Without a doubt President Barack Obama was the master in social media outreach. Thanks to the hard work of his team, positioning and participating in all possible social media, Obama is now the president of the United States. In times where there are many bad politicians and clueless presidents, it is vital to make a strategy for getting noticed, to be different among others.

For Obama, “different” was equal to social media. He participated in this platform; creating conversations and making them feel part of their group or the “tribe“.

“In every interaction with the online masses, Obama’s aides sought to build a relationship in which the masses were in charge”(Barack, Inc.)

Social Media are the new trend, are the present and are going to be the future. That was the key in the 2008 elections!

For the 2012 elections, the presidential candidates have to be social media experts! They have four years to prepare, to know how all these platforms works. As Anderson said in his Long Tail, the small niches together are bigger than the biggest groups. If the candidates use that information, victory for them would be imminent.

It would be fun to see how they use the Augmented Reality to target their audience. Probably for the 2012 elections, they just put in the iphone: Republicans or Democrats and the iphone shows you the exactly locating of them. If volunteers of the campaign are walking house by house trying to get votes, they just look in the iphone which area they should go.

Is hard to predict what is going to happen with the social media in two more years. Anything can happen or nothing can happen! The key to the candidates will be: be prepared to adapt to changes and take all the opportunities they have to reach their voters.

Those who resist change resist reality (Barack, Inc.)

As Chris Anderson mention in The Long Tail,

The Internet provided a way of offering a catalog to everyone—with no printing and no mailing required. Of course, some categories were more promising than others. But which?

A few weeks ago in my grassroots class we were discussing a “weird” case of marketing and how the scarcity factor help them. Of course we were talking about Will it blend? A product that has no traditional advertising. Will it blend?, has a website and many videos on Youtube. The sales of this product are based on pure word of mouth. After watching a video blending iphones, guns and golf balls, how you can avoid passing it to others? ( The iphone video only has 7,547,211 views- impressive) Think about what they do is so effective that I’m writing a blog about the product, thus giving it more publicity.

Do you think you have seen everything?

Tom Dickson, the founder, tries to make the videos funny too… watch this:

The Long Tail of Weirdness! The Internet provides everything for everyone. Might be surprised at what you can find in a simple Google search. I insist that you do it and tell me if something weird didn’t appeared. Is almost impossible!

The Internet has its advantages:
1) Communicate with people from other places
2) Collaboration
3) Post advertisements to grow your business
4) Blog Post with your ideas and your way of expressing yourself
5) Find information for studies and other things
6) You find everything

We have to love it and don’t try to understand it too much!

I must admit that along this Social Media class I am still learning new places to find information. Places I didn’t even think exist, what makes me appreciate more the Internet as an informational and learning tool, and a collaborative process.

Global Voices seeks to aggregate, curate, and amplify the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore. We work to develop tools, institutions and relationships that will help all voices, everywhere, to be heard.

What better way to keep us connected around the world! Global Voices allows me to connect with Island Country of Grenada.

With an estimated population of 90.739 Grenada didn’t have a lot of bloggers. Repeatedly are the same people who comment.

Going around their the blogosphere I learned a few things:

1. An inter island ferry service based in Grenada will be officially launched

2. Mighty Sparrow’s, the Calypso King was from Grenada

3. For them the hurricane season, is really alarming and disturbing. They were constanly afectted by hurricanes. In 2004, Hurricane Iván was pretty devastating.

During this year 2009, there are only 19 posts so far, what makes me think that blogging is a tool that they are starting to develop and explore or perhaps Global Voice needs more advertisement!

I’m going add Global Voice to my list of reference and informational sites! Is a great source of information!

I love infomercials too, although I think they are silly, useless and pointless.

Right now I have no TV in my new apartment, but when I lived with my mom (3 months ago) I slept with them (the infomercials). There is nothing better than fall sleep seeing wonderful sharp knives, beautiful garments, magical blenders and miraculous anti-wrinkle creams ( and more weird stuff)

If you call in the next 10 minutes, we will give you 2 for the price of 1 plus a free Vitamin C cream travel size! Call now!

