May 13, 2008

President Bush Gives First Exclusive Online Interview

George W. Bush will give his first ever interview exclusively for an online audience today, hosted by Yahoo! News and conducted by POLITICO’s Mike Allen.

This first ever exclusive online interview by Bush heightens the divide between past Presidents’ mere acknowledgement of an Internet and the current Presidential candidates’ use of the Net as a vital tool in their campaign arsenal.  In our current Presidential election, technology has concretedits well-earned place in politics by subsiding scandals, fundraising millions of dollars, and breaking news in cyberspace.

Online interviews have been essential forms of communication in this year’s Presidential election; a hopeful sign that the embrace of technology by future White House occupants is here to stay.

“This interview is a natural progression in political news coverage, mirroring the change in the habits of Americans, who are increasingly turning online for their news,” said Alan Warms, Vice president and general manager, Yahoo! News.

The complete video interview with Bush will be available on the Yahoo! News’ homepage will post the video interview this afternoon.  POLITICO will have a complete analysis and a full transcript .

Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 08, 2008

Jordan's Queen Rania - Smart, Beautiful and Tech Savvy?

Rania Al Abdullah has raised the bar with her forward thinking Web-based approach to international diplomacy.

Attempting to irradicate common stereotypes and misconceptions of the Arab world through YouTube, Queen Rania has created a video requesting questions and comments on stereotype associated with the Arab world.  So far, the video has been viewed 1,386,265 times.

The open-forum take on her country's foreign diplomacy is a refreshing break from the scripted and defensive political presence portrayed by many other world leaders on the Web.

"I want people to know the real Arab world, to see it unedited, unscripted and unfiltered," Queen Rania says.  "YouTube is a great platform for dialogue and I believe we need to use these tools in order to get those messages out there, because change begins within each one of us and our willingness to reach out to each other."

Queen Rania will be answering YouTubers' questions until August 12, International Youth Day.

Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)