Media consumers can continue to follow his steps through blogs, podcasts, twitter, facebook, google,  newspapers, television and beyond. With new media taking off and old media still clinging on for dear life the choices are endless for media consumers.

As his term progresses it will be intersting to see how the first president elected with a great deak of help from new media is covered through the many mediums he used to get elected.

I will raise one final cocktail in a final toast to my good friend Mr. Barack Obama and wish for him great success!

To Obama!

Reflection

As we draw nearer to Obama’s 100th day it is a time for reflection. As one of the most published about presidents in history this is never hard. Using old and new media one can find his name just about anywhere. Whether it be on the bumper stickers that die hards will be sporting till 2012, or newspaper clippings preserved with his smiling face plastered across the front.

Being one of the most well-documented presidents makes his every move even more scrutinized than ever before. For instance, I didn’t even know our beloved W. had a dog until they showed a montage of dog photos from presidents past on www.msnbc.com inspired by the welcoming of Bo to the Obama family. Obama on the other hand had reporters, photographers, and plenty of videocameras posed to welcome the new addition to the family. You couldn’t open up the newspaper, turn on the T.V., or browse the internet without a mention of Bo lurking somewhere.

Documenting his first 100 days has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. To see a man that has inspired hope in the hopeless across the nation while working tirelessly to fufil his promises has made this assignment a delight!

This can be attributed to either:

1. He was finally able to take that well deserved nap, or
2. The media is/are (depending on who you ask) sick of him and would rather discuss pirates (who wouldn’t!)

Upon closer examination I did find a story at the dreaded (ha!) fox news site that discussed how medical providers are pleading with Obama to not repeal the conscience clause Mr. Bush enacted right before leaving office. Your move Mr. Obama, now that you are well rested it better be a good one…

I can't beleive I found this! How fitting..

Obama so fly...

Obama has been in office for 71 days now and he has yet to take a breather…

What has he been up to? This week he has been meeting with the G-20 which is comprised of world leaders that account for 85% of the world’s economy (whoa!) What is the G-20 you ask.. well Wikipedia says this:

“The G-20 (more formally, the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors) is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 economies: 19 of the world’s largest national economies, plus the European Union (EU). It also met once at heads-of-government level, in November 2008. Collectively, the G-20 economies comprise 85%^[3] of global gross national product, 80% of world trade (including EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of the world population.”-Wikipedia

The meeting was designed to resemble a friendly gathering starting off with a cocktail party and informal discussions. Bloomberg reported that:

“Obama said he had come to the G-20 intending to listen, learn, show some humility and help encourage the “best answer.”

“I think we did OK,” Obama said.”-Bloomberg

Obama to the rescue per usual. Hopefully after this meeting the rest of the world will have a reason to HOPE!

Love this guy

It is fact that Obama successfully utilized New Media to win the election this past year. Now he is using to it strengthen his popularity and broadcast his thoughts on the nation’s burning questions…

Obama used the internet to get questions from regular folks and those in attendance at an informal conference today. This format was utilized in an effort to make good on his promise of opening the white house to every citizen.

He touched on jobs, the economy, and health care. Issues he has been addressing since the inception of his presidency, but addressed in a much more down home style today.

Old Questions

Obama’s continued efforts to keep the American public in the loop and at the top of his priority list is admirable indeed!

New Media

What will he do next… just you wait and see (and of course keep reading my blog) to find out!  ;)

Pro-New Media

Game On!

Lets play a game: Pretend you run a HUGE company that is failing and to help you your government hands you billions of dollars in an effort to save the economy. Would you then:

A. Give out millions of it to your executives as bonuses

B. Use that money as effectively as possible and make your company viable once more

If you picked A. please see the strong words below, if you picked B. You deserve to run the company.

Thanks for playing!

For those of you who haven’t been following the news this game was inspired by AIG, a huge company given billions in government assistance that argues they should still be able to hand out bonuses to their employees.

Strong Words:

“Obviously, maybe they ought to be removed,” said Sen. Charles Grassley during an Iowa City radio interview on Monday. “But I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them if they’d follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, I’m sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide.”

Go Idaho!

I hope AIG starts to feel a strong sense of fiscal responsibility, and soon!

OH MY GOSH! They are letting stem cell research happen? What is this?! AMERICA?!

Oh, yes it is, yaaay! Finally we have lifted that silly little ban our beloved W. put on Stem Cell research funding. Now much needed research and medical advances can be done that may result in cures for some of the deadliest diseases on earth.

But what if they start cloning people? Relax. Here is what my beloved Obamarama has to say about that:

“Obama took care to emphasize that the order would not “open the door” to allow human cloning, which he said is “dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society, or any society.” But the president said stem cell research has enormous potential to further understanding and treatment of many devastating diseases and conditions. America, he said, should play a leading role in exploring the stem-cell research frontier.”

These first months have been extraordinarily busy for our new president, and I just can’t wait to see what he does next…

(Crossing my fingers for effective health care reform!)

Come on! Come on! Come on!

The American Dream

What the big guns are saying…

“It’s not intended to prevent every foreclosure or to help every homeowner,” a senior Treasury Department official told reporters. “It’s really targeted at responsible homeowners.”-Msnbc (“old” media)

The Obama plan will provide some real relief for some people who need it, but I’m only modestly optimistic that we’re going to see a significant reduction in foreclosures,” said Mark Vitner, senior economist with Wachovia Corp in Charlotte, North Carolina.-The result of a Google Google News search (New Media)

The American Reality

This plan is a $75 billion worth of relief for those that need it most. I remain optimistic and hope it will help keep families in their homes and off the streets.

Prince Charming

Well people, whether you hate him or love him, he definitely does not lack charm. Throughout his speech Obama mixed a delightful cocktail of hope, caution, inspiration, and charisma. Now that is something I can drink to!

Political Cocktail

He is now spearheading a trillion dollar stimulus package meant to bring this recession to a slow, but steady, halt. This package will do everything from improve our roads and schools to FINALLY do something about this ridiculous health care system we have here in the United States.

One particular area of interest: Electronic Medical Records

Electronic Medical Records

Why it has taken us this long to put down our rudimentary paper and pencil and pick up electronic medical records is far beyond me! These records will bring about a new era where you won’t be asked 3 million times in the course of your lifetime what your medical history was. It will be on a database ready to access in your time of need! This is a health communicators utopia!!

Mixing Old media with New media.. once again

Old: I viewed his speech on the telly

New: discussed it VIA blogs and researched it on several online news sites.

A well rounded mix once again!

Just what will Obama do next…

Obama Rama!

Stimulus Package

Welcome back, and boy what a week Obama is having! I’ve decided he will definitely have a very eventful life for the next 4 (t0 eight) years. Today he is about to sign a GIGANTIC bill that will (cross your fingers) stimulate the economy and hopefully get us out of this recession.

How he is using old media: Every American (and many abroad) news outlet is discussing the bill and its ramifications

How he is using new media: This parts good! He has set up a website that has promised “transparency and accountability” and divulges where the money is being spent. This usage of new media allows the public to visit the website and understand what is going on with the stimulus package. It boasts a video of Obama promoting the package and provides an easy-to-read graph depicting what is being spent. It also provides an area for feedback and to share your stories about how the stimulus is helping you!

This combination of new and old media provides full disclosure to the American citizen, something unheard of in past presidency’s (cough W. cough)