Official Blog
Insights from Googlers into our products, technology, and the Google culture
YouTube Creators interview President Obama following the State of the Union
January 15, 2015
Every year since 2010
, President Obama has turned to YouTube and Google after his State of the Union speech to answer questions that are top of mind for the American people. Asked through YouTube video submissions or live via Google+ Hangouts, these questions always bring an interesting perspective to the issues the president addresses in his speech. This year we’re doing something we’ve never done before: bringing a handful of YouTube creators directly to the White House to talk with the president in person in a live broadcast on Thursday, January 22.
YouTube creators
Bethany Mota
,
GloZell Green
and
Hank Green
will interview President Obama about the top concerns facing them and their audiences. Over the next few days, the creators will ask you to share the questions you have for the president, some of which may be asked during the interview. In years past, people across the United States have used this interview to ask important questions about jobs, immigration and even
Valentine’s Day
. Use #YouTubeAsksObama on social media to suggest issues that are important to you or any questions that are on your mind.
Finally, don’t forget to tune in on January 20 at 9 p.m. EST to watch the
State of the Union address
, as well as the
Republican response
, live on YouTube.
Posted by Steve Grove, Director, News Lab
Get ready for Election Day with Google
November 3, 2014
Tomorrow is Election Day in the U.S.—are you ready to vote?
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, more and more voters turn to Google to get the information they need in order to have a say on the issues they care about. And in the days before Election Day 2012, we saw a huge spike in search traffic around terms related to voting and how to vote. To make it easier for citizens to access information to make a well-informed decision and cast their ballots on Election Day, we’ve built a number of tools to help. From Governor and Senate to City Council and local referenda, and from
what materials you need to bring to vote
to making sure you know
who is on your ballot
, Google has you covered.
Make sure you know how and where to vote—and who’s on your ballot!
For the first time ever, simple searches for [
how do i vote
], [
where to vote
], [
what identification do i need to vote
] and [
who is on my ballot
] will give you all the information you need—tailored by state—to find your polling location, confirm what identification you need to bring, and see who and what is going to be on your ballot on November 4. If you use Google Now, you can also get reminders on where to vote on Election Day.
We also make this important data available for developers, nonprofits, and others to use. From
Rock the Vote
to
League of Women Voters
, organizations of all shapes and sizes are using the
Google Civic Information API
to create civic engagement tools for everyone. We’ve also partnered with The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Internet Association to launch
Get to the Polls
, a get out the vote campaign with Amazon Web Services, AOL, Bing, Facebook, Foursquare, Lyft, Meetup, reddit, SurveyMonkey, Tumblr, and Twitter to make sure registered voters in the United States have the information they need to vote on November 4.
Keep your fingers on the political pulse—and find out who won
People turn to search to find last-minute information not only about where to vote, but also about the candidates. To find out what your fellow voters are interested in, visit
Google.com/+GooglePolitics
to see data from
Google Trends
on what Americans are searching in the final hours of the election.
And after the polls close tomorrow, you can track all the real-time election results by searching [election results]. If you use Google Now, you’ll get updates on your new representatives straight from the app. Or tune in to the latest live news coverage from a wide range of news organizations at
YouTube.com/Elections
. While you’re there, check out this
special video
from some of YouTube’s top creators on the importance of heading to the polls.
Be informed, be prepared, and be ready to vote tomorrow!
Posted by Kate Sokolov, Program Manager, Google Politics & Elections
Hit the road with President Obama in the first-ever Presidential Hangout Road Trip
January 23, 2014
Next Tuesday, at 9pm EST, President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union address to Congress. Later that week, you'll have the chance to connect with the President and speak about his administration’s plan in the first-ever Presidential Hangout Road Trip.
On Friday, January 31, President Obama will “travel” the country in a virtual whistlestop tour. He’ll hop into Google+ Hangouts with people from across the United States to answer their questions and hear their thoughts about the topics he addressed in his speech.
If you have a question for the President and would like the opportunity to participate in the Hangout Road Trip, just record a 60-second video with your name, location, a bit about yourself and the question you’d like to ask. Then post it on YouTube or Google+ and share it publicly with the hashtag #AskObama2014.
Next Tuesday, tune in to watch the
State of the Union address
, as well as the
Republican response
, live on YouTube. Then join us and President Obama on Friday for a one-of-a-kind road trip.
