THE oldest person on Twitter, Ivy Bean, died this week at the age of 104.

The great-grandmother from Bradford had first hit the headlines when she got ‘bored’ with one social network – Facebook – and switched to Twitter.

She ‘tweeted’ about her love of fish and chips, her online friendship with celebrity Peter Andre and her fondness for TV’s ‘Deal, or No Deal’.

Ivy chalked up a mind-boggling 56,000 followers on Twitter, who kept in touch with her via regular updates of just 14o characters.

Ivy’s inspirational story was a real boost to those who celebrate the power of the internet as a force for good and a liberating influence.

It certainly seems to have given Ivy a new lease of life and enabled her to make connections with people she would never have dreamt possible just five years ago.

She said: “Before I signed up to Twitter all I used to do was sit all day and fall asleep. I’d be miserable if I didn’t do it.”

The posts made by followers following the announcement of her death were touching, respectful and emotional.

Ivy’s touching story further underlined how social networks, such as Twitter, are rapidly changing the way people connect with each other in the 21st century.

It is a powerful reminder of the way the internet can help the human spirit to triumph.

And that its never too late to learn.

Now you can get a valuable comedy insight, courtesy of YouTube (or ‘MyTube’ as perhaps it should now become known).

Congratulations to Jon Mason, aka Jollywise, for his hysterical take on the corporate advertising world in ‘The Truth in Ad Sales’.

With almost half a million hits and hundreds of comments, it seems clear that for many the video has a certain authenticity.  Watch, recognise and cringe…

WARNING: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION

The Truth in Ad Sales

It tells how Cabinet Minister Ed Balls, a close confidante of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, rang up the magazine’s political editor, Fraser Nelson, to complain about an earlier article which had branded the Children’s Secretary “a liar”.

It is not for us to pronounce on the rights and wrongs of the complex dispute over debt between the pair. Readers can make up their own minds.

But it is quite astonishing that Labour’s Mr Balls, who is in charge of the nation’s schools after all, should take the time and trouble to phone up a Conservative journalist and angrily demand that a blog post be withdrawn. Allegedly.

It may reveal something of the judgement and mind-set of those who wield power on our behalf that such tactics can even be considered appropriate. Whatever happened to freedom of the press?

Secondly, and much more importantly, it also reveals that senior figures in the Government have still failed to come to terms with the power of the internet. They just don’t get it.

As Nelson rightly observes:

Five years ago, you could lie like this on the radio and get away with it. Space is tight in newspapers, no one would devote hundreds of words and graphs – as we did – to expose a lie for what is. But the world has changed now. Blogging has brought new, hyper scrutiny. Blogs have infinite space, and people with endless energy, to expose political lying – no matter how small. Your claims can be instantly counter-checked, by anyone. If you stretch the truth, you can be exposed – by anyone. And if you plan to base a whole election campaign on a lie, as you apparently intend to do, then you’re in for a rude awakening.

Whether Balls is in fact ‘lying’ is, for the moment, besides the point. What matters is that the internet has opened up politicians to intense public scrutiny by the crusading, the campaigning and even the slightly deranged. Politicians cannot control it. Nor should they try.

But they must learn to deal with it.

Sensibly.

THE fallout over the Damian McBride smear campaign continues apace – not least amongst the Labour Party’s online community.

They are anxious not to panic and throw the baby (new media) out with the dirty bathwater (McBride’s smears) by suddenly rejecting the web-based campaigning epitomised so eloquently by Barack Obama.

The disgraceful online activities of McBride, Gordon Brown’s closest adviser has of course left Labour extremely vulnerable.

So the Fabian Society have put together a comprehensive and commonsense defence of blogs and the blogosphere, assembling a variety of Labour-linked bloggers in its support.

They celebrate the internet as a force for good, empowering people who have been disenfranchised and alienated, giving a voice to those who have been silenced and cannot be heard.

They also put forward an extremely robust defence for using the internet to expose the wrong-doing, lies and hypocrisy of the powerful. We couldn’t say it better ourselves:

“We should challenge the ideas, claims and sometimes the misrepresentations of our opponents…this will become ever more important as the internet makes politics more transparent…we will point out a mismatch between professed principles and policies, or where the evidence does not back up what is claimed.”

Which also prompts us to forecast that a David Cameron Government will be very quickly greeted by a tidal wave of web-based opposition, disproving the notion that Labour supporters lag behind the Conservatives in the digital communication stakes.

The web is a powerful tool for democracy and empowerment – a welcome antidote to the ‘we know best’ approach of command and control public figures. Which is why we love it so much.

No longer can the rich and powerful hide their transgressions behind friendly newspaper barons. Every blogger is a potential Rupert Murdoch (but with considerably less money but hopefully more ethics, obviously).

From a PR point of view, with more than 70 per cent of the population now having access to the internet, new media offers fantastic new opportunities for almost anyone to get their message across. 