Like Shana, a few times I felt tempted to pick up the phone and order the product but a voice in my head don’t let me. Gods knows, how much I want the InStyler! You can blow dry your hair so fast, smooth or curl, is a miracle. Did you know that you can have a 30 days FREE TRIAL? WOW, impressive.

or

Without surgery? Just twice a day? ha! Are you sure that you don’t want it? How you say no?

Is surprising the amount of products invented, I think there’s a lot of bored people out there. But the worst part is that there is market for them, people are buying this products. I probably would not buy anthing, but someone else will.

The fact that I don’t buy anything does not mean that I don’t enjoy watching the infomercials. So as soon as I bought my TV, I have an appointment with … George Foreman, Billy Mays and Vince Schlomi (but be careful with Vince, because he could punch you if not buy)

As Shana say, just have your credit card ready because they are just what you are looking for! We never know!

When Garrett and Mike announced the Wikipedia entry, the first thing that came to mind was: what the hell I’m going to write? I thought choosing the topic would be more complicated, but after a telephone conversation and some brainstorming, I realized that wasn’t. After choosing the topic carefully, I thought that the most difficult thing would be find relevant and neutral information that follows the Wikipedia parameters. After getting the information and write it I realized that wasn’t. Then I thought, now it is impossible that I can do the Wikipedia format because they have a lot of rules and codes. But after formatting the entry I realized that … that was not the most difficult thing.

Everything was going well until I thought it was a good idea to contribute to my entry with a picture. And there was… I found the hardest part of Wikipedia: PHOTOS

How can be so many rules and buts when it comes to putting a picture? None of the photos I found via search engines, works. Or they had copyright, or clearly had not, or were restricted and if they are from Flickr: Almost all the pictures were protected, semi protected or restricted! Only had a few that could be used and were obviously not relevant to my subject.

Other photos I found on the Internet they don’t said the author, so obviously Wikipedia once again don’t let me upload them. If I upload them, they told me that at any time or immediately they would delete the file. Technically the only more or less viable option you have left is to upload a photo of your authorship. Obviously, Wikipedia is not going to stop complicating your experience uploading a photo. If the photo is yours you have to select the type of license you have. Hmmm, I am new at this … so … what the hell is that?! I have to seek information in order to create information here in Wikipedia!

After long hours of fighting with Wikimedia Commons, I upload one photo of my authorship, but not even ask me what kind of license I chose … because I am not sure. I just select one, before they ruin my experience editing Wikipedia. Intelligent my choice, I could finish my entry on Wikipedia.

That’s how came out: Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián.

I am satisfied with my entry, it feels pretty good being the first to create a page that does not exist on Wikipedia and on a subject that we (Puerto Ricans) identifies as a people. These festivities are part of our tradition, mostly verbal, and it’s time to write, so we do not lose it. After over 50 years Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián is still held and are four days where we run wild in home demonstrations and unity as a people.

Overall the experience of collaborating on Wikipedia was useful and enlightening.

Now:

1. It is not so difficult as it seemed, though it remains difficult
2. I want to create other entries and edit existing
3. I want to be an expert on a topic to be able to contribute more
4. PHOTOs!! I will definitely take pictures of everything and create my own library of images. For the next time I would not have to go through the dilemma of the copyrights and authors in Wikimedia Commons.

Should I do it again? Of course! In fact, we should all make a collaboration, ascertain, we can be surprised to learn what others know.

