Speaking of Social Networking

Two things I touched on in my last post were the increasing prevalence of Internet-ready phones and the power of social networking sites such as Facebook.

I'm not the only one talking about that - Apple's got a new iPhone ad that only talks about Facebook on your iPhone.

Besides being the typical brilliant, effective, stylish Apple ad (I swear they have the best ads in the world right now), it's a pitch to a younger crowd than may already be toting the thing (which I'm in love with). But it's also targeted at a certain demographic of this younger crowd - as I'd noted last year, Facebook is used largely by a younger, preppier, more affluent crowd than MySpace. Which is to say I don't expect to see an iPhone MySpace ad anytime in thenear future.

The Internet and Politics

Say what you will about Obama, he's inarguably running the most tech-savvy campaign this cycle. Both he and McCain have slick, visually appealing websites, which is the least you'd expect from a pair of presidential contenders.

But McCain is still a few years behind the cutting-edge applications of the Internet in the political realm (surprising for a guy who made the most of the Internet in his insurgent campaign back in 2000). He's got everything you would want, including omnipresent donation links, if you're older than thirty or so. But his ability to get news to you is limited, and he boasts only a video archive that is on the same menu as print-news stories. His campaign blog isn't bad, but his RSS feeds are sorely under-subscribed. The site also lacks links to his presence on Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites, as well as widgets for blogs or websites (something I emailed the campaign about). There's a noticeable absence of action links on every page - nothing about calling other voters or volunteering; it's focused more on winning your vote than getting you to sway others. It's a website for an older generation, and cedes the e-edge and the initiative among youth voters to Obama.

Obama's website, by contrast, is absolutely masterful. His blog is more picture- and video-intensive than McCain's. Whereas Mac's is largely devoted recently to refuting the Times story, and hasn't been updated since 2/25, Obama's has been updated five times today and addresses several different topics. He's got the volunteer and phone links on every page, as well as the donate links. He has a separate tab for states, so you can find what's going on in your hometown and get involved. And the coolest? Under the media tab, he's got a whole package of mobile options. The ability to download Barack ring tones just creeps me out, but the ability to get policy updates texted to your cell phone is the new frontier of tech-savvy campaigning. It's actually fast becoming redundant as the proliferation of Internet-ready cellphones means that email is always accessible, but it's still fascinating. It's not just updates, however, which some other candidates (such as Steve Sauerberg) boast, it's the fact that you can receive updates on specific policies. It's self-selected micro-targeting via an always-connected medium. Oh and of course there are links to Facebook/MySpace/LinkedIn and every other social network you can think of (and some I've never heard of), as well as widgets.

I'd never vote for Barack, but Republicans looking to be competitive in the new realm of political competition need to look at Obama's site. It recognizes the power of the Internet and breaks further away from the traditional media to media that focus on the individual consumer and on how they want to get their information. In a word, it's effective.

The Next Big Thin

This is just cool: Sony's set to roll out its new line of TVs in December. The kicker? The screen will be .12 inches thick (3mm) thanks to Sony's revolutionary use of organic light-emiting diodes. Of course they'll be released first in Japan, so American techies will have to salivate from afar for a while.

Sorry for using both the typo-as-pun and pun in four words. It's early, I'm tired.

Two Complementary Pieces on E-Jihad

The Economist has put together a readable and important survey on e-jihad (which may again be subscription only - if so, apologies). It looks how the inherent characteristics of the internet make it an enormous asset for jihadis and would-be jihadis, providing a secure means of communication (thanks to the proliferation of top-end encryption software), a forum for indoctrination and recruitment (including the usual appalling videos of killings and beheadings), and a means of disseminating information and tactics.

Meanwhile, the latest issue of Middle East Quarterly includes My Cyber Counter-jihad. The author, Shannen Rossmiller was an unremarkable individual, a municipal judge in Montana until she began infiltrating jihadist websites (by posing as a sympathizer). As part of her efforts, she learned Arabic and then began cooperating with the FBI in building cases against would-be jihadis, including one soldier who was looking to betray his comrades. Sadly (but unsurprisingly), Rossmiller is now forced to have permanent security for herself and her family.

Duke's iPhone Headaches?

Apparently iPhones can kill wireless networks - or at least that's what it's doing to Duke's. A tech-heavy article here (h/t Instapundit) or a more layman-friendly article here. The latter notes a real concern, that we're seeing this problem with only 100-150 phones on campus right now - next month with everyone back, things could get absurdly overwhelmed. I won't even comment on the absurdity of as many as 150 iPhones (retailing at $499-$599 a pop) already being on campus in the midst of summer school.

Clearly Apple didn't think through all of the issues its little baby could cause; hopefully they'll continue their commitment to service and help defray the costs (perhaps not at Duke, but if it overwhelms municipal wireless services for example).