Last night along with many other Red and Blue blooded Americans I watch CNN’s YouTube debate and the reactions to it including this bit from NPR – Democratic Candidates Face Off in YouTube Debate. The involvement of the “common” person (or at least those with computer savvy, web cam and highspeed connection) in the political forum. It is also interesting at the quickness that the candidate’s webmasters tried to take advantage of the cool factor of a YouTube enhanced debate by posting video clips of responses and coup points made by the candidate as the debate progressed.
So as not to make this it seem that I am a political blogger these are my reactions as they relate to my interests in education and social software.
- I wonder how many Presidential Politics Courses will include a blogging component this fall or are blogs still in the realm of the geeks and merely a side act in the world of politics?
- Will the incorporation of YouTube make this a less scary tool thus making it harder for Copyright suites to be won?
- An interesting step for a traditional media (TV) to incorporate a new media (YouTube) into their product. It is interesting to note that CNN still filtered the questions and I wonder as James K brings up if in the future will the users of YouTube get to vote on which questions will be asked publicly.
- I wonder if the candidates(or supporters of the candidates) will respond via YouTube to other questions not covered on air.
Does this push social software and online communities to a new level with the average American or is this something whose value is not understood?
Thoughts, Experiments and Experiences 
Is it annoying to respond to two posts in a row?
I thought your post was interesting, primarily because it didn’t occur to me to watch the debates on CNN. I caught the whole thing on YouTube a day later.
I don’t know if it’s revolutionary, but maybe evolutionary, in the path of FDR’s fireside chats on radio, JFK trouncing Nixon in the looks department for TV, Reagan bringing Hollywood charm into politics, or Clinton’s youth movement “Boxers or Briefs” moment on MTV. (But, to answer your question, I still think none of the candidates have truly embraced the medium, like my examples above… Maybe 2012.)
You can watch TV on youtube? I feel old, that thought didn’t occur to me.
Well, back in the day when I was a student at Allegheny and taught some kids in Model Campaign, each team had to have a person post blog responses to events that happened during the day.
Also, Obama’s website is all social-networking (one of the guys who started Facebook put it together) and event planning goodness. Not so much into the blog thing, though. Although they do have like 7 professional bloggers on their team, its not a community blog with lots of dialogue going on, and there are never open threads. But, it’s exactly like Facebook.. if you wanted to blog on there, and make it a blogging community – you could, in theory.
I think most people just don’t feel like living in the blogosphere yet. I think it takes soo much dedication to do it well, and most people realize that.
Also, I heard you got moved and promoted. Congrats.
-Ann