8A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAN
POLITICS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2008
ABC, Facebook collaborate to provide political outlet
BY FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
fchambers@kansan.com
Forget stalking friends on Facebook. Facebook users can now stalk politicians instead through the "U.S. Politics" application.
The application was first available to Facebook users last summer. At that time, the application only allowed its users to support presidential candidates on their profiles.
In November, the Web site announced it would partner with ABC News for the remainder of the presidential campaign.
Since then, the application has
become more interactive and now includes a "soundboard" where users can type what they think about the campaign. The soundboard is similar to the status updates on users' profiles and selected responses are shown on ABC.
The application features updates from the ABC News political reporters, similar to the mini-feed on Facebook users' profiles. In addition, the reporters have special profiles that users can become followers of and the application allows users to see up-to-the-minute stories the reporters write from the campaign trail. Facebook also sponsors debate
groups through the application where users can vote and comment on the poll questions for that specific group.
Roderick Patton, Olathe sophomore, has had the application since this summer. Patton said the debate feature greatly enhanced the application, but that he would like to see the candidates' campaigns become more directly involved with the application. He also said he would like to see the candidates make a more direct appeal to younger voters.
Brianna Saunders, Vancouver, BC, junior, said that she would like to see the application add a feature that users could use to contact the candidates and ask them questions. Saunders said she liked the application, but she would also like to see Facebook add an interactive map of the U.S. to the application so users
could indicate which state they live in and contact their local politicians as well.
"I think the (poll questions) are sometimes too simplistic, but overall, I think it's pretty decent," Saunders said. "It's a great way to make politicians understand what college students' points of view are."
The application has more than 7,300 daily active users, which is about one percent of all Facebook users.
Prior to and during ABC's New Hampshire presidential debates on Jan. 5, Facebook asked U.S. Politics users several poll questions that related to the New Hampshire debates and primaries. During the debates, ABC aired the results to those polls and selected users' comments.
Both Patton and Saunders said they did not participate in the debate
groups that took place during the debate, though, because they were doing other activities while they watched the debate.
Andy Haverkamp.Hoyt freshman, said he did not participate in the debate groups on Facebook during the New Hampshire debates either because he thought the Facebook part of the debates was not as interesting as watching the debates. Even though he did not participate in those particular debate groups, Haverkamp said he was pleased to see Facebook partner with ABC.
Haverkamp also said he thought the Facebook/ABC presidential campaign partnership set an important precedent.
"You don't often see Web sites in general linked in with press coverage, especially with politics," he said. "It's interesting to a Web site be a big player in a debate."
"It's great that the candidates can see live what the student and young American demographic is thinking right as they are debating it." Haverkamp said, "I think we will see a lot more of that in the future."
facebook
Facebook is not the only Web site that has tried to involve younger voters through a partnership with a major news network. Last summer, YouTube partnered with CNN to host separate Democratic and Republican presidential debates. YouTube users submitted questions via text or video e-mail before the debate, some of which were asked during the debates and credited to those users.
The election pulse feature allows U.S. Politics users to support candidates on their Facebook profiles. On the application's home page, users can also see how many Facebook users support each candidate compared to how many people support the candidates, according to ABC and Washington Post National GOP and Democratic primary polls
Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
Democrats: Facebook Supporters ABC News Poll**
Barack Obama 63.51% 37%
Hillary Clinton 19.06% 42%
John Edwards 9.26% 11%
Dennis Kucinich 6.10% 2%
Mike Gravel 2.08% NA
Republicans:
Ron Paul 35.41% 3%
Mike Huckabee 20.30% 20%
Mitt Romney 13.55% 19%
John McCain 12.10% 28%
Fred Thompson 9.38% 8%
Rudy Giuliani 8.44% 15%
Duncan Hunter 0.81% 2%
Margin of error: +/- 5 percent Democrats and +/- 6 percent GOP as of Jan. 12, 2008.
Source: Facebook.com
What do you think?
BY CAITY LOTHAMER
LAURA PERKINS Freshman Olathe. KS
"I would like Barack Obama to be president because I think we need a new, younger perspective on politics and someone who is more personal and is charismatic and I think that our foreign relations are better off knowing Barack's background."
OF THE CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, WHO WOULD YOU FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE WITH IN OFFICE?
ANDREW HOLLENBACK
Senior St. Louis, MO
"I don't think any of them because they're all puppets, but if I had to choose it would be Barack."
BOBBY SAUDER Senior Prairie Village. KS
"Barack, because he's the least fake out all of them."
JARED MCELROY Junior Olathe. KS
LIVE MUSIC
"John McCain or Barack Obama. John McCain is a very moderate guy. He has very good plans socially and militarily and better than most candidates because he has experience and Barack would be good with international relations."
Zukerman,Philharmonic to perform Saturday
BY ANDREW WIEBE
awiebe@kansan.com
University concertmaster and violinist Creston Herron has been waiting for the opportunity to see Israeli conductor and violinist Pinchas Zukerman perform as long as he can remember.
The Kansas City, Kan. senior said Zukerman has been a musical "powerhouse for generations," and the opportunity to see him conduct and play live is one he may never get again.
"I feel like seeing concerts
works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Carl Maria von Weber at the Lied Center.
Zukerman's musical background is extensive, including more than 100 recordings during four decades. He has been nominated for 21 Grammy Awards, and won two. The RPO has performed at venues in more than 50 countries, including the Vatican
"He is telling you the story through his music. You hear through your eyes and not your ears."
like this is kind of like bringing a Broadway show to Kansas," Herron said. "You normally have to buy a ticket to New York and go see them."
CRESTON HERRON
University concertmaster/violinist
On Saturday night, Zukerman will combine talents with the London-based Royal Philharmonic Orchestra when the two perform
and Tiananmen Square.
Herron said being able to watch Zukerman conduct and perform with the RPO in person makes the music they perform a distinctive sensory experience.
"He is telling you the story
David Neely, director of orchestral activities at KU, said although this isn't the first time a major orchestra had performed at the Lied Center, it is a rare opportunity for students to see
through his music," Herron said. "You hear through your eyes and not your ears."
some of world's most talented musicians in Kansas.
"This is a world-class orchestra and a world-class violinist-conductor," Neely said. "That kind of thing doesn't come to Lawrence very often."
Although he won't be able to attend himself, Neely said becoming more familiar with the arts is important to being a more complete student and human being.
"There is a little bit of an artist in all of us, and the ability to understand something about art and have it enrich our lives is just part of being human," he said.
Brad Knauss, associate director of marketing for the center, said the center is excited to be able to offer students and Lawrence residents the chance to see a musician of Zukerman's talent conduct and perform alongside the renowned musicians of the RPO.
"I think that experiencing a full orchestra of the caliber of the Royal Philharmonic is something that someone should experience in their life at least once," Knauss said.
He said the event also represented a unique opportunity for students to
see one of the world's preeminent orchestras for a reasonable price.
"We are having an orchestra here at KU with a ticket price that is comparatively low for students," he said. "If you were to see an event like this in New York, they wouldn't just be paying $22 or $26."
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available at the Lied Center ticket office and cost $52 for adults and $22 or $26 for students.
—Edited by Jared Duncan
orchestra
Who: Pinchas Zukerman and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
When: Saturday Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Lied Center
Price: $56 for adults, $22 to $26 for students
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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Conductor and violinist Pinchas Zukerman will perform with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. at the Sieddel Center. Tickets for students will be $52-$26 and $56 for all adults.
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