Breakout by Newt Gingrich

In Breakout: Pioneers of the Future, Prison Guards of the Past, and the Epic Battle That Will Decide America’s Future, Newt Gingrich and Ross Worthington write about current and future “breakouts,” which are “bigger and more powerful than breakthroughs” (6) in learning health American energy transportation space government In addition, they discuss breakouts from poverty and disabilities. Unfortunately, Gingrich recommends only revamping NASA and NIH rather than eliminating them entirely, which is what should be done since space exploration and medical research are not within the federal governments limited responsibilities.  (See the Constitution.) This type of research and writing are clearly Newt’s niche and what he should be doing rather than running for president claiming to be a conservative. I recommend the book to anyone interested in the future. I found the following videos about Breakout: “What I Mean by ‘Breakout’” “Newt Gingrich ‘Breakout’” “Speaker Newt Gingrich Talks ‘Breakout’”

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Video: “[Michelle Malkin’s] Evolution of Liberal Dance”

Video:  “[Michelle Malkin’s] Evolution of Liberal Dance”

Colorado Congressional Delegation on Twitter

At least five members of Colorado’s Congressional delegation are on Twitter:

• Jared Polis (2nd Congressional District)
• Mike Coffman (6th Congressional District)
• Ed Perlmutter (7th Congressional District)
• Mark Udall (Senate)
• Michael Bennet (Senate)

Let them know that you want them to vote against HR 3200.

Real Politics in a Virtual World

Second Life (SL) is not a game. It “is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents” (“What is Second Life?“), tens of thousands of whom log in every day. In 2008, they spent almost 400 million hours “in world” (“Second Life Residents“).

Residents can do just about anything in SL that they can do in RL (“real life”)–and a lot more. They can fly, teleport instantaneously from one island to another, and appear as any size, age, gender, or species they want–all while sitting at their computers.

Hundreds of educational, business, government, and non-profit organizations have taught classes, offered training, conducted conferences, and provided services in SL.

Newt Gingrich has spoken in SL (“Newt Gingrich“) at Capitol Hill, which is modeled after the one in Washington D.C. (“Congressional Hearing“), and a speech by Madeline Albright was streamed into the virtual world (“Former US Secretary of State“).

In addition, to “spur economic growth in their community the city leaders in Decatur, Georgia [are] creating an online virtual version of their city on Second Life” (“Decatur Georgia’s“), and officials in Arlington County, Virginia, have created offices in SL where “executives can swing by to gather market research aimed at luring grocery chains to Arlington. County officials can conduct presentations on an interactive white board as they promote the region to corporate prospects. And later this month, anyone interested will be able to join a confab on how to launch a business in Arlington” (“O Brave New World“).

Not surprisingly, leftists have protested Israel’s recent retaliation against Hamas in Gaza (“MBC Breaking News“) and held an inauguration ball “in world” (“Avatars in Tuxes“).

There are already quite a few Republican and conservative groups in SL (“Conservatives and Republicans“). One of the most active of these is the GOP Cafe founded by Wyatt Forster on Sagamore Island. The group currently has 263 members.

In addition to political discussions and a beach party every week, the steering committee organizes parties on special occasions. Tuesday night, members got together to honor President Bush at the Welcome Back to Texas Celebration, with music, dancing, bull riding, good conversation, and a tribute to the outgoing president.

Sagamore Island is also home to NRA-SL and Pro-Life Conservatives of Sagamore.

To keep up with activities at the GOP Cafe, read their blog and visit their Ning social network.

Gartner, Inc., has predicted, “By the end of 2011, 80 percent of active Internet users (and Fortune 500 enterprises) will have a ‘second life'” in a virtual world like SL (“Gartner Says“). Republicans and conservatives need to start learning how to use it now to advance our causes and our candidates.

Second Life is the next best thing to being there–in some cases. In other cases, it’s even better.

NOTE:  This article was original published on the Social Media Platoon site on January 21, but it is no longer there.

Video: “GOP Cafe Tea Party”

Video:  “GOP Cafe Tea Party“

Tax Day Tea Party 2009 in Second Life

Rally, videos, discussion
6:00 p.m. SLT/PDT
GOP Cafe in Second Life
Follow the arrows or directions to the dock.
Free tea party signs will be available.

Online Communities for Conservatives and Republicans

Here are some online communities that I’ve found in the last couple of months:

• GOP Cafe in Second Life
• Smart Girl Politics (Smart guys are also welcome.)
• Rebuild the Party
• GOP Tech Summit
• Top Conservatives on Twitter
• Liberty on the Rocks
• Conservative HQ
• Roots HQ

If you’d like to get involved but would rather do so online, you might consider one or more of these options.

Social Media for Conservatives (SM4Cons) – Lesson 1: Defining “Social Media,” “New Media,” and “Web 2.0”

Social media includes web-based services for blogging, microblogging, social networking, podcasting, photo and video sharing, and others that allow users to produce content and communicate with others.  All of these applications are encompassed within the idea of web 2.0, which is the term used to refer to the second-generation of web-based services used for communication, collaboration, and productivity.  In addition to the types of applications considered to be social media, web 2.0 includes social bookmarking services, wikis, web-based productivity applications (word processing programs, spreadsheets, and presentation programs), and, by stretching the definition some, virtual worlds.

