Reccommended: First Guns

So, it's been more than a month since I last wrote in this space. Too long! I've had a lot going on, but nothing that should have kept me from writing. A sick child, a sick "me," busy at work, snow in April (ugh!) but mostly, I've just been uninspired. However, this morning, I found something that inspired me.

The "busy at work" part has been a deep dive into social media: blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., all for the purpose of driving traffic to the Imaginepub.com website. It's all very, very interesting and exciting, but after a while it's a little repetitive, too. Everyone I follow on Twitter writes about SEO and social media and analytics, and they all have blogs about the same subjects, too. So, this morning I was happy to find a blog that cracks me up. It's imaginative and funny, but manages to maintain good taste, too.

First Guns is a blog on Tumblr written by Michelle Obama's arms. Yes, you read it right; each post is written from the point of view of her arms. The blog's description: "Everyone's been writing about us. Now we're speaking out. We're Thunder and Lightning, the First Guns."



Yesterday's post, On Meeting the Queen: Yeah, We Touched Her There, chronicles the uproar that ensued in the British press when, apparently, Queen Elizabeth put her arm around Ms. Obama's waist and Ms. Obama (who absolutely towers over the Queen) reciprocated with an arm on the Queen's back.

I have no idea who the author is, but "First Guns" is written by someone who is absolutely partisan and adores Ms. Obama for her sensibility and style. It is a great fun read for a girl who enjoys reading US magazine while watching The Biggest Loser while eating ice cream and Triscuits when she gets home from work. It's a nice break from all of the bad stuff going on out there.

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Love the New Website

I love the new http://www.whitehouse.gov/ website.



So far, I don't see any sharing or rating functionality, which would be really interesting here, especially in the blog content. Maybe they'll add it later.

But the content is great, and the designer and information architect definitely know their SEO (search engine optimization).

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Cook County (non-) Elected Officials

Pure class. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1383355,CST-NWS-bird17.article

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CNN/Facebook Will Stream Inauguration

My boss, Jim Meyers, and I were discussing over lunch this week the idea that we might need a television in the office at Imagination so people can watch the inauguration.

Not so much.



In what is surely a license to kill a little (more) time in front of our desktop, CNN.com is partnering with Facebook for an application that will allow Facebook's users to watch President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20 while interacting with fellow social networkers.

I've already RSVP'd.

I don't know if there's anyone at Imagination who isn't on Facebook. Just like a whole bunch of other companies. I love this. And I'll be extremely interested in the numbers:

• How many will watch?
• How many conversations will flow through Facebook during the event?
• How many people will watch both their computer and their television set at the same time? [It happens. I had a roommate (Hi Paula!) who'd listen to/watch NASCAR races online while watching the actual race on TV.]

So cool!

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Obama and the Pastor (no, not that one)

So, I was just reading this article on AOL:

[headline] Obama's Pick for Invocation Under Fire
[first graph] In a move that's infuriated some rights activists and other supporters, President-elect Barack Obama has chosen an evangelical minister opposed to same-sex marriage to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

Has it really come to this? Already? "Activists" are up in arms because someone (a minister) with a point-of-view with which they disagree is going to say a prayer at Obama's inauguration. Really?

I voted for Mr. Obama because I believed him to be thoughtful, balanced, fair and bi-partisan to a certain extent. This choice--as well as a few of his cabinet choices--bolsters my belief in his sense of wanting to include people from all walks of life in his administration, his inner-circle and his contacts in general.

We voted for "change," right? I suppose we could have elected a Democrat who did nothing but toe the party line, but isn't that what we've done for generations up till now? I'm probably not a fan of Pastor Warren (I'm a Catholic Democrat after all) but I'm open to the idea of listening to him and others with different points of view. And I'm open to supporting a new President who will think and behave differently than our previous leaders. He'll make mistakes to be sure; but if he didn't, he wouldn't be trying very hard.

What's the worst that could happen if we listen to a prayer delivered by a pastor who's very popular (apparently) with a bunch of folks? So what if he supported Prop 8? It doesn't mean that Mr. Obama supports Prop 8 or anything like it. It just means he chose a popular pastor to deliver a prayer.

By the way, I can't recall listening to a single pastor, minister or priest with whom I've agreed on every single thing. In fact, I'd guess that I disagree with most pastors/ministers/priests on a lot of very basic, everyday things. And let's face it: These guys (most of them are guys) would be out of business fast if they delivered only the sermons or homilies that people wanted to hear.

But I digress ...

Do we really want another president with a "with-us-or-against-us" attitude on every single thing? I don't.

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A Great Day

It's a great day. A fresh start.

The scene at Grant Park was beautiful, at least from my vantage point (in bed watching TV).

