He’s the leader of the free world and an unabashed Crackberry addict, but he can’t figure out…Twitter?!

U.S. President Barack Obama admitted to being Twitter-shy because he’s too clumsy to type on the phone, during a conversation with a group of students in Shanghai.

Some of our most beloved social media networks, including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are blocked or censored by the Chinese government, which sparked an inquiry from one of the students about whether they should be able to use Twitter freely.

Obama’s reply?  “Well, first of all, let me say that I have never used Twitter.  My thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone.”

Funny, for a president who was so widely lauded for his integration of social media in last year’s campaign.

-Jessica

Ben & Jerry’s popular “Chubby Hubby” flavored ice cream announced via its Twitter account and Facebook fan page last week that the delectable treat will be renamed “Hubby Hubby” through the month of September in efforts to throw the company’s support behind same-sex marriages in its home state of Vermont.

Talk about using social media to make a social statement! Very cute, yet profound marketing tactic – I love it.  I truly appreciate brands that stand behind a good cause, regardless of how it might impact their image and sales among those who don’t support their platform. It’s these kinds of bold moves that incite brand loyalty among do-gooders like myself!

-Andréa S.

The Marines have banned personnel from using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube on its network. They argue that social networks expose them to unnecessary risk. Part of the risk is exposing sensitive information to adversaries and the other concerns revolve around network security.  While I understand the risks, I wonder if they couldn’t be mitigated with strong filters and usage codes for Marines.  Facebook and other social web technologies can be great ways for service people overseas to stay in touch. This move could have an impact on morale.  (Mashable and Wired both reported on the story.)

-Tom

Brian Stelter’s article on the front page of The New York Times foregrounds the integral role social media site Twitter is playing for Iranians during the current election aftermath.

Amidst a tumultuous political atmosphere, where authorities have blocked text-messaging on cell phones and journalistic websites, Twitter has emerged as an invaluable way for Iranian citizens to swap information about protests and demonstrations. In a remarkable move, recognizing Twitter’s invaluable role, the US State Department asked the site to postpone its scheduled maitenance in order to maintain this conduit of information for those in Iran.

This entire chain of events is fascinating to me, from the politics itself to the foregrounding of social media, and is a powerful example of how the Internet frontier—with the democritization of information and access that many seem to decry—can be an incredibly powerful venue, one that may even enable social and political movements.

In addition, Twitter has become a funnel for videos of protests and information about the elections, information otherwise banned from leaving the country. At a time when many feel the decline of print newspapers will degrade the quality of journalism, the internet—Twitter and YouTube, specifically—have filled the gaps in news-gathering that bans on traditional journalism have created. Revolutions every which way.

-Elise

Is Google Under Scrutiny for Antitrust Violation?

TechCrunch is reporting that Christine Varney, Obama’s antitrust boss at the Department of Justice, is looking to make a big case - potentially against Google.

I think the article’s author, Erick Schonfeld, hits the nail on the head with his analysis arguing against Department of Justice action: “The problem with antitrust lawsuits, particularly in fast-moving industries such as technology, is they take so long to go through the courts that by the time a ruling is handed down the market has moved on (see Microsoft). The market will always do a better job undermining monopolies than the Justice department will.”

-Tom

When will Twitter be mainstream?  When did Twitter turn mainstream?  Was it when brands started using the platform – I think not.  Or was it when my mom opened an account – no, because she never posted an update.  Or was it at 4:31 p.m. on February 12, when Newt Gingrich posted his first update?  I just don’t know.  My four years of undergraduate philosophy training did not prepare me for this.

-Tom

P.S. Is he winking at me in this picture or am I crazy?

At the stroke of noon, before President Obama took his oath of office, his new official Web site went live. Whitehouse.gov is chock-full of great information and will be updated very regularly.

A blog post from Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House, assures us that Obama will deliver on his campaign promise to use the Web to guarantee transparency and get input from the public.

-Tom

What’s more topical than Elf Yourself?  Make your own Obamicon.  Face facts, I’m probably going to make one for Neil Patrick Harris in, like, 10 minutes.

— Andrew