Election year in the United States is always an exciting time of patriotism, debate, passion and controversy. It is a time when the nation is supposed to come together to select a leader, a mentor, and a role model. For years, election campaigns have been ruled by an overpowering amount of television advertisements. Television advertisements have always played an important role by providing a way for the candidates to express their beliefs, their goals, their plan of action, and their reasoning behind why they are better than their competitors. It has always been a great way for politicians to reach millions of Americans in the hopes of acquiring the highest amount of votes. However, television hasn’t allowed fellow Americans the opportunity to express their feelings and ask the questions that they needed to know….at least not until this past year.

The July 2007 democratic debate was one of the most talked about topics of last year. YouTube and CNN created a new debate format in which voters sent in video questions to be answered in televised format. This allowed everyone the opportunity to ask a question to a future president. The floor wasn’t just open to reporters anymore; it was open to everyone, young and old. It opened up a whole new perspective to the presidential candidates. Social Media is the people’s voice! There is so much potential for social media to become a decisive tool for the politicians. If the politicians are able to hear the voice of the people, they can modify their campaigns to reflect what the people are looking for in a leader. Social media is also a great way to connect with the younger demographic.

A recent article posted by MediaPost, discusses how competing old/new media alliances including CNN and YouTube, MTV and MySpace, ABC News and Facebook have promised to change the structure of the typical election year by mashing up traditional TV news with the social media capabilities of the Internet. Pew Research Center stated that 42% of people ranging from 18 to 29 regularly learn about the presidential campaign from the Internet.

A frightening aspect of politics has become its ability to divide rather than unite. Republican vs. Democrat. Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, etc. The list goes on and on. Rather than bringing people together, presidential elections have tended to cause the nation to select a political party, a strict set of beliefs, and a stance against anyone who disagrees. Yet, with the introduction of social media into the election, it has allowed people to create an open dialogue with each other.

It is my prediction that social media will be more heavily used in this year’s presidential campaigns. It will help encourage more citizens, especially younger ones, to vote and participate in this year’s election. This is the first year, where the “ordinary” voter can be heard if we choose to partake. Social Media makes it easier for all of us. Go forth and find a social community to participate in. Let your voice be heard and make a difference!

This December the term ‘Blog’ will celebrate its tenth birthday. It was this month back in 1997 where Jorn Barger started this site ‘Robot Wisdom Weblog’ that served as a daily log of interesting web links published in chronological order.

Two years later in 1999 online journal author Peter Merholz took Jorn Barger’s word “weblog” and split it into the phrase “We blog.” Blog soon became shorthand for weblog, and blogging was born.

‘Short’ Blog Time Line

1999: Blogger was founded as one of the first internet communities providing free blogs.

2002: The launch of Technorati, one of the first blog search engines, making it possible for people to track blog conversations on a continuous basis.

2004: The launch of Flickr, a photo-sharing community that helps popularize photo blogging.

2005: Garrett M. Graff becomes the first blogger to receive credentials for the daily White House briefing.

2006: Research report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project estimate that 12 million U.S. adults publish their own blogs.

2007: Technorati reports it is tracking more than 112 million blogs worldwide.

Happy Birthday ‘Blog’!

Web video exploded in 2007. It permanently altered the way we receive our information. Web videos are used for different purposes such as relaying breaking news, creating buzz over a new product, to watching a video of your friends doing something funny. The friendliness of a video allows the masses to relate on a personal level. It enables you to show the story, or a product in action; ultimately giving the user a much better understanding and experience.

News companies have taken advantage of the use of web video. For example, CNN has a feature called i-report that allows users to send in videos and in essence be a freelance reporter. These i-reports have helped break several of the most major news stories of the year, from the Virginia Tech massacre to the bridge collapse in Minnesota. They allow viewers to get a better feel for what is going on and get an unbiased perspective of the event taking place.

Web video has also been playing a big role in politics this year, and will only get bigger in 2008. With platforms like youtube.com and other broadcasting sites, candidates are able to send out their messages to possibly everyone with internet access. It is a great vehicle for candidates to get out their message and relate to people on a more personal level. However, web video can also be detrimental to a candidate, or regular citizens for that matter. Since anyone with a video cell phone can post a video, the possibility of footage of you (flattering or not) ending up on the internet, is very real. Candidates especially need to be wary of everything they do.

Web video also plays a big role in marketing products and services. Companies, large and small, have realized that it is inexpensive and the reward potential is enormously high. If a web video gets some buzz, your marketing message could reach millions within minutes or hours. Remember, it can also have the opposite effect. You want your message to be creative, concise, and a little humor always helps.

More and more companies are realizing the importance of online video and therefore are allocating more of their marketing budget to internet video. The emergence of online video is getting stronger everyday. One trend that will likely grow in 2008 is professionally produced web video content. Especially, with the screenwriter’s guild still on strike, major networks are starting to focus more on producing high quality web shows. As the trend towards web video increases, so will video search results. Video search will most likely become more user-friendly and results will be increasingly relevant as the user demand increases.

All in all, Internet video has a very bright future. It is hard to predict exactly what form it will take, as the technologies and methods of delivery are constantly evolving. One thing can be said for sure, always be aware, because your next move could be viewed by millions.