To our current clients, past clients, and future clients—to our partners, to our friends and family: Russell and I would like to extend a warm season’s greetings. We hope you’re filled with the joy that this time of year brings about, and we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
We will be out of the office on Thursday and Friday, returning Monday morning.
Have a safe and wonderful holiday!
As a politician, few actions endear you to your constituency more than backing the hometown team. Throwing out the first pitch; dropping the puck; or even something as simple as throwing out some support on your Twitter account.
Just make sure your team actually wins before you congratulate them on a hard-fought victory.
Things went terribly awry in social media land for Iowa Senator Joni Ernst on Saturday. The Iowa Hawkeyes took on the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten Championship game—and lost 16-13. The problem? Joni Ernst (more likely a staff member) sent out a congratulations tweet to Iowa for winning the big game.
Yikes.
As quickly as something like supporting the local team can ingratiate politicians to their constituency, these types of mistakes can disenchant them as well. It could be a simple mistake, and it could be pandering—but it’s probably both. Either way, it just looks really, really bad.
Social media is a new facet of politics, and one that I imagine many politicians view as a “necessary evil.” It’s a space that they are not used to or acclimated with, but one that provides a massive platform for their views—just look at Donald Trump. Incorporating a social media campaign is now intrinsic to any political operation, but mistakes like Joni Ernst’s can have longstanding consequences.
Moral of the story? Check before you hit “post.”
The Black Mamba is hanging it up for good. In a simple, yet stirring poem posted online, Kobe Bryant announced that he would be retiring after this season—his 20th in the NBA.
It’s hard to forgive Kobe for what he did to the Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals, but boy, can I respect it. What he has accomplished since entering the league out of high school is nearly superhuman.
Five-time NBA Champion.
Four-time MVP.
Seventeen-time NBA All-Star.
Two-time Olympic Gold medal winner.
The list goes on-and-on. Kobe Bryant cemented his status as a superstar when he entered the pros, creating a highlight reel each and every night that he hit the court. Age may prove his humanity, but his larger-than-life persona and otherworldly skillset will define his everlasting legacy.
As Orlando Magic fans, Kobe, we’ve seen you terrorize us every single season. Your Lakers lured away Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, two enormous stars that outgrew the confines of this town. Frankly, you can’t leave soon enough.
But as basketball fans, we’re sad to see you go. You’re unequivocally one of the greatest to ever step on the court.
Uh-oh. My family bought a deep fryer.
This is either going to be a revelation, or it’s going to be very, very bad. It’s an indoor fryer, but I may err on the side of caution and keep it on the back porch. I’m also coming up with a list of unhealthy foods that can be made double unhealthy with a coat of batter and a fry. Stay tuned.
We hope all of you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! We will be out of the office Thursday and Friday, but back at it bright and early Monday morning.
Friday’s attacks in Paris are another reminder that the world, at times, can be a terrifying place. The images and first-hand accounts coming out of France are simply horrific, and have truly shaken society to its core. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the survivors who have experienced such unconstrained evil.
During such a confusing time, conflicting reports and a lack of information is rampant. For those in Paris, Facebook activated its “safety check” feature, which allows individuals to let their friends and family know that they are alright. It’s the first time the feature has been employed during an act of terrorism—all previous uses were the result of natural disasters. It’s a big step for Facebook, showing that it can pivot on the designed purpose of its technology to support its user-base during a time of crisis—natural or manmade.
But it’s not all positive reviews. There’s been some online backlash about why Facebook chose Paris to utilize this feature, when there was also an attack on Beirut, Lebanon on Friday. There was an option to put a French flag filter of a Facebook user’s profile picture, but not one for Lebanon.
“We chose to activate Safety Check in Paris because we observed a lot of activity on Facebook as the events were unfolding,” said Facebook’s Vice President of Growth, Alex Schultz.
“In the middle of a complex, uncertain situation affecting many people, Facebook became a place where people were sharing information and looking to understand the condition of their loved ones. We talked with our employees on the ground, who felt that there was still a need that we could fill. So we made the decision to try something we’ve never done before: activating Safety Check for something other than a natural disaster. There has to be a first time for trying something new, even in complex and sensitive times, and for us that was Paris.”
There will always be a political debate after events like this, but we can all agree that Facebook’s “safety check” is a fantastic idea and feature. In a fluid situation like we saw in Paris, the number one priority for many people is to ensure the safety of their loved ones. We can only hope this is the first and only time it will need to be activated for such an event.
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