Post and share ringtones about the 2008 US election - for FREE.
Go Rhode Island
Rhode Island might be the smallest state in the Union, but it most definitely has a techie community with the biggest heart. Keeping us techies networked together is RI Nexus - a virtual hub for people in various tech fields that gather together once a month for drinks.
Check out today’s feature Ring it ON! at RingTones08, by yours truly about RingTones08. You’ll learn why I think ringtones can make a difference and how I got the idea for the site. Thanks Jack and all the awesome techies at RI Nexus.
BIG NEWS: PLAY POLITICAL VIDEOS ON YOUR CELL @ RINGTONES08
it’s a miracle! RingTones08 now lets people download videos about the 2008 election on to their mobile phones. Inaugurating this new functionality is a video of the first 3 minutes of Obama’s A More Perfect Union speech which has been viewed on YouTube almost 3.4 million times.
Why is this revolutionary? Brian Stelter in yesterday’s NY Times writes that "…younger voters tend to be not just consumers of news and current events but conduits as well —sending out e-mailed links and videos to friends and their social networks." With today’s announcement, this trend is going mobile.
According to Brian, young people go "straight to the source, bypassing the context and analysis that seasoned journalists provide." Regarding Obama’s "More Perfect Union," Brian continues, "On The New York Times’s Web site, the transcript of the speech ranked consistently higher on the most e-mailed list than the articles written about the speech."
By supporting videos for mobile phones, people can study political content while on the go - in subways, on buses…
And if you don’t think young people vote, well check out this staggering stat from the article: Exit polls from 22 states estimate that compared to 2004, there’s been an increase of 2 million voters under the age of 30 in Democratic primaries.
Video it ON!
And Now for Something Completely Different
So in addition to running the illustrious RingTones08, I’m on the board of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) - an umbrella org for professionals in the green space. In an effort to help network members, I just spent the last hour researching greenies on Twitter. For those of you interested in joining the sustainable conversation on Twitter, here are some names that I came up with. And don’t forget to follow RingTones08 to find out what I’m up to. Twitter on!
onsustain
sheagunther
greennews
buildinggreentv
LiveEarth070707
ecogeek
grist
cookingupastory
jwallace
greenoptions
GreenGurus
GreenNetizen
bestgreenblogs
etch
Planetrelations
jetsongreen
thesunlovesyou(just for fun)
Let me know if you have any other suggestions. Thnx!
Grad Student Ringtone Survey
Rob Mitchell, of "Rock Around Barack" ringtone fame, is a graduate student at American University. Rob needs our help. As part of his thesis on mobile applications, Rob is conducting a survey on political ringtone adoption and awareness rates.
American Taste?
In support of my country fellow men and women, I have to assume (fervently believe) that the Raining McCain video was made in jest. As awful as it is - and it is - Raining McCain is now available as a ringtone. And why you might ask would anyone make a ringtone out of that nails-on-chalkboard screeching song? The answer: nitche marketing, or as explained in the immortal words of my father who, for over 40 years, sold the tackiest furniture in all of LA on Third and La Brea (now Trader Joes): "Not a lot of people like it but those who do have to come to me to get it." Who needs an MBA with pearls of marketing wisdom like that. It kept a roof over my head.
Upload your ringtone to Myxer.com to have it added to Ringtones08.
