how any self respecting gay person could actually help a right-wing nut like that, but I think I'm just going to have a drink. Vodka is the only thing that still makes sense in this crazy world.

Robert Traynham, I'm not sure how you sleep at night, but I feel immensely sad for you.

Keep on Blogging!

2005-07-15T14:28:00.000-04:00

They Aren't All Jib Jab

2005-07-15T12:12:00.000-04:00

I love Jib Jab! Seriously, I love it so much that when the IPDI study, Under the Radar and Over the Top mentioned they had done a video on the 2000 campaign, I immediately rushed to their website to check it out.

For the most part, their videos offer slightly off-color, bipartisan mocking to catchy tunes and they are the first thing that comes to mind when anyone says, "viral marketing." I wouldn't really consider them "political communication" since they appear to only use the presidential campaigns as a hook to interest people. I think the main motive in their productions has been to make the Spiradellis brothers both rich and famous.

However, the other videos in the IPDI video library are clearly designed to influence the election. The ones I viewed range from funny to gruesome to cruel, but the one common factor I saw was that they all undermine true political discourse by making the attacks personal.

Each video I viewed implies or makes outright the point that the opposing candidate is an evil person and wants to do the country harm. Swift Boat Veterans (not linking for a reason) didn't attack Kerry's policies or ideas, they attacked his character. Bush Straight Talk (by America Coming Together) portrayed Bush, not his actions or plans as stupid.

While I enjoyed sending, forwarding and watching these videos during the campaign, it saddens me to see yet another indicator of the sad state of democracy in this country.

I believe Bush and Kerry both care deeply about this country and have differing viewpoints about what is in its best interests. However, that viewpoint isn't funny or mean, so it won't circulate around the Internet, even though that is what most Americans truly believe.

But I Didn't Inhale...

2005-07-14T11:37:00.000-04:00

I was reading a nice little article on CNN.com and there was a sentence that gave me pause:

"I would bet that in the 2016 election, somebody's Facebook entry will come back to bite them," Steve Jones, head of the communications department at the University of Illinois at Chicago...

I can't wait to see how a 2016 candidate chooses to defend his Facebook title as Officer Wake and Bake in the 4:20 Fatties group*.

* Real title of a Political Science major at GW on The Facebook.

The Ethics of Persuasion

2005-07-14T11:21:00.000-04:00

Reading Persuasive Technology this week, I couldn't help but recall an incident from my youth:

When I was a little kid I saw a small, black and white advertisement in the back of a kid's magazine. The ad talked about how your signature is an important indicator of character and how, in the adult world, people always judge you on your signature. It then went on to offer 3 new and better signatures and instructions on how to change your signature for the low price of only $1.50.

Well, I couldn't pass up that offer for the key to a better and more successful life, so I sent in my $1.50 and waited anxiously by the mailbox for my new signatures to arrive. After 6 long weeks my package arrived. It consisted of three pieces of paper on which someone had signed my name and a slip of paper instructing me to use tracing paper (not included) to trace the new signature I wanted.

Unethical persuasion? Perhaps
Important life lesson? You betcha!

It doesn't take music and fancy graphics on a computer for unethical persuasion to take place. It worked pretty well on me with just some words on a page.

Children are, indeed, an extremely vulnerable group when it comes to exploitation through persuasive technology, but unethical individuals have always looked for new ways to exploit them. While it is our responsibility to examine the ethical ramifications of our work, it is even more important that parents and teachers teach children at an early age to avoid and combat exploitation.

All Hail MINERVA

2005-07-13T09:55:00.000-04:00

As I was doing some research for another class I came across a really interesting site called MINERVA. Maintained by the Library of Congress, it archives campaign and other website. It currently has election 2000, 2002 and September 11th archives, but is working on election 2004 and the Iraq war among others.

The best part is that it archives the websites daily for several months so you can see how they change on a day-to-day basis throughout the campaign. Enjoy!

Filtering Democracy

2005-07-13T00:02:00.000-04:00

It makes me sad to read about the extensive filtering that China does of it's citizen's Internet access (and angry at the corporate collaborators who made it possible such as fascist Microsoft). I happened to read a really interesting article called The Filtered Future: China's bid to divide the internet on Slate, which presents an interesting viewpoint:

Techno-optimists like Kristof nonetheless take it as an article of faith that all of China's controls are destined to fail. They echo the hacker's creedÂif a system can be beaten it will, so control of information is impossible. They point out that when chat rooms are closely monitored, people start talking about "cabbages" when they mean "democracy." As one blogger wrote recently, "No democratic movement in the history of mankind has ever stalled just because the word 'democracy' could not be uttered."

I think they are right. If people want freedom, they will necessarily use whatever they have to get it. The Internet is a powerful tool and if the people are forced to talk in terms of "cabbages," they will use online-offline synergy to let others in on the game.

I hope there is a bumper crop of "cabbage" in China very soon.

I Thought the Whole World was Designed for Teenagers?

2005-07-12T08:25:00.000-04:00

Hmm. I thought that the entire Internet was designed for teenagers, but our buddy Jakob Nielsen says in Usability of Websites for Teenagers that isn't true. Apparently that is a pretty common mistake in the web design world.

That being said, I can't help but think that his study just advocates the dumbing down of the Internet. Certainly, I don't think the Nickelodeon website should be written on a 12th grade level or reference Nietzsche. But I don't think it should be considered "poor usability" to actually include text or have a site that requires an adult amount of patience.

If we continually expect less of users they will constantly deliver.

Am I Missing Something?

2005-07-08T00:21:00.000-04:00

So, The African-American Blogging Thing argues that there aren't many African-American bloggers and gives some reasons why that might be true. Now, maybe I have missed something here, but how does he know?