Posted by Ramya Raghavan, Head of Google+ Politics and Causes
Connecting across continents
June 27, 2013
There’s only so much students can learn about the world from the static pages of a textbook. Meeting people from other countries face-to-face provides unique insight into the world’s varied cultures, and the Internet is making this possible in unprecedented ways. To increase global connections, we’re working with First Lady Michelle Obama, the State Department and the Global Nomads Group, to connect students across continents over Google+ Hangouts.
As a keystone event in The White House’s Africa Tour, the First Lady will host a Google+ Hangout On Air from the SciBono Discovery Center in Johannesburg this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. EDT. After Mrs. Obama shares her thoughts on the importance of education, students in Johannesburg, L.A., Houston, New York, and Kansas City will get the chance to talk with one another directly, sharing ideas about education in their countries face-to-face-to-face—it’s a 21st-Century pen pal program, hosted by the First Lady. (
RSVP to watch
.)
The discussion won’t stop there. This Hangout On Air kick-starts a series of global exchanges on Google+, organized by the State Department and the Global Nomads Group, a nonprofit organization that facilitates cultural exchanges, launching early in the new school year. During the summer, students are encouraged to join the Global Nomads Group’s Google+ Community, “
Connecting Continents
,” to discover and connect with peers around the world. We look forward to announcing the next hangouts in the near future—stay tuned to the Global Nomads Community for details.
Posted by Will Houghteling, Lead, Google+ Education Partnerships
Secretary of State John Kerry kicks off “Hangouts at State” series on Google+
April 15, 2013
Over the past year, Google+ has been used across the globe to connect people and enable free expression—from
Syria Deeply
, an independent news site which regularly uses Google+ and Hangouts to report about the crisis in Syria to
Tom Fletcher
, the British Ambassador to Lebanon, who issues dispatches from one country to another via Hangout.
Today, the U.S. Department of State is building on this trend by announcing a new series of discussions called “Hangouts at State.” Each month, these conversations will bring people together across global boundaries to discuss the most pressing U.S. foreign policy issues, like democracy promotion, human rights, counterterrorism efforts, economic development, climate change and drug interdiction.
The series kicks off on Friday, April 19 with a
Hangout
with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, entitled “The U.S. in the World: What’s In It for Us” and moderated by NBC’s Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell. The Secretary will be joined by a group of Americans to discuss the impact of U.S. foreign policy on people at home.
Tune in on Friday at 1 p.m. E.T. to watch the conversation unfold, and keep your eye on the
Google Politics and Elections page
for news about the next “Hangout at State.”
Posted by Ramya Raghavan, Google+ Politics and Causes
Fireside Hangouts: Join First Lady Michelle Obama in a Google+ Hangout to discuss
Let’s Move!
February 20, 2013
In the past month, both the
President
and
Vice President
of the United States have come to Google+ to participate in "
Fireside Hangouts
" to discuss the challenges the country faces and answer people's questions. On March 4, it's First Lady Michelle Obama's turn as she joins her first-ever Fireside Hangout to discuss
Let’s Move!
, her initiative to ensure that all our children grow up healthy and reach their full potential. The First Lady will be joined by Kelly Ripa, Emmy award-winning co-host of popular daytime talk show "LIVE with Kelly and Michael," and families from around the country.
Three years ago, the First Lady launched the
Let's Move!
initiative to unite the country around our kids' health and create real support for families to live healthier lives. Since then communities across the United States have worked together to share, collaborate on and create ways to improve the health of our nation's children. This year, the First Lady is using Google+ to celebrate the anniversary of
Let's Move!
and to connect with communities on Google+ who are passionate about
healthy eating
,
fitness
and
parenting
.
For a chance to join the Google+ Hangout with First Lady Michelle Obama, share your thoughts and questions on raising healthier families and communities on the
Let's Move YouTube channel
. Submit a video or text entry (video is preferred) telling us a bit about yourself, what your family does to stay healthy and a question for the First Lady by Thursday, February 28, 2013.
Then tune in to the
First Lady's Fireside Hangout
live on the
White House Google+ Page
or
Let's Move YouTube channel
at 11:10 am ET on March 4.
