Mashada Blogs » July 2, 2009 http://www.mashada.com/blogs/ Mashada Blogs » July 2, 2009 Gregarius 0.6.1 en White African: Obama’s New Media Strategies for Ghana http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/white_african/~3/WDhT6LDiOIM/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:45:36 -0400 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/white_african/~3/WDhT6LDiOIM/ HASH A couple weeks ago I had a discussion with President Obama’s New Media team, where we talked about what they might do to reach out to ordinary Ghanaians on his trip next week – which will culminate in his speech in Accra on July 11th. There is a lot of excitement in Africa around Obama, and this trip is going to set the continent humming.

Obama in Ghana - 2009

WhiteHouse.gov/Ghana isn’t live yet, but on July 11th, it will become available. They are going to stream the talk at whitehouse.gov/live.

It’s a fairly interesting initiative to undertake, with a slew of problems, as you try to engage with as many individuals in an open travel campaign as possible. At the same time, you know that any channel you open up will get absolutely flooded with incoming comments, questions and spam of every sort. In the end, the team decided that Radio, SMS, then Facebook would be the primary new media access points – and in that order.

Radio, SMS and Facebook

Radio is still the number one communications medium across Africa, and Ghana has a particularly vibrant and active one with a lot of local and national community interaction.

As everyone knows, mobile phone penetration has grown at an explosive rate in Africa, this means that SMS is a fairly democratic means for getting feedback from people of every demographic across the nation. (Funnily enough, not available to US-based residents – more below on that)

Lastly, there are no major homegrown web-based social networks in Ghana, and like many other countries across Africa Facebook has a decent amount of penetration. In Ghana, it’s at 100,000+, so it makes the most sense for the new media team to engage and interact without splitting their energy over too many services. Having Twitter on as a backup is natural, as there will be a great deal of chatter there as well.

The details (from the White House)

SMS. We’re launching an SMS platform to allow citizens to submit questions, comments and words of welcome (in English and in French) . Using a local SMS short code in Ghana (1731) , Nigeria (32969) , South Africa (31958) and Kenya (5683), as well as a long code across the rest of the world*, Africans and citizens worldwide will be encouraged to text their messages to the President. SMS participants will also be able to subscribe to speech highlights in English and French. Long numbers for mobile registration pan-Africa: 61418601934 and 45609910343.

This SMS platform is not available to US participants due to the Smith Mundt Act (The act also prohibits domestic distribution of information intended for foreign audiences).

Radio. A live audio stream of the President’s speech will be pushed to national and local radio stations during the speech. After the speech, a taped audio recording of the President’s answers to the SMS messages received will be made available to radio stations and websites. The President hopes to answer a variety of questions and comments by topic and region. The audio recording will also be made available for download on White House website and iTunes.

Video. The speech will be livestreamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live. The embed code for this video is available so you may also host the livestream on any Website.

Online chat. We will host a live web chat around the speech on Facebook (it will be at http://apps.facebook.com/whitehouselive). The White House will also create a Facebook “event” around the speech wherein participants from around the world can engage with one another. A Twitter hashtag (i.e. #obamaghana) will also be created and promoted to consolidate input and reaction around the event.

Obama talks about his upcoming trip

Part 1

Part 2

]]> Kikuyumoja's realm: The Art of Blisfull Happiness http://kikuyumoja.com/2009/07/03/the-art-of-blisfull-happiness/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:17:06 -0400 http://kikuyumoja.com/2009/07/03/the-art-of-blisfull-happiness/ jke 02072009306

What’s this?

02072009305

A happy dog! :-)


]]> You Missed This: Gaddafi Expands Ego, Ropes in Fellow Rulers http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/Kumekucha/~3/y_24iuPnnYA/gaddafi-expands-ego-ropes-in-fellow.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:15:00 -0400 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/Kumekucha/~3/y_24iuPnnYA/gaddafi-expands-ego-ropes-in-fellow.html Taabu
Sovereignty must be a battle cry for scoundrels. So African rulers are consorting on continental impunity under the able tutelage of Leader Muammar Gaddafi? The next few days will see the African continental air suffocating from the hollow rallying call of independence and non-interference.