Instead of battling to persuade a jaded, overworked, world-weary journalist to cover your positive story – rather than the latest media obsession – the ‘web savvy’ can now reach their target audience directly. And unfiltered by anyone else. You are in complete control of your own message.

Of course, more work needs to be done on spreading the power of the internet to the hardest to reach groups. But great progress is being made.

And as we have seen repeatedly, if the message is good enough, the media will soon come running to you.

Fully realising the benefits of new media requires, of course, considerable technical expertise, coupled with great creative flair and commitment.

But as some of the best bloggers have demonstrated – it can be done.

You can support the Fabian Society statement, Why We Blog here.

They want better technical support, more training and stronger creative input to help market their businesses more effectively on the web.

Although most are ‘reasonably’ or ‘very well equipped’ to use the internet, the biggest barrier they face is their lack of knowledge and the ‘techy’ jargon used by experts.

More than 100 start-up enterprises took part in the survey which was carried out by Sound Communication during a series of ‘Marketing on the Web’ workshops we provided for new small businesses.

The survey found that start-ups were well aware of how important the web is to the success of their business.

But they want more practical support – especially with technical issues – and more training. Too often, jargon and gobbledegook gets in the way.

Sound Communication Director, Matt Finnegan said: “There was a real sense of frustration amongst new businesses who want to market themselves more effectively on the internet, but do not have either the time, expertise or the knowledge.

“As the recession tightens its grip and business is done increasingly on-line, these problems are only going to get worse.”

The Sound survey found real demand amongst budding entrepreneurs for practical training sessions and workshops about Search Engine Optimisation, blogs and on-line networks, like Facebook and LinkedIn.

But very few new enterprises were aware that, rather than spending a small fortune on web sites, they can create a blog or use existing social or business networks for free – and market themselves on the internet just as effectively.

Mr Finnegan added: “By far the most popular part of our workshops was how to build a very simple blog in less than ten minutes and gain an instant presence on the internet. It really opened the eyes of business.”

The small businesses who took part were, in the main, limited companies and sole traders, half of whom already had a web presence and used the internet either constantly or a few hours every day.

Seven out of 10 cited lack of knowledge as the biggest barrier to using the internet for their business. Half complained of lack of time and too much jargon.

Two thirds said the single thing that would most help them to use the internet more effectively to market their business, was technical expertise, more training and a stronger creative input.

The workshops were carried out by Sound Communication throughout Greater Manchester on behalf of the advice agency, Business Support Solutions.

MORE than six million people have so far been emailed a spoof video blaming them for electing Republican John McCain as the next President of the United States.

The video is going out to more than 30 new people per second as a direct and personal reminder to them to vote in next Tuesday’s Presidential election.

The spoof video is set after the election and “reveals” that Democratic candidate Barack Obama has lost by just one vote. The ‘missing’ voter is the person receiving the personalised video!

In the spoof news-style video, the missing voter’s name is blazed across headlines in the New York Times, is personally thanked by George W. Bush and is castigated by irate US citizens (including an hilariously foul-mouthed grandmother, pictured above) and a lonely goat herd who now fears his flock is about to be bombed by ‘President McCain’.

The video is witty, irreverent and extremely well done – and it may have the desired effect in helping to Get Out The Vote as well as becoming a global hit.

Research shows that this kind of social “nudging” is extremely effective. The organisers are aiming to reach 10 million people before Election Day in the USA – but look set to easily reach their target.

To see how it works, you can fill in your friends names and send the video to them today.

Send the Spoof Video

As the organisers, MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION say: “Studies show that by far the best way to get people out to vote is to convince them that (a) everyone else is voting, and (b) everyone will know if they don’t vote.

“This video does both—with a smile (or a smirk, in some cases).

“It takes just seconds to send, and it could be the thing that actually pushes a friend of yours to the polls.”

It is entirely coincidental, of course, that Barack Obama will be the beneficiary of this ingenious tactic which sets impeccable new standards in communications and political campaigning.

In the next British General Election, will Gordon Brown or David Cameron try something similar?

At 19.11 on Sunday 24 August, 2008, we received an email headed  ‘Hello’ from Senator Joe Biden, new Vice-Presidential running mate to Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

The Obama campaign’s mastery of the internet and digital communications has already been noted: texting the choice of his No 2 direct to supporters was just the most recent demonstration.

So it was no surprise that, within 24 hours of being nominated, Biden had been plugged straight into the Obama campaign’s huge worldwide database and was sending out a personal YouTube video message.

Ten out of ten for lightning-fast communications and being so web savvy.

But the message was as equally impressive as the medium.

Most British politicians haven’t a clue how to use the internet to communicate, or to engage in conversation with the millions of people logging on. Their woeful attempts to enter the 21st century can be excruciatingly painful to watch. Like your grandad suddenly being ‘cool’.

Sixty-five-year-old Biden’s video message was refreshingly unpatronising to the Obama digital generation.
“I’m deeply honoured to join Barack and the millions of supporters like you, in this movement you’ve built together,” the veteran senator graciously intoned.