Posted by Ria Tobaccowala, Google+ Community Partnerships
Fireside Hangouts: Join President Obama on Google+ after the State of the Union
February 11, 2013
When President Obama heads to a joint session of Congress tomorrow night, he’ll be honoring the 200-year old tradition of delivering the State of the Union to Congress and the American people. Two days later, the President will turn to Google+ to continue a
more recent tradition
, by taking
questions online
after his speech. You can tune in to the Hangout this Thursday at 4:50 p.m. ET.
Much like the Fireside Hangouts held by
Vice President Biden
and Domestic Policy Director
Cecilia Munoz
over the past few weeks, the President’s Fireside Hangout will include a group of people who regularly discuss important issues of the day online. During the conversation, the selected participants will ask the President their own questions—but we’d also like to hear from you before the Hangout. To let the President know what’s on your mind,
head to the White House YouTube channel
and submit a video or text question. You can submit or vote on questions you’d like to hear him address until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 13.
Looking for inspiration for your question? Watch the President’s State of the Union speech
on YouTube
tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET, as well as the Republican response from Senator Marco Rubio directly afterwards.
Then tune in to Thursday’s Fireside Hangout on the
White House Google+ page
or
YouTube channel
for a unique online discussion between the President and the American people on Google+.
Posted by
Ramya Raghavan
, Google+ Politics
Fireside Hangouts: Join Vice President Biden in a discussion about gun violence
January 23, 2013
As President Obama and his cabinet begin their second term in the White House, they’re renewing a
series
of conversations on Google+ with top administration officials. These “Fireside Hangouts," a 21st-century spin on FDR’s
famous radio addresses
, bring top Administration officials to Google+ to discuss the most important issues in the country, face-to-face-to-face with fellow citizens in a hangout. The next hangout will take place Thursday, January 24 at 1:45 pm ET with Vice President Joe Biden on a topic that’s on everyone’s mind: reducing gun violence.
During his 30-minute hangout, Vice President Biden will discuss the White House policy recommendations on reducing gun violence with participants including
Guy Kawasaki
,
Phil DeFranco
and moderator
Hari Sreenivasan
from PBS NewsHour. If you'd like to suggest a question, just follow the participants on Google+, and look for posts about tomorrow's Hangout. To view the broadcast live, just tune in to the White House's
Google+ page
or
YouTube channel
on Thursday afternoon.
The White House will continue to host Hangouts with key members of the President’s cabinet on a range of second term priorities. Follow the White House on Google+ for more information about how you can join the conversation... or an upcoming Hangout.
Posted by
Ramya Raghavan
, Google+ Politics
Japan’s political candidates hang out with voters on Google+
December 14, 2012
Yesterday, the heads of Japan’s eight most popular political parties held eight consecutive Google+ Hangouts to engage with citizens across the country ahead of Sunday’s general election—arguably the largest (and longest) series of Hangouts with politicians ever! Each of the leaders held a Hangout, including incumbent Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda from the Democratic Party Japan and Shinzo Abe from the Liberal Democratic Party.
Voters asked questions that reflected the most pressing issues on the Japanese people’s minds: the ailing economy, social security and the future of energy programs. For instance, one 21-year old student asked a politician about welfare and economic self-reliance, in response to which the politician explained his vision to create more opportunities for young people.
After announcing these Hangouts on November 29, we invited citizens to upload their questions on to Google+ using the hashtag #政治家と話そう (“talk to politicians”). Ten participants representing a cross-section of voters across Japanese society—including a college student from Tokyo, a housewife from Mie prefecture, and a businessman from Shizuoka prefecture—were chosen to join the Hangouts. People who tuned in said that it gave them a chance to witness an in-depth conversation between politicians and voters up close, which is rare in Japan’s incredibly short and intense campaign season of 12 days.
These Hangouts are part of Google Japan’s effort to help voters get information about the candidates before they head to the polls on December 16. To help voters get access to information about more than 1,000 candidates and 12 political parties, we launched our Japan elections site, called Erabou 2012 (“Choose 2012”), at
google.co.jp/senkyo
. This site serves as a hub for all latest elections-related information, pulling together candidate profiles and party platforms. If you missed the Hangouts live, you can also watch the recordings there and on the
Japan Politics YouTube Channel
.