Our rulers are only fooling themselves. Their selfish acts and personalized RULERSHIP only succeeds in providing the much needed cannon fodder to imperialists who are the custodians of their wealth stashed abroad. With one hand they wax patriotic beating anti western drums oblivious of the fact that all their loot is banked out there. What is more, at the signs of flu, they catch the next flight to those same western capitals for specialized treatment.

Gaddafi must be laughing himself silly for congregating dinosaurs and dictators whose only common denominator is pure IMPUNITY. It couldn’t have come at a better time after Gaddafi has taken the shameful mantle from one dwarf Omar Bongo as the longest serving ruler in the world. Other octogenarians must be salivating with envy of him in Sirte. Gaddafi is simply buying loyalty with petro-dollars and greedy scoundrels are more than willing to play ball.

The Hague express
Gaddafi’s ego is expanded the more secure in the knowledge that he is offering many outlaws the holiday to spend their taxpayers’ money. From Bashir to Mugabe, their flights outside their borders are limited to like-minded dictators and murderous. No wonder they are all gleefully ready to sign Gaddafi’s anti ICC communique.

Well, they can run from Cairo to Cape Town but they cannot hide from the ghosts of Hague Express. The diligent Chief Prosecutor Moreno Ocampo will dutifully strike when time comes whether they are in office of dead.

It is only a matter of time and no amount of security in numbers gimmick packaged as African solidarity will wash. The Hague Express is one unstoppable juggernaut that once it departs from the station no pedigree in family name will stop it.Kumekucha


]]> Kenyan Pundit: New (proposed?) Nairobi City by-laws http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2009/07/03/new-proposed-nairobi-city-by-laws/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:44:23 -0400 http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2009/07/03/new-proposed-nairobi-city-by-laws/ Ory Okolloh I know people have been looking for the electronic version, so here you go. Haven’t had a chance to peruse, but according to the twitterverse there’s lots of things that make you go hhmmm (and worse).

Animal-Control By-laws

Derelict-Vehicle By-Laws

Ground-rent

Traffic-management

Instant-ticketing

]]> Farmgal: Married available men!!!$$$ http://farmgal.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/married-available-men/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:07:57 -0400 http://farmgal.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/married-available-men/ farmgal ]]> Black Looks: Flyng the rainbow flag in India: Section 377 repealed in Delhi http://www.blacklooks.org/2009/07/flyng_the_rainbow_flag_in_india_section_377_repealed_in_delhi.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:33:02 -0400 http://www.blacklooks.org/2009/07/flyng_the_rainbow_flag_in_india_section_377_repealed_in_delhi.html Sokari Diary of a gay Kenyan: Can you learn to love... http://thegaykenyan.blogspot.com/2009/07/can-you-learn-to-love.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:01:00 -0400 http://thegaykenyan.blogspot.com/2009/07/can-you-learn-to-love.html


Great weekend all! ]]> the-undergraduate: Glass half full http://the-undergraduate.blogspot.com/2009/07/glass-half-full.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:48:00 -0400 http://the-undergraduate.blogspot.com/2009/07/glass-half-full.html Poetry over lunch is definately something id like to try again
Spag top,shorts and heels on a cold day....hmmm....brrrrr....in my defence it was quite warm when i left home and this town needs to ease up on the crazy weather lol!

Got my diploma in advanced driving and a certificate in first aid and mechanics which is like suck a joke lol!But hey,thats not to say i dont deserve them...i can drive,i can change tires(in theory),i know first aid....CPR :)

>random segway...after a google run turns out fear of eating in public is real
uninspired to write...l8ters ]]> Kenya Imagine: Is the Mau Mau compensation lawsuit worth the trouble? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KenyaImagine/~3/Qy8fKg4fnfM/is-mau-mau-compensation-lawsuit-worth.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:47:00 -0400 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KenyaImagine/~3/Qy8fKg4fnfM/is-mau-mau-compensation-lawsuit-worth.html new piece about the Mau Mau -- one of his specialist subjects. Rather surprisingly, he thinks the lawsuit not a very good idea. ]]> Mshairi: Long before http://www.mshairi.com/blog/long-before/ Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:35:09 -0400 http://www.mshairi.com/blog/long-before/ Amani