facebook & CNN... bedfellows yet again

much like what facebook & CNN did on inauguration day, they're up to it again. the president will be addressing congress regarding his first piece of legislation live on CNN & facebook. i'm guessing we can expect to watch the live stream courtesy of CNN in one frame while we watch our friends and other facebook users update there statuses and comment on the address (much to debo's enjoyment, i'm sure).

i think it's interesting that the obama camp is using the web and social networking to promote transparency in the administration. well, maybe interesting is a watered-down descriptive term. i think it's pretty cool and refreshing to have more of a connection with government through the mediums most convenient and intriguing to me. i mean... i watch CNN on tv. but, i blame the MBA program on that. if there wasn't the need to stay abreast of current events in order to remain a worthwhile contributor in classes, i probably would not watch it as often as i do. it's either that or i'm just getting plain old! as 30 stares me in the face, i'm latching onto the former and i ain't lettin' go. hmph.

i digressed a bit. as i was saying... my communication mediums of choice are all things 2.0. you have better luck getting in touch with me via text, email, IM, or writing on my wall. all those things will get through to me far sooner than a voicemail. just ask my grandparents. they caught on after a while as well. so, washington has received the memo too it seems. i also think it's smart that the administration is keeping up the momentum of the young voter population garnered during the campaign. i think it makes the whole political process (at least seem) genuine and it makes all the hype that motivated an entire generation to come out and vote in record numbers more than hype.

abc.com

i visit abc.go.com all the time (admittedly not since the start of spring semester, however) to catch up on a few of my preferred (dare i call them favorite) shows.  "grey's..." (of course), "private practice", and "brothers & sisters" are my main attractions to the site.  usually, i visit to view the full episode player which is really awesome.  not novel by any of today's web standards.  but, cool nonetheless. i think abc was actually one of the first networks to offer web viewing of full episodes.  don't quote me on it but i think it was. maybe i should look into it?

at any rate, i figure web viewing is quite 2.0-y.  why not right?  so, i went to abc.go.com to explore beyond my normally tunnel-vision-driven route (i.e. straight to the full ep section).  i discovered that the network has an online community for the shows that air on the network! i got waaay to excited about it, i must admit.  if you head to the homepage and click on the community link, a drop-down menu will appear and there you will find all the worlds 2.0 oysters.  well, at least a couple.  

there are blogs maintained by the writers of the shows.  the blogs detail the writers' experiences coming up with the episodes as well as interviews with cast members of the abc shows.  there are also hints of upcoming episode happenings.  message boards are populated with viewer commentary on varying shows.  you need to become a member of the abc online community to post a comment.  widgets & games are fun pieces of the community.  you can actually grab widgets for a particular show to put on your blog, facebook, igoogle, or myspace pages.  the widgets include a count down clock to the next episode of the show, photos from episodes, and you can even have a mobile version of the widget sent via text to your cell phone.  i posted the widget in a separate post by posting it straight from the abc website.  check it out.

go 'head, b

after all that nonsense ms james was talkin' 'bout b...



she was still respectful.


"at last" by etta james is quite possibly my favorite song of all time. so, needless to say that i was more than excited to hear b's rendition on the cadillac records soundtrack. and she damn near nailed it! i mean it was so close to being as amazing as etta's. and i'm even more of a fan of b's for being the bigger person and remaining respectful.