Posted by Mak Arima, Country Managing Director, Google Japan
Get Ready to Vote with Google
October 29, 2012
Every four years in the United States, people prepare to head to the polls and
increasingly search
for information about how to register to vote, where to vote and who is on their ballot. Even though it is 2012, important voting information is disorganized and hard to find on the Internet. To help voters research candidates and successfully cast their ballot on Election Day, we’ve launched our new
Voter Information Tool
.
You can enter your address to find information on your polling place, early vote locations, ballot information with links to candidates’ social media sites and voting rules and requirements. The tool is
easy to embed
on any website and is
open source
so developers can modify it to create custom versions. We're working with a number of media partners to ensure the tool is accessible across the web, and partners like Foursquare and AT&T are doing great work building apps on our
Civic Information API
.
We hope this tool will help make getting to the polls and casting your ballot as simple as possible.
Posted by Jesse Mwaura, Google Politics & Elections Team
(Cross-posted on the
Politics and Elections blog
)
Making it easier to cast your ballot
August 28, 2012
The first
presidential nominating convention
,
held in 1832
, was meant to give Americans a voice in the selection of the presidential nominee. Fast forward to 2012 and these conventions still represent a major moment in American politics—and we’re helping the conventions reach a larger audience by being the official live stream provider and social networking platform for the
Republican National Convention
in Tampa and the
Democratic National Convention
in Charlotte.
In conjunction with our on-the-ground efforts, we’re making a number of online tools available to help you get organized and informed as Election Day approaches.
Get informed
Our
Google Politics & Elections site
enables you to see the latest Google News, YouTube videos, search and video trends, and Google+ content about the election in one place. You can also visit our
live Elections Hub
to watch the national political conventions, debates and even election night LIVE right from your mobile phone or laptop.
Register to vote
To make it easy to navigate the rules and deadlines about registering to vote and how to vote by mail, we put together an
online voter guide
. We’ve also added a special section to make it easier for
military and overseas voters
to find information about their different rules and deadlines.
As we approach the final days of the election, we’ll continue to develop useful ways for voters and campaigns to engage one another around the important issues in 2012.
We hope these tools will help you stay informed and participate in the election!
Posted by Eric Hysen, Google Politics & Elections Team
The U.S. election, live on YouTube
August 22, 2012
Today we’re introducing the
YouTube Elections Hub
, a one-stop channel for key political moments from now through the upcoming U.S. election day on November 6. You can watch all of the live speeches from the floor of the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions, see Google+ Hangouts with power brokers behind the scenes, and watch a live stream of the official Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. You won’t need to go anywhere else for the must-watch moments of this election cycle...they’re all happening on the
Hub
live.
In addition to videos from politicians and parties, a diverse range of news organizations—both established names in media and sought-after new voices—are sharing their coverage of the political process on the new
hub
. You’ll find live and on-demand reporting and analysis from
ABC News
,
Al Jazeera English
,
BuzzFeed
,
Larry King
,
The New York Times
,
Phil DeFranco
,
Univision
and the
Wall Street Journal
. Each will put their own stamp on the Presidential race—from the conventions to the debates to election night.
Of course, we’ll have special live coverage around the Republican National Convention from August 27 to 30, the Democratic National Convention from September 4-6, the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates in October, and election night.
Bookmark the Elections Hub now
for a front row seat along the road to the White House.
Posted by Olivia Ma, YouTube News Manager
(Cross-posted from the
YouTube Blog
)
Versus: liberating opinion with Google+ Hangouts
March 1, 2012
Whether enabling voters to
interview their President
, or
connect underwater
in a project to photograph the ocean floor, Google+ Hangouts are being used in amazing ways. Not only do Hangouts have the ability to connect people on opposite sides of the planet, they can also connect people on opposing sides of the social and political spectrum. We’re delighted to announce that a new series of global debates, that will be live streamed on YouTube, will do exactly that.
Versus
, from Intelligence
2
—an organization committed to revitalizing the art of live debate—will give you the chance to question people who are close to the decisions being made on topical issues, on both sides of the debate. Real-time voting on the channel will also let the speakers know how their arguments are resonating with viewers.
The first motion to be debated is “
It’s time to end the War on Drugs.
” The debate will air diverse opinions from the likes of
+Richard Branson
,
+Russell Brand
,
+Julian Assange
, and experts such as the former Presidents from Mexico and Brazil, among others. BBC newsreader and presenter
+Emily Maitlis
will chair the debate.