I go to these applications every time I get connected and am online. I am online almost or more than 15 hours daily… so imagine all the time I spend on them. If someone analyzes my “history” are going to see that half of the time I am in google and his applications … and the other half on Facebook. (Let’s not speak about Facebook, please … because it is difficult for me to accept that I am slightly addicted)

70 % of my time I spend it in one of the google applications… how bad this sounds? If google it turns us useless, how useless will I be?:)

Google Doc is my crowdsourcing of graduated school. Imagine that the teacher is the company and the paper is the task to realize and we, the group assigned to do the work, we are the “crowd”. I can’t believe, how I did not discovered it earlier! For advantage or disadvantage, I don’t know, the Internet in certain way is making us less personal. Increasingly we need less the physical contact with other persons, with Google Doc I can be assembled by my other partners of the group without having to go out of my house. We can be editing simultaneously and collaborating in the same document. It looks like a live chat, I write and the others can see it at the moment also. How brilliant and useful is this?

Google Maps! At first I thought, I just get here (DC) so probably that’s why I use it with so many frequency, but 3 months later … I keep on using it as the first day. It is it so easy and useful to be able to put where you go and even to see the street view. I am usually the most awful with maps and directions but Google Map improved my sense of orientation. Although not everything is “peaches and cream”, I think that we are slowly losing privacy. I can’t stop thinking when we sends resume to an employer, there is your house address… any person with your resume on hand can enter to google and have a street view and see exactly where you live, your local community and your surroundings. It is a little scary!

Google Talk … it is inevitable. Google talk opens whenever I turn on the computer and there is always someone on the other side. Once again the Internet is gaining the battle towards our “typical” forms of communication. Why use the phone and speak with someone, if I can write to him and obtain immediate response also? We are losing the ” human touch ” of listening to the voice. But, still useful!

Gmail, what I can say to you with only 9,336,542 unique visits in October. The e-mail is my way of keeping up to date and in contact with the whole world, in a personal and professional way.

We are loosing: personal interaction, privacy and human touch…. But you know what? I still LOVE Google! That’s the worse part, we all know that these Social Webs applications are in someway interfering with our lives, but we still using it. I love google and I’m sure that almost everyone does it too!

At least, I’m not an addict… I would become one probably, but I’m not there yet!

I think the question should be, if we blindly believe in Wikipedia? To which I say that depends on the circumstances. For me it is a reliable source till certain point, but you have to discern and filter the information.

Watch this video, he is right:

For me the concept of the wiki is a good way of collective unity, unite the knowledge of people around the world. What better knowledge than what we have? We could say that each person is an expert in certain things, so why not contribute and create a collaborative encyclopedia?

It has been proven that an expert-encyclopedia may have a substantial number of errors like Wikipedia, the only difference being that Wikipedia we can edit and correct. In an expert-encyclopedia would have to await the next edition to correct it. So from that standpoint I consider more reliable Wikipedia. Even when doing searches on Wikipedia, I must remember that it is not entirely correct. I would recommend Wikipedia as a way to start your research, to lay your foundation on the subject.

Everyone or just Verified “Experts”?

If you have the knowledge, use it! I think what they are doing right now is working. Leave it open to everybody worked. When it comes to more sensitive or controversial topics, using the semi-protected or “flagged revisions” that only can edit the verified-experts. The quality and quantity of their collaborations makes them earned the trust of Wikipedia to write on certain subjects, that’s a valuable point.

All over the world Wikipedia is used as an informational tool that dominates the internet. So, we can continue using it, we must continue using it, but we must always take into account what it is … a collaborative effort, where there may be errors but also corrections.

In the technological and modern age that we are right now, Crowdsourcing is going to take the lead every time more and more… leverage mass collaboration.

In addition to the sites discussed in class: 99design, Mechanical Turk, My Starbucks Idea apparently there are many more that we use every day but we don’t realized that these sites are a success thanks to the extensive collaboration of the people.

Looking and looking I found several places. The first one is Fat Muffin, quite similarly to 99design, here the companies can put his information and different persons design the advertising. His slogan is: Bake up the biggest designs AND WIN… pretty creative and fun! Right now the membership for this place is restricted, is not accepting new members. The only way of being part is if some member sends to you an invitation or if you write to them (Fat Muffin) and demonstrates them that you have creativity. I think can be handy, but is also silly how they made it exclusive! Isn’t better, more people more collaborate = better?

