The first and biggest for me is: If you had to go hi-viz would you be lime-green or fluro-orange?

More seriously, I’m a little uneasy about hi-viz, but not sure why. Could be just the colours themselves. But it could be that it’s all a little too Maoist  in its conformity.

Ben and Doug have a lot in common. Both highlight the need for genuine engagement and empowerment. Both also rely on old-fashioned ideas of community and connectedness. Indeed, one of the most powerful tools in the social marketing toolbox is to develop tactics that accelerate the establishment of new social norms.

Ben made in clear that one of the biggest changes in the Obama campaign was the small but significant steps taken to empower individuals to contribute more. With this new standard of engagement and empowerment comes a greater sense of ‘ownership’ or accountability and Obama’s early days in office are very much about effectively managing the higher expectations.

Two other things stand out to me in the approaches advocated by Ben and Doug. First, they both tend to support the thesis that we are seeing the ‘end of spin.’ The thesis argues that since the Internet gained a critical mass ‘spin’, or more accurately distortion and propaganda, is an increasingly unworkable communication strategy due to the likelihood that the ‘untruth’ will be quickly discovered and widely exposed. So while one cannot say that spin is completely dead it is certainly no longer best practice.

The second stand-out is what happens in terms of control and power. The irony of the Obama campaign is that to gain the highest power in the land he had to loosen control over the campaign and give more power to individuals and support groups. Certainly in Canberra right now this is a burning issue for government departments and agencies. The potential benefits of a more engaging and interactive communication posture are clear, but to date the perceived risk that inappropriate or ‘incorrect’ content will find its way onto government sites or email exchanges severely retards the development of interactive platforms. What the Obama campaign proves is that the wisdom of the crowd can essentially be trusted and the benefits of interaction far outweigh the risks.

A way forward for government departments and agencies, and a way that is consistent with social marketing, is to experiment in various ways. This can be done through pilot projects and/or via third party facilitation. This way the risk can be managed and the potential benefits realised. More objective evaluation then takes place based on real, practical experience and better quality decisions can be made about broader applications.

“The non-residential building sector is responsible for about 20% of the ACT’s total annual water use, so this Commercial Bathroom Retrofit Program will be a valuable way to help reduce this consumption,” Mr Corbell said.

The program, administered by the ACT Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water, provides up to $20,000 in matched funding for owners of non-residential buildings to upgrade their bathroom facilities.

The program has been in development since 2008, involving consultation with the business community and plumbing industry.

For the first phase, 70 buildings were audited that were identified as suitable for more efficient bathroom facilities, including light industry, schools, offices, hotels, shopping centres, nursing homes and clubs. Narrabundah’s Hotel Heritage is one of the first businesses to sign up to the program.

“In times of increasing financial strain, especially on small businesses such as those in the ACT, the money provided under this program is a well-targeted way to help
non-residential building owners do their bit to save water,” Mr Corbell said.

“My department will also consult with various sectors in the coming months to discuss how building owners can reduce water use.”

The Commercial Bathroom Retrofit Program is part of the ACT Government’s Think Water, Act Water strategy to help Canberrans become more water efficient. For more information on the program, phone 6205 4314 or visit http://www.thinkwater.act.gov.au/.
Published: March 2, 2009, 4:34 pm Section: Simon Corbell, MLA | Media Release

CouchCreative are behind the bid and we’ll all be at Canberra Stadium on Thursday March 5. I challenge everyone to get up and go, you’ll love it!

Our CouchCreative website has been listed on recognised web showcases- The Best Design, CSS Mania and CSS Wow.

Get set to meet the man behind President Obama’s Online Campaign; the most successful digital engagement strategy in history.

Ben Self, Founding Partner and Program Director of Blue State Digital (BSD) is coming to Australia as a special guest of the Internet Industry Association (IIA). Ben will be the keynote speaker at the IIA’s annual dinner on Thursday 12 February. He will then conduct a series of exclusive lunches and cocktail events where guests will be able to take part in a lively discussion about Obama’s campaign and unlocking the power of the internet for your business.

About Ben Self and BSD

Ben founded BSD in 2004 with three other individuals responsible for Howard Dean’s use of the Internet during his presidential campaign. The company now has offices in New York, London, Boston, Washington DC, and San Francisco, creating digital strategy and technology for political candidates, non-profits and companies. BSD powers the online presence of the largest and most prominent Democratic candidates and progressive organisations, including the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

During his career, Ben has garnered extensive experience in digital technologies, statistical data analysis, data warehousing, database architecture and administration, system design, and system development. He has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science’s from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Involvement in Obama’s Online Campaign

During the 2008 election cycle, Ben served as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) technology Director where he supervised the technology projects of the national party —focusing specifically on the website, computer infrastructure, compliance software, and national voter file database.

Senator Barack Obama selected BSD to manage the online fundraising, constituency-building, issue advocacy, and peer-to-peer online networking aspects of his 2008 Presidential Campaign. The campaign used the BSD Online tools to:

• Mobilise over three million donors to contribute over $500 million online;
• Motivate over two million social networking participants; and
• To create and promote more than 200,000 events across the United States.

For more details please visit www.couchcreative.com.au/kingmaker09/