The debate will be streamed live on the
Versus YouTube channel
on
March 13 at 7pm GMT
. From now until then, we invite you to discuss the issues and
join the debate on the Versus page
, where you’ll also find out how you could have the chance to secure a place in the live debate hangout.
Posted by Anna Bateson, Director of YouTube Marketing, EMEA
Keeping up with the 2012 U.S. election with Google.com/Elections
January 2, 2012
From the nineteenth century’s pamphlets to the twentieth century’s TV ad revolution, our elections have always been shaped by how we communicate and consume information. There’s no question that the Internet is set to deliver more political information, opinion and news than any other medium throughout the 2012 U.S. elections. The web offers candidate and issue info to
voters
; networking and fundraising platforms for
campaigns
; and research and productivity tools for
journalists
.
Today, just in time for the Iowa Caucuses, we’re launching
google.com/elections
, an election hub where citizens can study, watch, discuss, learn about, participate in and perhaps even make an impact on the digital campaign trail as it blazes forward to Tuesday, November 6, 2012.
The site enables voters, journalists and campaigns to quickly sort through election info by popularity, race or
issues
. People can also check out the
Trends Dashboard
to take the web’s real-time political pulse by comparing
candidates’ YouTube video views
, search traffic and Google News mentions. Campaign staffers, advocates and everyday citizens can utilize our tools and features to reach, engage and inspire voters.
There are a lot of miles to cover and coffee to be consumed before Election Day. We hope you’ll make
Google.com/elections
one of your regular online stops along the way.
Posted by Eric Hysen, Google Politics & Elections Team
(Cross-posted from the
Politics & Elections Blog
)
Magic moments in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, thanks to the web
November 28, 2011
Today more than 50 million Egyptians started heading to the polls to cast their votes for an independent Parliament, many for the first time in their lives. The revolution in Egypt, which captured the attention of the world beginning in Tahrir Square on January 25, 2011, made this possible by opening the floodgates of political participation.
With the free flow of information online, people can connect and engage in a open dialogue about the future of Egypt. The web is enabling many new voters to become better informed on their choice of candidates, and letting politicians reach electors in new and exciting ways.
Getting information about the new rules and the new players is no small feat for Egyptians: there are nearly 11,000 candidates vying for 498 seats across 27 governorates nationwide during a multi-stage election that started today and lasts until March 2012. We’re doing our best to organize information to make it easier for voters to find everything they need in one place. For example, millions of Egyptians have learned where they can vote through our landing page,
www.google.com.eg/elections
.
We’ve also worked to give a voice to thousands of candidates to reach voters through interactive video. The
YouTube Townhall
includes nearly 400 videos posted by candidates and political parties explaining where they stand on issues from education and the economy to health care and political reform, sparking vibrant conversations in cafés from
Alexandria
to
Aswan
.
We’re helping voters and politicians connect not just in Egypt, but throughout the entire Middle East and the world. For
Tunisia’s recent parliamentary elections
, we partnered with startup news portal
Tunisia Live
to offer a training workshop in Tunis on Google tools and social media for politicians. In France, we set up a special
YouTube site
for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The Internet is playing an increasingly significant role in Egypt. It’s bolstering civic engagement and becoming a powerful mechanism for information sharing—crucial to helping the nation make the tough transition to democracy.
Posted by Samir ElBahaie, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs for Google Middle East North Africa
Tunisia Talks on YouTube
October 20, 2011
The
Arab Spring
started in Tunisia, and it’s appropriate that Tunisia is now leading the way to a full democracy with their landmark free elections scheduled to take place on October 23. To help in this process, we recently partnered with startup news portal
Tunisia Live
to offer a training workshop in Tunis on Google tools and social media for politicians.
The turnout was fantastic; members from more than 40 parties and independent coalitions attended. The same day, Tunisia Live launched the
Tunisia Talks
channel on YouTube, channeling the enthusiasm of politicians to leverage social media and engage with voters. In this project, Tunisians are encouraged to submit and vote for top questions to the candidates, and many did so—for a flavor, see this
example
or
this one
. So far, more than 400 questions have been submitted.
This outreach is all the more exciting because YouTube
was blocked
for so many years in Tunisia. But when the regime collapsed last January, the site was unbanned and quickly became popular. Many Tunisian media outlets have set up
channels
to organize their video libraries on YouTube.
