In previous posts we have looked at the importance of interactivity in social media, and the companies that have worked so hard to implement it. Companies that have established their own forms of interactivity are prospering in consumer relations are constantly learning new ways to improve their products and services.
Companies are not the only people using social media. Other organizations and individuals are jumping on the Web 2.0 “bandwagon”. One major individual has entered the social media world. He is none other than President Barack Obama.
Since the beginning of the election race President Obama has used social media through his Twitter site. This was used to keep followers updated on locations of his speeches and other updates on the road to Election Day.
Since the inauguration in January there has not been a tweet from the webpage. That is until March 25. The tweet explained President Obama’s new social media idea called Open For Questions. This will become a forum for people to ask President Obama about his new policies and their concerns for the economy.
Karen Travers on the ABC News blog wrote about the new social media tool. In her post, “President Obama is ‘Open for Questions’ Online” she explained the Obama campaign was the first in history to use the internet to the best of its ability. She sees it as no surprise that they would continue using this tool to communicate with the public during the president’s term in office.
In a previous blog by a fellow student of mine, Mandy Smoot, she discusses the effects of President Obama’s blog found on the White House website. This blog is clearly written by employees that work for Obama, and are providing readers with up-to-date information about the whereabouts and procedures of Obama’s meetings with other politicians.
The major difference between the president’s blog and the new Open for Questions tool is that President Obama himself will be answering the questions directly to the public. This is a great form of interactivity and it is also a great way to gain trust from the public. President Obama is truely committed to rebuilding the public’s trust in the government, and with the growing popularity of social media this is one of the best ways to start.
For more information on the Open for Questions campaign here is a video explanation from President Obama.
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April 1, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Mandy Smoot
Nicole,
Thanks for the link and mention of my post! Your post helps answer the questions I had while writing my post on White House 2.0. I’m really glad to see that our president is taking the time and effort to interact with American citizens himself. His direct interaction is more personal and one-on-one. Lindsey had commented on my post about ghostwriters and the lack of trust citizens might have with President Obama’s use of social media tools. Hopefully with the new Open for Questions tool, citizens will begin to build trust in government. Since honesty and openness are key characteristics of social media tools, I think Web 2.0 is a great way for President Obama to engage with the American people.
April 2, 2009 at 4:13 am
Nicole Fiorella
I couldn’t agree with you more Mandy.
April 2, 2009 at 5:32 am
Lindsey Monroe
Nicole,
What President Obama is doing on “Open for Questions” is fairly similar to what our local mayor here in Harrisonburg, Kai Degner, does on his blog (www.whykai.com). He writes posts about why he voted on an issue the way he did, or why he put a policy in place.
“Open for Questions” seems to tie in with President Obama’s recent online town hall meeting. The most popular questions from his social networks, blogs, and Twitter were chosen and answered in the live, streaming meeting.
I’m not quite sure if this forum will allow citizens/followers to actually interact successfully with the administraters on the White House social media team, but I do think it’ll bring about an environment for followers to interact with each other about pressing issues. White House reps can monitor the comments and discussions on the site and see what it is the American people (or at least those active Americans online) are concerned with, therefore, figuring out exactly what questions they’ll have President Obama answer specifically.
April 2, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Sarah Lokitis
Nicole,
President Obama has established himself as the first President to effectively use the internet and social media to gain support and provide a greater understand to the country about his goals and actions in politics.
President Obama’s “Open for Questions” program is important in continuing the social media methods he used during his entire campaign. It is refreshing to see a President really ask his country what is on their minds. He acknowledges that of course not everything will be agreed upon, but by knowing our questions he can gain a better understanding of the mood and struggles of his country.
Lindsey, I understand why you are unsure if true interaction will occur with citizens and administrators in our country, but hopefully Obama will continue with these open discussions. On his blog it said approximately 100,000 people participated and over 3.5 million votes were cast for the event, so it was very effective at this time. Either way, I appreciate President Obama’s efforts.
This link provides the video and some of the transcript of the event if you missed listening to all of it: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/26/Wrapping-Up-Open-for-Questions/
April 3, 2009 at 1:31 am
Heather Thoreson
Nicole, I did not know that our new president has been using the internet so effectively. I am not surprised though. I knew that during the election President Barack Obama used Twitter and even created YouTube videos for his campaign. I feel like he is trying to reach to audiences that previous presidents have otherwise ignored. He is making the effort to reach out to Americans and everyone else outside of our country to restore the trust that has been previously lost or disregarded. We have lost the trust we need in our government and through this proposed interactivity; it has the potential to create transparency and authenticity, which in turn create credibility and trust. I hope his plans for this new forum work and hopefully it really will engage our country. I feel like this is what we need in our government and the fact that Obama is creating the opportunity to interact with the people will start the process for regaining this trust.
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