Obama to 'Hang Out' on Google
First it was Facebook, then Twitter. LinkedIn followed soon after. And, now, in the administration's latest attempt to connect with supporters through social media, President Obama will participate in a virtual Google+ "hangout" this evening, answering questions about his State of the Union address.
"I'll walk into the Roosevelt Room across the hall from the Oval Office, take a seat, and kick-off the first-ever completely virtual town hall from the White House," the president wrote in an email sent out by the White House last week. "This is going to be an exciting way to talk about the steps that we need to take together at this make-or-break moment for the middle class."
The live video chat caps a week of social media engagement that the White House planned around the State of the Union. The president will answer video questions that have been submitted through YouTube and will invite some of the questioners to "hangout" and participate in the conversation, which will be live-streamed through the White House Google+ page.
Today's event marks the latest iteration in a series of White House events hosted through various social media tools. In the last year, the president has participated in town halls hosted separately by Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.