New media includes all of this and any computer-based media.

This video by Common Craft explains “Social Media in Plain English”:

In order to advance conservative causes and support conservative candidates, we need to use all of the tools available to us, including the ones listed above.  I’m hoping this series of lessons, which I will be also be publishing and updating on a wiki, will help conservatives who are less comfortable with the internet learn what these services do and how they can be used.

For more information, read these articles:

• “Web 2.0 Compact Definition:  Trying Again“
• “What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software“
• “Web 2.0“
• “Web 2.0:  What Is It?“
• “What Is Web 2.0“
• “What Is Web 2.0 Anyway?“
• “Basics for Beginners:  What Is Web 2.0?“

You can also watch some or all of these videos on YouTube:

• “What Is Web 2.0“
• “Web 2.0 Panel Discussion – What Is Web 2.0?“
• “Webvolution“
• “What is Web 2.0? And what about 3.0? Part 1“
• “What is Web 2.0? And what about 3.0? Part 2“

I found the following definitions by searching Google, which does have its uses, though I don’t think it’s the best search engine out there.

Definitions of “social media” on the web:

• Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words … (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media)
• The term social media describes media that is posed by the user and can take many different forms. Some types of social media are forums, message boards, blogs, wikis and podcasts. Social media applications include Google, Facebook and YouTube. (www.batchblue.com/glossary.html)
• Software tools that allow groups to generate content and engage in peer-to-peer conversations and exchange of content (examples are YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace etc) (www.bottlepr.co.uk/glossary.html)

Definitions of “new media” on the web:

• New media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the … (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media)
• Online and digital ways of receiving information. (www.mediasmart.org.uk/parents-media-glossary.php)
• a general term covering non-traditional ways of delivering advertising or promotion messages, anything from text messaging to the Internet (www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199274895/01student/glossary/glossary.htm)
• Media technology or a form of media communication that surpasses, enhances, and/or alters an already-existing technology; for example, DVD … (userhome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/anthro/jbeatty/COURSES/glossary.htm)
• a term describing media that can only be created or used with the aid of computer processing power. It is a form of media that includes some aspect of interactivity for its audience and is usually in digital form. … (cjt-site.tacticaltech.org/book/export/html/19)

Definitions of “web 2.0” on the web:

• The second generation of the World Wide Web, especially the movement away from static webpages to dynamic and shareable content (en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Web_2.0)
• The phrase Web 2.0 refers to a perceived second-generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. … (sunsigngraphicdesign.com/drupal/)
• The use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to facilitate creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. … (www.anvilmedia.com/search-engine-marketing-glossary.html)
• Web 2.0 describes a transition of the World Wide Web from a system of websites to a second generation platform of social networking sites, communication tools, and web applications. Web 2.0 services may, in the future, replace desktop applications for many purposes. … (back40design.com/glossary/)
• This is the name which has been given as an umbrella term to what is considered to be the next phase of the evolution of the internet, encompassing technologies such as blogs, wikis and other forms of interaction, development and innovation above and beyond the web technologies which have been … (absolute-digital.co.uk/glossary.php)
• A term to generally describe web sites and services where the content is shaped partially or entirely by the users (instead of being read-only and published by a sponsoring company). (ets.tlt.psu.edu/learningdesign/web20glossary)
• There is no simple definition for Web 2.0. Broadly put, it is a paradigm shift in the way the Internet is used. Web 2.0 involves a more open approach to the Internet, in particular user-generated content, Blogs, Podcasts, social media, review sites, Wikipedia, etc. (www.inetasia.com/NewsandEvents/seo-terminology-explained.html)
• A new way of thinking about the web which provides tools and functionality for publishing, collaboration, and information access that normally … (icfl.idaho.gov/page/glossary)
• A generic term that describes a class of Web-based tools that enable the publishing and management of user-created content. This includes social and professional networking sites, community sites, blogs, wiki’s, discussion boards, user-submitted reviews and ratings, and more. (techjobsbook.com/glossary.html)
• A term coined by O’Reilly Media in 2004 to describe a second generation of the web. This describes more user participation, social interaction … (www.webdesignseo.com/blogging-terms/web-20-terms.php)
• This term refers to the “second generation” of services that are available on the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 applications include blogs, podcasts, ppc marketing, wikis, tagging and RSS syndication. Web 2.0 is a rather large category of services that share some basic themes: (www.boutiquewebdesigns.com/InternetTerms.doc)

GOP Cafe Presidents Day Celebration – Feb. 16

Date:  Mon., Feb. 16
Time:  6 p.m. SLT (PST)
Location:  North of the Town Hall near the GOP Cafe (on Sagamore Island in Second Life)
Live entertainment featuring Artel Brando, one of Second Life’s top entertainers

Videos: Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich Addressing GOP Tech Summit

GOP Tech Summit Ning site

Video:  “RNC Chairman Steele addresses the GOP tech summit”

Video: “Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich addresses the GOP tech summit”

My Questions:

• Was anyone there besides people trying to sell their or their companies’ products and services?
• Why weren’t arrangements made to allow people outside the Beltway to participate–not just watch?