He went on to pay tribute to the grassroots nature of the Obama campaign for change.

“I’m here to join the team and follow the example of millions of people who are already organising all across the country….I want to thank you again for making me so welcome as the newest member of this team.”

Cynics may congratulate Obama’s brilliant scriptwriters for their cleverness in constructing such a humble approach for a veteran Washington insider.

But they might also agree that, in politics, the tone adopted is crucial.

And in his first YouTube video, Biden struck exactly the right note.

You can view the video here http://my.barackobama.com/joebidenvideo

THE charge is damaging: that US Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama cancelled a hospital visit to wounded troops in Germany because he was not allowed to take the press with him.

It feeds into the popular global cynicism about politics and politicians: all spin and no substance. Obama is the cerebral dilettante concerned only with image and appearance rather than genuinely interested in the well-being of our brave boys.

And it undermines Obama’s campaign credentials as being an authentic voice who offers a clean break with the Washington machine politics of the past. Just like all the rest – a self-centred ego-maniac.

 The allegation of snubbing wounded service men now appears a central part of Republican John McCain’s attack on Obama, potentially fatally undermining the Democrat’s credibility as future Commander in Chief.

Republic campaign ‘attack ads’ are being aired on TV and YouTube and McCain has started touring the TV studios, this week levelling the ‘snub’ charge on the influential Larry King show on CBS.

But what is the truth?

The Washington Post, still lauded for its campaigning reporting on Watergate, picks apart the McCain claim piece by piece.

• The press were never due to join the Obama hospital visit during his European tour.
• Obama was to be accompanied by a retired Air Force military general, who is now a campaign advisor
• The visit was cancelled when the Pentagon advised that the trip would be considered ‘political’.

But the Obama campaign’s rapid and repeated attempts to rebut the McCain alllegation appear to have given the story even more oxygen and invited even more questions from suspicious reporters.

No smoke without fire, goes the oft-repeated saying.

For Obama, yet another cliche may well be pertinent: ‘Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’

It all goes to show how, with communications now lightning fast, every single step along the campaign trail has to be carefully examined, weighed and investigated in advance. Every political and media implication explored and calculated.

No wonder then that, on the US campaign trail at least, there appears little room for spontaneity or authenticity.

Thankfully both the Washington Post and the New York Times have presented their own insight into events, from experienced reporters who travelled with Obama on his European tour.

But what will have lasting impact - a serious broadsheet investigation or a 45 second ‘attack ad’ on TV and YouTube?

And could we rely on the British media to perform a similarly investigative function if there was a similar incident in a British election campaign?

Links to further reading:

Washington Post: McCain charge against Obama lacks evidence

The Trail: Questions abound about McCain critiscism of Obama trip

The Fix: Obama, McCain and the troop visit that wasn’t

John McCain video: Troops 

Now anyone can become a reporter – and they can broadcast from their very own YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, as Hillary Clinton bows out of the Democratic race for President of the United States, the Independent on Sunday greeted the dawn of a new era in political reporting thus:

“a first-of-its-kind election dominated by bloggers of all political hues, by citizen journalists armed with camera phones and cheap digital recorders, and played out on YouTube and across the web.”

It goes on to describe the dynamic and influential role so far played by ‘citizen journalists’ in the US election – a trend which looks certain only to increase as the battle between Obama and McCain intensifies.
Whether Britain will ever embrace this exciting new age of digital communication with quite the same enthusiasm, open-ness and commitment remains to be seen.
But one thing is clear – effective communication with global audiences is no longer the preserve of multi-millionaire media tycoon’s like Rupert Murdoch.
And that can only be A Good Thing.

HOW many people would watch a 37-minute speech by a politician?

Few of us would guess that five and a half-million people would have tuned in.

But that’s how many people have apparently so far watched Barack Obama’s ‘More Perfect Union’ speech on YouTube.

In its entirety.

The Democratic Presidential contender has other impressive on-line statistics: $235million dollars so far donated by 1.5 million individuals, 8.3 million people watching the ‘Obama Girl’ video on YouTube, record numbers of friends and supporters groups on Facebook.

All of which led to Obama being hailed as the clear leader in digital politics during a fascinating live debate on the impact of the internet on the American Presidential election, sponsored by the Financial Times, the US Embassy in London and YouGovStone.

Phil Noble, founder of Politics Online, forecast that Obama’s web-savvy campaigning would raise £1billion online and would bring 5-6 million supporters helping on the streets of America in the closing days of the Presidential election.

Dr Andrew Chadwick from the University of London, attributed the apparently more engaging on-line nature of US politics to its more pluralistic society. 

And self-confessed Obama fan Joanne Shields, from the social network site Bebo, fired up her audience with an evangelical acclamation of the revolutionary nature of the internet in ‘bringing politics back to the people’.

She added: “If you can, through inspiration and innovation, spark enthusiam in the on-line community about who you are and what you stand for, they will share your message and multiply excitement and support exponentially.” 

Which seems a pretty sound message for anyone considering how to make their presence felt on the web.