SMC-DC May Event Recap: Politics at Policy [MULTIMEDIA]

by Aris Kyriakopoulos on May 25, 2012 · 0 comments

in Events, SMCDC

We’re going to do something a little different this month. Since we live-streamed and recorded a SMC-DC event for the first time ever, we will let the pictures and the words of our panelists do most of the talking, along with a Storify of some of the best/most relevant tweets. Adding the multimedia component was a great success, and we plan to do more of the same in the future.

First, the thank-yous:

  • Policy Restaurant And Lounge, for going above and beyond in giving us an AMAZING space, promoting the event, and doing everything they can to accommodate us and more. We can’t thank you enough. You guys are the bee’s knees/cat’s meow/etc!!
  • Our moderator Omar McCrimmon (@omarjmc) for his great questions and our panelists Ethan Klapper (@ethanklapper), Matthew Gagnon (@matthewgagnon), and Paul Winn (@PaulSMG) for the scintillating discussion.
  • Elliot Volkman (@TheJournalizer) for setting up the live-stream and capturing this event for posterity.
  • Jason McCool (@coolmcjazz) for graciously agreeing to give his #ImTheApp talk, which ended up being AMAZING.
  • YOU, whether you were there in person live-tweeting, following along on the live-stream, promoting the event on your networks, or in any of the other myriad ways you support us. Thank you!!
Setting up and social hour:

Amazing space on the second floor of Policy!

Social hour!

Shirt and nametag chosen for the occasion

Pre-event event: Jason McCool’s #ImTheApp talk on #DCArts

Key takeaways:

  • If you have a pulse, the arts are for you.
  • The arts are good at generating discussion, which makes them a natural fit for social media
  • Main problem some genres of art have, e.g. classical music, is in the packaging.
  • DC is second only to NYC in theatre productions
  • Events/places to check out: Fringe Festival, Source, Studio Theatre, Strathmore, Baltimore Symphony
  • Follow the hashtag #DCArts for active discussion

And, the video. Live-tweeting did not do this talk justice:

Main panel: Politics at Policy

Key takeaways:

  • In 2008, the question was “if” campaigns were going to use social media; today the question is not “if” but “how much”
  • Traditional media is still important for reaching demographics that are not as likely to get their news on the Internet
  • Both political and communications skills are necessary for success
  • Twitter has replaced wire services for anything having to do with rapid-response
  • Paul Winn and Matthew Gagnon are the only 2 Republicans in DC (just kidding on that last one!)

Video replay:

Finally, a selection of the best/most relevant tweets from the event via Storify:

 

Recap: SMC-DC May Event "Politics at Policy"

A selection of tweets from the SMC-DC May Event "Politics at Policy"

Storified by Aris Kyriakopoulos · Fri, May 25 2012 14:51:24

RT @AWayofLife0: .@coolmcjazz is kicking off tonight #smcdc event @PolicyDC: "The arts are for people who are alive" http://pic.twitter.com/udu2YvlEPolicy Restaurant
Sad: Studies show that people who don’t grow up with the arts are unlikely to seek it out. @coolmcjazz #smcdcSarah Oyungu
We all love graphics #smcdc http://pic.twitter.com/YfuQ4SDvSocial Media Club DC
Use the hashtag #DCArts. It’s pretty amazing. Trust us. #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Love the concept of tweet seats. A row in the theater where people who want to tweet can do so. – @coolmcjazz #smcdcSarah Oyungu
Classical music has an image problem. Majority of Americans think it’s not fun, boring, for old white people #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
RT @mizdiva: Great way to make a presentation. Sitting on a bar counter. @coolmcjazz #smcdc http://pic.twitter.com/Och5YYw3Social Media Club DC
+1 RT @SMCDC: DC is second only to NYC in terms of theatre. Awesome. #smcdcMikey Tan
This is not the fault of the music itself. It’s the fault of the packaging #smcdc http://pic.twitter.com/0qVxCmc6Social Media Club DC
RT @KellyAlysia: .@natphilharmonic! Follow them, guys. #smcdc #dcartsSocial Media Club DC
@coolmcjazz totally just inspired me to listen to some different music. Young people miss out on the arts so often. #smcdcEmmelie De La Cruz
4 tips from @coolmcjazz 4 a more creative live: Show up, say hello, invest your time and mind, share it – use #socialmedia. #smcdc #dcartsJR Russ
.@MatthewGagnon: By clicking on the "I’m In" button, you give a wealth of information to the @barackobama campaign #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
.@ethanklapper: We’re in a 24-7 news cycle. Stuff blows up like the "etch-a-sketch" comment and the Julia infographic #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Data mining is going to be the baseline for 2016 election cycle bc thats what @barackobama is already doing. #smcdcKelly Barrett
When was the last time someone attacked a hypothetical person? @ethanklapper, re. Julia #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
The "etch-a-sketch" comment got chewed up and spit out on social media before the next day’s paper came out #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Obama campaign has been data-mining &hiring digital strategists and experts from the private sector. Other are trying to catch up. #smcdcEmmelie De La Cruz
Need to know what your goals are. It might not be the best idea to use @Pinterest to get to voters in Ohio, for example #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Politicians are brands, says @ethanklapper. Which is why they get on @Pinterest and @instagram. #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Politics on #sm is about the *brand*.Sometimes thats just sharing a cool picture, or Mrs. Romney’s recipes. – @ethanklapper #smcdcKelly Barrett
Twitter has almost replaced the AP wire for reporters. #smcdc tip for my fellow PR folks out there.Emmelie De La Cruz
Facebook most effective in getting donations, but Twitter is better for rapid-response work, says @ethanklapper #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Now we’re all trackers because of user-generated content, says @PaulSMG. Referenced George Allen’s "macaca" moment #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
If it’s worth watching, journalists will put it up. It’s a mad dash between @BuzzFeed, @TPM, and @HuffingtonPost #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
.@MatthewGagnon: Have politically savvy people who are comminicators #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
True with ANYTHING! "It’s all about authenticity. The more that it’s cooked up, the more people will turn away from it." -@PaulSMG #SMCDCJason
.@ethanklapper says that @MittRomney campaign leans more towards the political side, while @BarackObama is more digitally savvy #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
.@MatthewGagnon: Most successful candidates in social are the ones who are involved and don’t delegate to comm director #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
.@MatthewGagnon: Thinks @BarackObama is using social media as an organizing tool more than anything #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
"The best way you can get anybody to do anything is if you get their friends to do it too." -@matthewgagnon #AMEN #smcdcJason
.@MatthewGagnon says that social should only be a piece of the puzzle. Can use it to hit people who don’t watch TV or radio #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
.@PaulSMG: Traditional media will not be replaced. @BarackObama spent $30 million on digital, $400 million on traditional #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Campaigns need a strategic outline of what tools and what features of tools they’ll use #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Tools change. Being the king of http://meetup.com doesn’t mean much anymore #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Wow. Hillary Rosen’s backtracking on Ann Romney comment was solely due to Twitter. No emails. #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Facebook groups are best way to organize. Facebook pages are not, says a grassroots organizer in the audience #smcdcSocial Media Club DC
Many campaigns tweet from the Twitter website, to prevent tweeting from the wrong account on TweetDeck #smcdcSocial Media Club DC

And there you have it! Thanks again to all who came or participated virtually. We hope you have a WONDERFUL Memorial Day weekend, and we will see you at our Summer Happy Hour on Wednesday, June 20th. Once the venue has been determined, we will let you know here and on our other social channels. Until then, we are always just a tweet away at @smcdc!!

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