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Obama to Hold Google+ ‘Hangout’ After State of the Union

99 points by mcknz 15y ago

colinm 15y ago
Next month, ChatRoulette!
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
27182818284 15y ago
After meaning almost a week later, not later Tuesday evening.
ghurlman 15y ago
I wonder what the going rate is to buy the President's time.
- edge17 15y ago
  how's it any different than taking questions via twitter, doing a community roundtable at linkedin, or meeting with employees et al. at facebook?
  - rfurmani 15y ago
    The 10 user limit, and equality of the speakers, for example.
    - mkr-hn 15y ago
      Hangouts are embedded in G+ posts. People can comment as long as they don't turn comments off.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
ShabbyDoo 15y ago
So, for what demographics does this publicity stunt improve the perceived legitimacy of Google+? I can't think of any negatives.
- jordan0day 15y ago
  I presume Google+ is going after this key demo: your mom. Google+ has already caught on in the techy/engineery crowd (still not to the extent of Facebook, of course, but Google can probably afford to let this grow slowly), but while now Twitter and Facebook are household terms, "Google Plus" probably is still unknown to many regular folks. These kinds of publicity stunts are entirely aimed at changing that. I think it's a smart move, and honestly, it's nice to see someone promote their service by holding chats with the POTUS rather than a Kardashian or something.
click170 15y ago
Not that I'll get my way, but I think we should bring back the days when they didn't pre-screen interview questions. The Nixon/Frost interview is still my favorite of all, I found it more telling about the President than any interview with any political candidate since then.
- magicalist 15y ago
  Those days didn't really ever exist, though. Nixon/Frost was a pretty much unique event.
  - postnihilism 15y ago
    It probably also functions as a powerful disincentive to ever do it again.
  - yahelc 15y ago
    And even then, Frost/Nixon took place 2.5 years after Nixon had already resigned the Presidency.
    - electromagnetic 15y ago
      That's when Nixon only had the Secret Service making sure he didn't get shot, he didn't have officials making sure questions weren't asked that could breach national security, etc.
- superchink 15y ago
  From the linked article: “…the President will be fielding questions (pre-selected, of course) from average Joes…” Note that they say they'll be pre-selected.
  - LearnYouALisp 15y ago
    "And which of course will be answered ahead of time."
- 15y ago
badclient 15y ago
Quite shameful to see Google so aggressively shove a subpar product and experience.
- nextparadigms 15y ago
  Twitter was a very subpar experience in 2008 when Obama started using it, too.
- felipemnoa 15y ago
  I don't really have any experience with hangout so could you please provide comments as to why it is a subpar product? So far I've heard positive comments about it.
aamar 15y ago
Also note the infographic/slide-enhanced version of the SotU which will stream live, Tue, Jan 24th, 9pm EST: http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2012 http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2012
ChrisNorstrom 15y ago
Sorry but as soon as I see "prescreened" I think "censorship" and "avoiding criticism". What a bore that will be. That's my problem with politics, with republicans and democrats, everything is so sugar coated. They always have answers to easy questions. I want to see how someone responds when asked difficult questions. That's when you find out who they really are.
- wmobit 15y ago
  I also think it mostly means the president won't see anybody's penis.
  - cheald 15y ago
    Maybe this is just an indicator of my unfitness to ever be POTUS, but I think that after the stress of having to deliver a State of the Union address with an economy like ours in an election year, seeing some random dude's flop-o-matic 9000 pop up on screen would the sort of utterly absurd thing I'd appreciate.
sachinag 15y ago
Of course the questions are going to be pre-screened. It'll be a representative sample of the issues that will generally determine the election for the undecided and independent voter. If you're a big NORML supporter and want him to talk about pot, make it a national issue. If your issue won't swing an election, then he won't talk about it.

99 points by mcknz 15y ago

colinm 15y ago

Next month, ChatRoulette!

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

27182818284 15y ago

After meaning almost a week later, not later Tuesday evening.

ghurlman 15y ago

I wonder what the going rate is to buy the President's time.

edge17 15y ago
how's it any different than taking questions via twitter, doing a community roundtable at linkedin, or meeting with employees et al. at facebook?
- rfurmani 15y ago
  The 10 user limit, and equality of the speakers, for example.
  - mkr-hn 15y ago
    Hangouts are embedded in G+ posts. People can comment as long as they don't turn comments off.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

ShabbyDoo 15y ago

So, for what demographics does this publicity stunt improve the perceived legitimacy of Google+? I can't think of any negatives.

jordan0day 15y ago
I presume Google+ is going after this key demo: your mom. Google+ has already caught on in the techy/engineery crowd (still not to the extent of Facebook, of course, but Google can probably afford to let this grow slowly), but while now Twitter and Facebook are household terms, "Google Plus" probably is still unknown to many regular folks. These kinds of publicity stunts are entirely aimed at changing that. I think it's a smart move, and honestly, it's nice to see someone promote their service by holding chats with the POTUS rather than a Kardashian or something.

click170 15y ago

Not that I'll get my way, but I think we should bring back the days when they didn't pre-screen interview questions. The Nixon/Frost interview is still my favorite of all, I found it more telling about the President than any interview with any political candidate since then.

magicalist 15y ago
Those days didn't really ever exist, though. Nixon/Frost was a pretty much unique event.
- postnihilism 15y ago
  It probably also functions as a powerful disincentive to ever do it again.
- yahelc 15y ago
  And even then, Frost/Nixon took place 2.5 years after Nixon had already resigned the Presidency.
  - electromagnetic 15y ago
    That's when Nixon only had the Secret Service making sure he didn't get shot, he didn't have officials making sure questions weren't asked that could breach national security, etc.
superchink 15y ago
From the linked article: “…the President will be fielding questions (pre-selected, of course) from average Joes…” Note that they say they'll be pre-selected.
- LearnYouALisp 15y ago
  "And which of course will be answered ahead of time."
15y ago

badclient 15y ago

Quite shameful to see Google so aggressively shove a subpar product and experience.

nextparadigms 15y ago
Twitter was a very subpar experience in 2008 when Obama started using it, too.
felipemnoa 15y ago
I don't really have any experience with hangout so could you please provide comments as to why it is a subpar product? So far I've heard positive comments about it.

aamar 15y ago

Also note the infographic/slide-enhanced version of the SotU which will stream live, Tue, Jan 24th, 9pm EST: http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2012 http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2012

ChrisNorstrom 15y ago

Sorry but as soon as I see "prescreened" I think "censorship" and "avoiding criticism". What a bore that will be. That's my problem with politics, with republicans and democrats, everything is so sugar coated. They always have answers to easy questions. I want to see how someone responds when asked difficult questions. That's when you find out who they really are.

wmobit 15y ago
I also think it mostly means the president won't see anybody's penis.
- cheald 15y ago
  Maybe this is just an indicator of my unfitness to ever be POTUS, but I think that after the stress of having to deliver a State of the Union address with an economy like ours in an election year, seeing some random dude's flop-o-matic 9000 pop up on screen would the sort of utterly absurd thing I'd appreciate.

sachinag 15y ago

Of course the questions are going to be pre-screened. It'll be a representative sample of the issues that will generally determine the election for the undecided and independent voter. If you're a big NORML supporter and want him to talk about pot, make it a national issue. If your issue won't swing an election, then he won't talk about it.