In this weekend’s elections, Tunisians will choose a constitutional council to write a new constitution for the country. Voters will select from
lists
of party members and independents. The Tunisian electoral committee has set up an official site
www.isie.tn
and is actively using social media to
encourage voter
registration—check their channel
YouTube.com/isietn
.
This is an exciting time in Tunisia. The media landscape—once limited and government-controlled—is now opening up to online platforms. Tunisians finally have access to a free Internet—and it’s playing a key role in building an encompassing political environment.
Posted by Samir ElBahaie, Regional Policy and Government Affairs Manager, Middle East and Northern Africa
(Cross-posted on the
European Public Policy Blog
)
The Fox News/Google Debate live tonight on YouTube: GOP candidates answer your questions
September 22, 2011
Since we announced the Fox News/Google Debate on September 1, people across the country have submitted more than 18,000 questions to the
Fox News YouTube channel
on topics ranging from
immigration reform
, to
health care
, to
foreign aid
to
social security
. Tonight, the Republican presidential candidates will answer those questions in the Fox News/Google Debate, which will be live-streamed on YouTube and broadcast on Fox News Channel starting at 9pm ET. We’ll also have an online pre-debate show starting at 8:30pm ET, featuring Fox News’s Shannon Bream and Chris Stirewalt, and Steve Grove, YouTube’s Head of News and Politics.
Even if you’re watching on TV, you can visit
youtube.com/foxnews
during the debate to vote on real-time polling questions and submit live commentary. Throughout the evening, we’ll share Google politics-related search trend information and public data that will provide context to the issues discussed. Fox News moderators will ask specific questions that were submitted by citizens through YouTube, and we’ll be looking at overall trends that emerge from the questions in aggregate. To give you an idea, here’s a look at the most popular words people used in their submissions (the bigger the word, the more often it was used).
Flex your democratic muscle and tune in to
youtube.com/foxnews
tonight at 8:30pm ET for a political debate that puts you in the driver’s seat of the discussion.
Posted by Ramya Raghavan, YouTube news and politics manager
YouTube Town Hall: where your views count
May 18, 2011
(Cross-posted from the
YouTube Blog
)
How would you vote if you focused purely on the ideas needed to make our country and our world a better place, rather than on the parties putting them forward? That’s a question that the new
YouTube Town Hall
seeks to answer.
YouTube Town Hall is an online platform for members of Congress to virtually debate and discuss the most important issues of the day. You can select an issue, watch two short videos of members of Congress expressing different perspectives on how to tackle this issue, and then support the one you agree with most. The most supported videos will be tracked on the
YouTube Town Hall Leaderboard
. After you watch the video, you’ll find out which party the representative comes from—and sometimes you might be surprised.
The first issues up for debate—budget, economy, energy, Afghanistan, education and healthcare—are those that were among the most popular on Google News and Google search over the past year. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask the questions you want members of Congress to answer. Every month, members of Congress will add new videos to the site answering a selection of the top-voted questions. So if you’re interested in lowering gas prices, reforming the tax system or making college more affordable,
ask now
!
Posted by Will Houghteling, YouTube News and Politics
Your questions, your State of the Union
January 21, 2011
(Cross-posted from the
YouTube Blog
)
It’s the biggest speech of the year, and next Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET, people across the country and around the world will sit down to watch. But as President Obama delivers the 2011 State of the Union Address, which will be streamed live on YouTube along with the Republican response, you can do more than just watch the speech: you can also submit your questions for the President for an exclusive YouTube Interview that will take place just two days later, on January 27.
In fact, you can get started today. Health care. Education. Foreign policy. What would you like to ask the President about the most important issues our country faces? Go to
youtube.com/askobama
to submit your question now, or watch the speech on Tuesday night with your webcam or video camera nearby so that you can record and submit your question as soon as it strikes you. This year, you'll also be able to ask your question via Twitter: just include the hashtag #askobama in your tweet. And be sure to have your say in what should be asked by voting on questions submitted by others, too.
A few suggestions before submitting your questions:
Video questions are highly preferred (though we also accept text). Videos should be about 20 seconds long and be sure to ask the question directly.
Speak clearly and try to film in a place with minimal background noise. Keep the camera as still as possible.
Feel free to be creative (use props, charts, etc.) to help your question stand out. If you have time, find an interesting backdrop that may help reinforce your message.