The overwhelming majority of the crowd downtown was peaceful and happy; thankfully not in an "in-your-face" kind of way. (An aside: As the mother of two toddlers, I was surprised at how many parents seemed glad to stand outside for hours and hours, late at night, with their sleepy children in tow. Not in a million years, I say.)

The election was called early (by 10 p.m. CST) and there was no doubt about the legitimacy of the outcome. Refreshing.

And best of all, my husband and all the other police officers and public safety personnel made it home safely.

Our popular new president and his beautiful family have their work cut out for them. (Another aside: After Obama's speech last night, I couldn't help but feel really, really happy for Joe Biden and his family.)

Every one of us will need to sacrifice something to put our nation on the upswing again. I hope President Obama specifically asks us for that sacrifice and lets us know exactly how we can help. And I sincerely hope we participate, step up and take ownership of this process, knowing that it won't be easy and it may not be fun and it will probably get worse before it gets better.

But it must be done.

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Viral Marketing - Don't Vote

I just came across this video. Titled Please Don’t Vote - Tell 5 Friends, its content is clever, funny, urgent and--best of all--relevant. It also contains no fewer than three calls to action.

It is the definition of viral marketing.

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So. Wrong.

A really, really pregnant Amy Pohler raps with the best. And shoots a moose.

All the mavericks in the house, put your hands up.
All the plumbers in the house, pull your pants up.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/39808/saturday-night-live-update-palin-rap

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Mister Manners

It's been really difficult to keep my political thoughts to myself this election year; but for the most part, I have.

First: My husband and I agree to disagree on many things political, and that's O.K. Interesting, even. And 99% of the time, we are polite and civil about it.

Second: The older I get, and the more my own life changes (having a couple of kids will do that to you), the more my own views--about politics and what's important--evolve. And that's a good thing, I think.

Third: I came really, really close this year to wanting to vote for a Republican.

Mike Huckabee, to be exact. I'm from Arkansas, and so is he and, for me, he's a known quantity. He's not Baptist-scary to me at all (and those people really freak me out) and I actually think he's quite funny. But mostly, I found him to be a thoughtful, measured speaker, a moderate, centrist-Republican who can speak and behave like a grown-up (as opposed to a smart-aleck, with-us-or-against-us frat boy). Ahem.

And that is exactly the same quality I admire and like about Mr. Obama. Sure, I've lived in Chicago for the last nine years, but that doesn't really color my views about him because, honestly, I knew very little about him before this election season.

I'm just tired of angry and snippy and snide and sarcastic. All around. We have enough problems as a country and as individuals, and we don't need a leader who comes in on day-one angry at half the world. I'm just tired of it.

I want to be inspired. I want someone who makes me want to follow him. I want someone optimistic about our country and our future. And I want someone who can disagree with others in a civilized, even gentlemanly, way. I want someone with manners.

In this age of dust-ups and bared souls and hearts-on-sleeves, manners may seem quaint; but we forget the real purpose of manners.

We use good manners in order to make other people feel comfortable, not to make ourselves look good. Therefore, people who don't use manners in their language or their actions really don't show any consideration for others around them. They make people uncomfortable. And I've had enough of that. It hasn't gotten us anywhere and it's time to try something else.

I'm ready to take a chance and trust someone that perhaps I know little about. What I do know about Mr. Obama doesn't scare me. It inspires me and makes me feel like someone in this world is worth getting excited about.

There, I did it. It's very doubtful I'll speak of national politics again in this space.

But the City of Chicago pisses me off almost every week. Stay tuned.

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On Ceiling Fans and Looking Like Crap

No matter your feelings about our Presidential candidates, this one is kinda funny. According to a recent post on "The Swamp," a blog from the Tribune's Washington bureau, Mr. Obama was knocking on doors in Holland, Ohio, "making his way through a neighborhood of modest ranch and split-level homes."

Having a presidential candidate knock on your door (when you're actually at home) might be akin to having Nielsen Media Research ask you to install a meter on your TV. It happens to people all the time, but it doesn't happen to me.

Anyhoo, it turns out that Sue Sekel, a 43-year old healthcare worker dressed for a day of Sunday housecleaning, opened her front door to discover Mr. Obama on her doorstep.

Later, Ms. Sekel told reporters it was "the one day I come home to clean ceiling fans and look like crap, and then this happens."

What woman doesn't relate to this? It was your big moment, and you weren't wearing mascara. Or a brassiere. Or shoes. Or whatever. I love Sue Sekel for putting it all in perspective.

Because really, what's more memorable ... having a meaningful conversation with (perhaps) the next President of the United States, or the feeling of a missed opportunity to wow the guy? ;-)

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