In the culinary side, I found two: Allrecipes and Innovate with Kraft. Of Allrecipes, I am not sure completely but I think that it is Crowdsourcing because the users there are those who add the recipes, they exchange recipes, they suggest and give ideas, they qualify places where to eat, they upload photos, between others. It is useful, at least for me. I love this place.

The other one is Innovate with Kraft there you can suggest new products, modifications, packaging and can share also recipes. You submit your designs (agree with the terms and filling the forms) and approximately in 8 weeks Kraft answers you. The interesting thing of this is that if your idea is good and they want to use it, it is possible to negotiate compensation or they buy the license from you, so here you do not lose. Not only you do it for the love that you have Kraft, but also if usually you have good ideas take advantage of that!

In addition to these two I found in the way: Digg and OpenStreetMap (where you can see, contribute and edit streets about the world)

Does SecondLife is consider a Crowdsourcing?

Actually were 17,000 goverment workers not 8,000… those that loose their jobs…those that governor Luis Fortuno layoff…. without caring his promise of ” reduce the size of government without laying off anyone”

Probably Calle 13 did not give a good representation departing from the premise that used insulting words to carry his message. But in desperate times, desperate measures. Puerto Rico is passing right now one of his worst periods, where the bleakness and desperation reigns between the people. The feeling of powerlessness towards bad governments and the economic crisis that has unleashed waves of dismissals, increasing the number of unemployment to his biggest point in these times.

The interpreter of Atrevete-te-te, Calle 13 was correct or not? I think neither correct nor incorrect… It was one more way of making us hear, of trying to take our message of desperation out, hoping they take us in consideration … hoping that something happens. It was a vulgar way of reacting, but that is supported for the freedom of speech in our Constitution. Plus, was part of the show!

Mayor Jorge Santini, is one of the bad politicians, that disrespect frequently with his acts and nonsense to the people of Puerto Rico. What better example than his appearance in the Anti-drug operative of the police last September 18, in which one found him insulting and going in a disrespectful way, saying ” Pal Cara … ” and ” Pu … “. Is this the same mayor who censures and cancels concert of Calle 13 in his town for using insulting words in the Grammys? With what moral does it do it? Perhaps must we censure it to also? (It seems to me, that we should)

Desperate times, desperate measures…

Another desperate incident was this monday November 2, when 8 professional women protested topless in the Ponce De León Ave.

“Eight women left that his bodies were used as linens to stage this morning the pain through that there live the public workers, whose unemployments in the Government will be effective this Friday.”

They had painted drawings of the different groups of women who are being affected by the dismissals and by the society. The groups are: immigrants, lesbians, HIV patients, homeless women, chiefs of family, survivors of breast cancer and sexual aggression victims. Women who work for the well-being of these groups are going to remain unemployed and even women of these groups also are going to be unemployed.

Fifteen minutes of protest, so that the government once again sees the indignation of his people…

Desperate times, desperate measures…

… the worst thing is that this is not finished … there is much more for coming …

1. Long Tail- this is only, because I like it. I didn’t know this term before, just to realize that in the Internet there’s a lot of stuff available. Doesn’t matter how impossible looks, old or rare, there’s always a market/group in the Internet. This tail covers the diversity of the people.

2. Google Reader- I did not know existed, what better way to keep you updated on everything going on around you without having to actually go page by page. There you can see the headlines and updates and decide if it’s important or not.

3. Blog- Never blogging; for me is a nice experience because I can practice my English and improve it. Blogging helps with my writing, fluency and common sense when using words.

In addition is new social media tool for expression and share ideas…

4. Linky, linky-never did it before, I did not even know how to! But is great tool and very useful, because you do not have that much space to storage sites that can be helpful … so just make a link … to you would always have it on hand.

5. Wikis-no idea of them! No idea either that was a collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia.

I don’t have work right now, but definitely in a certain way this class changed my habits of investigation in social media. I have more tools to navigate through them.