Submit your question early. The final deadline is Wednesday January 25 at midnight ET.
President Obama’s responses to a selection of your top-voted questions will be streamed live from the White House on
youtube.com/askobama
at 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday January 27.
This interview is the first in a series of world leader interviews coming to YouTube in 2011 as part of
YouTube World View
. These interviews will give people around the world the chance to engage in conversation with their elected officials and other influential people from the world of business, philanthropy, technology, media and the arts. Check back on the
channel
in the next few months for more opportunities to participate.
You have until Wednesday, January 25 at midnight ET to submit your question for President Obama. The YouTube community made history last year when the President
answered your questions
in the first ever citizen-powered interview of a United States president. If you didn’t get an opportunity to ask the President a question last year, make sure you don’t miss out this time—get your submission in early.
Remember, after the President’s address you’ll have the opportunity to watch Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) deliver the GOP response to the State of the Union as well. And within the month, we’ll be holding a similar YouTube Interview with a prominent Republican leader—more details soon.
Posted by Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics
More midterm election search trends as the results come in
November 3, 2010
As Election Day went on, people continued to come to Google for information and, importantly, updates on results. Starting around 8pm PT yesterday, Nov 2, and continuing throughout the night and into the morning, more than half the terms in
Hot Trends
were related to the election. People searched for [live election coverage] as well as news sites like [fox news] and [drudge report]. Most of the popular searches, however, were for certain races and candidates, starting mostly with races in the Eastern time zone and gradually moving west as polls closed across the country.
The hot terms included Senators-elect [marco rubio] of Florida, [dan coats] of Indiana and [rand paul] of Kentucky, three Republicans who won yesterday, as well as incumbent Democrats Sen. [blanche lincoln] of Arkansas and [russ feingold] of Wisconsin, who lost, and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who won the special Senate election to take Robert Byrd’s former Senate seat. [joe sestak], Pennsylvania’s Democrat candidate for Senate, was also popular online, as well as [joe toomey], who defeated him. People also looked for information on the [delaware senate race] which had gained national attention largely due to Republican candidate Christine O’Donnell (she lost).
Beginning around 9pm PT, we saw interest rising in the [nevada senate race], the outcome of which would determine whether Majority Leader Harry Reid would stay in office. Searches for [harry reid polls] and [nevada election results] continued to be popular even after it was announced that he had won. California’s incumbent Democrat Sen. [barbara boxer], who also won her reelection bid, was also popular search. And the still-undecided Alaska Senate race continues to drive searches, especially for the write-in candidate there, [lisa murkowski].
In the House of Representatives, we’ve seen searches spike for Rep. [nancy pelosi], who won her California district last night but lost her position as Speaker of the House when the Republicans gained the majority in the house. Her successor as Speaker, [john boehner], was also popular. And there was interest in reelected candidates from both sides of the aisle, from Democrat [barney frank] of Massachusetts to Republican [michele bachmann] of Minnesota.
Popular Governors’ races include Ohio, Florida (people are also looking for info about its winner as of this morning, [rick scott]), Texas, Illinois, Connecticut, South Carolina (which elected its first female governor last night, [nikki haley]) and Minnesota, where the winner has yet to be decided as of this moment. [emmer], the Republican candidate there, is in the top 20 list on Hot Trends as of 8am PT this morning.
California’s prop 19, which lost by an estimated 10 percentage points, continued to be popular online, as people checked for [prop 19 results] [prop 19 status] and [prop 19 poll numbers], asking [did prop 19 pass in california].
Some East Coast residents seem to have gone to bed before the results came out last night, and are catching up on the news this morning. Searches for New England newspapers [portland press herald], [hartford courant], [burlington free press] and [bangor daily news] took up a fifth of the Hot Trends list at 8am PT today, along with searches for [tallahassee democrat] and [columbus dispatch].
Finally, it wasn’t just current candidates who made news last night. Former vice presidential candidate [geraldine ferraro] was popular online; Ferraro appeared on TV last night with her fellow VP candidate Sarah Palin, and the former made some comments about female candidates for president in 2012 that had some people raising eyebrows. People were also interested in [obama trip to india], the President’s trip planned for this weekend.
That’s it for now, but we’ll keep an eye on the search trends—and on the news—and see if we have any more interesting tidbits to share.
Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog Editor
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