I have looked at a lot of blogs in the course of this class and very few ever mention the author's race. Granted, I have seen some of the big guys on TV at the Democratic National Convention and they are all skinny white wonky-looking guys. However, those are maybe 5 of the millions of bloggers out there. How does he know that everyone else out there and everyone writing diaries on Daily Kos isn't African-American?

By its very nature, Internet communication is color, class and gender-blind. It is debatable whether that is good or bad, but it does mean that you can't just decide that, since every blogger you know is white, then all bloggers must be white. Let's see some proof.

Chatting and Downloadable Porn for All!

2005-07-07T08:03:00.000-04:00

The Economist article, The Real Digital Divide, argues that what the developing world really needs is mobile phones, not necessarily the Internet. However, there are a lot of things you can't do with a mobile phone - and I don't just mean chat or download porn. It is not practical to use a mobile phone for education, research or sales.

There are real obstacles to closing the digital divide: sporadic electricity availability, cost, etc. There are, however, some people who are working on it. As detailed in the Washington Post article, Bringing the Internet to the Whole World (Lexis-Nexis link) a computer chip company, AMD has developed a Personal Internet Communicator.

The PIC is targeted to people who make $5000-10,000 a year and has an interesting marketing plan.

Rather than a stand-alone item that users customize with separately purchased software and other features, AMD's Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) is a sealed box, sold through Internet providers in much the same way that cell phones are sold by wireless companies.

Roughly the size of a thick, hardcover book, the computer is pre-loaded with the same Microsoft Corp. operating system that powers many handheld organizers. It includes programs for Web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, word processing and spreadsheet calculations.

The PIC is easy to use, rugged and operates with little power and it will retail for approximately $200 plus the monthly Internet service cost. Best of all, this isn't a charitable endeavor subject to the funding and whims of a government agency. This could actually make a profit!

If there is one thing that will overcome any obstacle in this world it is capitalism and the relentless pursuit of profit. If someone can make money on this then I think the developing world will be awash in porn before they know it.

Keep My Cousins Out of Jail!

2005-07-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

Democracy rules - even in the world of horror core rap.

My cousins are rappers and are semi-finalists in a contest to get a recording contract. They have made it through several rounds and did a live performance on Monday night in Detroit, which was widely praised.

Even if you don't like rap music or you think they look scary (which, they do), Please vote for my cousins!! My cousins are fabulous kids and they really REALLY deserve this chance!

Go to http://www.undergroundpsychos.com/, choose Updates, then Contestants and vote for the Axe Murder Boyz. You can only vote once from each computer.

Voting ends on Thursday, so please vote now! Keep them off the streets and in the recording studio, where they belong!

I'm From Missouri - Show Me

2005-07-06T00:04:00.000-04:00

After reading some of Professor Johnson's book, Congress Online, I started wondering about the email responses of my own members of Congress. Since I vehemently disagree with pretty much everything my evil, Republican Senators do and say, I email them often. However, the only thing I usually notice about their response is that it is A) slow and B) serves to confirm what idiots my senators are.

Last night I sent an email to both of my soulless, conservative Senators, Jim Talent and Kit Bond using my Mom's address. (Mom, if you're reading this - let me know if I get a paper response). Just in case they weren't sure, I let them know my thoughts on the next Supreme Court justice and the upcoming battle.

When I submitted my comment to the Kit Bond site I got a page that said "Thank You! The following information has been e-mailed:" and then showed what I had submitted. The Talent website took me to a blank page that stated "Thank you for contacting Jim Talent" with no way of navigating back to his site. Neither was exactly a warm or fuzzy response to my message.

So now I'll wait. I'll keep you informed of how long it takes to receive the words of wisdom my Senators have to give.

George, That Skirt is Fabulous!

2005-07-05T14:51:00.000-04:00

Hell Hath No Fury...

2005-07-05T08:04:00.000-04:00

After reading IPDI's interesting report Putting Online Influentials to Work for Your Campaign, I can't help but think that they left something very important out. It is important to ask for volunteers, but it is twice as important to follow up with them once they have signed up.

I'd venture to bet that every member of this class would qualify as an Online Political Citizen and what everyone seems to be complaining about from their strategy project is the lack of follow up when signing up as a volunteer.

Personally, I didn't know anything about Viola Baskerville when I was assigned to her, but I have a poor opinion of her now. I sent a Viola E-Card to myself, signed up to be a volunteer, and signed up to receive her newsletter. The E-Card was never delivered and I received the newsletter or a volunteer assignment. Maybe it's not fair, but this makes me think her campaign was disorganized and poorly run.

While it is important to reach out to online influentials, I would say it is twice as important not to piss them off. Most people tell more people when they are unhappy than when they are happy. The last thing a campaign needs is a bunch of influentials spreading bad things about the campaign.

Keeping Them Honest

2005-07-03T22:50:00.000-04:00

When I first started reading about Congressional blogging I thought it was a bad idea. There's no way any member of Congress sits down at their computer everyday to type out their insights on the world's problems. I know how much time that takes and how much of it turns out to be bs. So the question becomes, "Will any of the nation's problems really be helped by hearing more from Congressional speechwriters?" Personally, I say no. They seem overworked enough as it is.

But then I read How Congress Uses Blogs on Congress Online and I have changed my opinion...slightly. Although I still don't feel the need to hear from my Congressperson on a daily basis, I think they should be required to blog every day they are on a trip they didn't pay for.

In light of the recent abuses of free travel, this seems like a great way to keep members honest. I mean, if you log on to a member's blog and it says, "The view from the golf course here is beautiful..." then the trip might bring up some questions.