For Fans of The Hotline's "Last Call"

For those of you who religiously read the "Last Call" like I do...here's a good one:
Jakob Nielsen and Dick Cheney.

Say It Loud, "I'm a Miss Piggy Fan and I'm Proud!"

Ever since The Muppets Took Manhattan, I've been a Miss Piggy fan. She was the epitome of the modern woman I dreamt of being. She was strong, assertive, smart, funny, and not afraid to flaunt her femininity. The Muppets taught me lessons about honesty, following my dreams, friendship and true love.

It's good to see that the Muppets are at it again teaching valuable lessons every day. The latest being Instant Runoff Voting, or IRV. It saddens me that Miss Piggy didn't even make it past the first round of voting for CEO of Henson Production Company. The demonstration showed me the benefits of IRV and I think IRV is the right tool to choose the best class blogs. I'm excited to see who wins! See you all in class.

Side note: I'd like to point out that Oscar the Grouch, Ernie and Elmo aren't technically Muppets. They're characters on Sesame Street. There's a difference. I personally would have liked to see Kermit, Gonzo and Fozzie thrown in the mix for CEO. (Wocka, Wocka!)

The Eminent Usability Guru Strikes Again!

I don't think micropayments will ever work. (emphasis on the period)

I completely disagree with Nielsen's comments in The Case for Micropayments. If we've learned anything from reading his usability papers, we've learned the best way to determine usability is to look at our own online habits, frustrations and usage.

His point that, "Annoying ads are ultimately self-defeating since people will avoid sites that do not give them a positive user experience," is downright wrong. We all visit websites with ads all over the place. It doesn't hinder my usability. I've downloaded a pop-up blocker and tend to ignore ads in the margins of websites. I've never once avoided a website because of the ads.

Secondly, it seems that even if sites charged micropayments to users, wouldn't they want to continue to sell advertising space to generate more revenue? I think so. This would completely defeat Nielsen's theory.

Third, I'm not willing to pay $10-$30 more a month to surf the web just to avoid advertising and pop-ups. I'll gladly put up with annoying ads if it means I don't have to shell out more money to use the Internet. I agree with one of the comments made about work. Does anyone really think their company is willing to pay an average of $50 or more a month (per employee) to allow them to surf the net? I don't think so....

Lastly, if Nielsen is so convinced micropayments are the wave of the future, why doesn't he charge to view WebPages on his site?

Thank You, Mr. Nielsen

Calling All "Daily Show" Fans!

Bring Back the Couch!

Hilarious Campaign Videos: Keeping America's Campaign Workers Sane

While watching some of the funny videos from the 2004 election on IPDI's video library, I was reminded of how thankful I am some of these were circulating during the 2004 election (especially the conservative ones)!

Politics is a serious business. But, you'll literally go crazy without stepping back every once in a while to look at the humor in what you're surround in. During the 2004 campaign, I worked 12-16 hour days for about three months straight (weekends too!). Believe me, I looked forward to those goofy videos of John Kerry smooching John Edwards to the tune of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

I have to say my favorite videos from the IPDI library were the humorous ones. In my opinion, humor is the most powerful tool in online viral marketing. Ninety-nine percent of the emails I forward (and receive) to friends and family have some degree of humor to them. These funny videos are good for us. Every time I watch a humorous political video online, I take a step back and break out of the bubble I have put myself in. I see the humor in what is going on around me. As stressed as we all get in the heat of a campaign or political fight, having a good, hearty laugh is a much-needed stress reliever that I welcome. So I say, thank you to the good people who make these videos. I owe a great deal of my sanity to them.

P.S. If anyone wants to reminisce about the funniest videos of the '04 campaign, About.com put together a fantastic top ten list .

Attack Ads or Creative Editing? You Say Potato….

Factcheck.org's stories on Bush's Misleading Attack Video and MoveOn.org's Creative Editing are not surprising. For years, campaigns, political parties and special interest groups from both sides of the aisle have been putting together attack ads like these to cast the opposition in a negative light. The course of action is predictable; group puts out attack ad using creative editing, opposition condemns it, and the public is disgusted by the "mud-slinging."

Both sides ride the fine line between "creative editing" and flat out lying to avoid any legal action as a result of airing the ad. The advantages must far outweigh the negatives for groups to air these year after year. But, what are the political advantages and disadvantages of airing attack ads?

The advantages are creating fodder for your supporters to distribute, ammunition for their water-cooler debates, and sparking anger (from both sides) that will elicit action. The disadvantages are having the label of a "negative campaigner" and possibly turning off supporters or swing voters who are disgusted by these actions. By identifying the advantages and disadvantages, the question then becomes, what are the negative consequences of airing such ads?

I say there are none. We've come to accept it as normal at a certain level. Negative campaigning has become part of our political process like it or not. As much as we condemn such behavior on the other side of the aisle, we political junkies anxiously await the latest ad attacking our opponent to hit the airwaves further validating our views.

This brings me to my final question to everyone, should we accept this as the way it is, and always will be, or should we actively work to change the system? (Remember your answer the next time your candidate releases an attack ad.)