Quiver & Quill

I was struck by Brian Solis’ Flickr photo that captures Obama winning the election. It is a photo of the TV, not a photo of the actual candidate. Nevertheless, it captures a moment. And not too long ago I thought of a ‘moment’ as being what people share with one another in person. Last night people on Twitter shared the election moment with one another; as if we were together in the same room feeling the same sense of tension and relief, experiencing the same catharsis.

Check out ZeFrank’s blog capturing the moments of the election.
His readers not only comment with their words, but with links to YouTube videos, Facebook entries.

Their comments are a colorful tribute to that night. Here are few examples:

1. “When they announced it, I heard firecrackers go off in my neighborhood. We poured champagne and toasted.
I stepped outside and heard a neighbor across the street go “Woooo!” “Woooo-hooo!” I called back. More firecrackers followed.”

2. “I was in Grant Park.
It was the nicest, politest, funnest rock concert EVER.
When CNN called it, we collectively lost our heads. 10PM. TEN. PM. After the nightmare of Bush v. Gore, to have it called so early, so decisively…
We were all crying.”

3. “My 12 year-old son and I were watching the electoral numbers break for Obama, when the door bell rang suddenly and repeatedly. I answered only to be greeted by a group neighborhood kids holding Obama signs that they’d swiped from other neighbor’s yards. They were cheering “O-BA-MA” like a band of political trick or treaters. My son immediately darted out to celebrate with them without even asking permission—it was wonderful.”

Where did you share your moment?

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Here are a 10 snapshots I took over the last few weeks. I think number 6 is my favorite. Yours?

1. I took this at a social media event in Helsinki. I love the irony of sitting at a table of wonderful geeks, all of whom are being social online while not talking to one another.

2. That’s my friend Nicky. He’s an excellent photographer of the NYC young and beautiful. Check out his site here.

3. I was flying on the plane with two Marines on my left and this father and son on my right. The younger Marine says to the older Marine, “I haven’t seen my father in seven years. I write him sometimes. Sometimes he writes back. I hope to be a better father than that.”

4. This restaurant in New York knows how to use its Zagat endorsement to market itself.

5. An unappetizing look at McDonald’s NYC….I’m not lovin’ it.

6. Even McDonald’s can be beautiful in the right light. I’m lovin’ it.

7. I don’t understand this positioning statement. Don’t tell me what you’re not—tell me what you are.

8. The masses have spoken. And the masses want a whopper.

9. Obama fashion at Urban Outfitters

10. Of course, this was at a state fair.

I like this idea for a business blog: post 10 snapshots of your last few weeks – it’s one way to add a human touch to your content.

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Last year at SXSW there were Meebo online chat rooms in which people who attended panels discussed them in real time. Some panelist had their laptops open on stage and were following along with audience comments in the Meebo online chat rooms. It created an intriguing dynamic between the panelist, the audience questions and the dialogue happening within the Meebo online chat rooms.  Watching Current TV’s Hack the Debate III reminded me of this SXSW experience. If you didn’t catch Hack the Debate, it’s a mashup between Current TV live streaming the presidential debate and Twitter running comments at the same time the debate is being shown. Very good example of collaborative media.

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I created a tag cloud from the text of Obama and McCain bios located on their website.
The larger the word, the more it is emphasized in the candidates bio.

Special thanks to http://tagcrowd.com for the tagcloud.

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