Fireside21

If you want to take a screen-shot of a video or image on your screen follow the below steps.

TO TAKE A SCREEN SHOT

1. Select/find the video, web site or image that you want to clip.
2. If it is a video, click “pause” or “Ctrl P” to stop the video where you want the image.
3. Press the “Ctrl” and “PrtSc” or “PrtPn” (at the same time). This will copy what the screen is currently displaying.

EDIT/CROP THE IMAGE

1. Under the Windows Start Menu: go to All Programs, then Accessories, and click Paint (or use your favorite graphics software).
2. Under the Paint Program: Click on Edit, then Paste. Your screen shot should have pasted into the Paint body.
3. Under Paint: on the left side under the toolbox will see a dotted box. Click on the dotted box and box in the Image of the Video.
4. Once you have the Image boxed in, right-click and Select Copy.
5. Then go to file, New and open a New screen.
6. Using the mouse, drag the box to fit the white box currently in Paint. Make sure the dotted line box matches the white box (background).
7. Click on Edit, then Paste.
8. The Picture should have completely covered the white box which was in the background.

SAVE THE IMAGE

1. Go to File, Save As and type in the File Name. Make sure the file saves as a JPEG.
2. You can save the file on your desktop or under My Documents.

Once you get the hang of it, it is a quick and easy process. This is a great technique to use to put a screen-shot of a video into an email that clicks back to your web site.

Thank you to all of you who were able to attend Adfero’s Open House last Thursday [n.b. Adfero Group Announced the Formation of Fireside21 on ]. Click here to view all the pictures on Flickr. You can also find the pictures and “become a fan” of Adfero on our Facebook page.

You are probably more familiar with all of the laws in place to separate official actions from campaign expenses, but the reality of online outreach is that many of the tactics and strategies for reaching voters and constituents are one and the same. With that in mind, we would encourage you to attend the 2008 Politics Online Conference on March 4 & 5 to get up to speed on the latest trends.

Does the advent of online advocacy and lobbying pose a threat or opportunity for your office? What about the creation of citizen-run government-transparency sites?

The fact is that technology is changing the policy-making process, from vlogging to press conferences in virtual worlds to using technology to increase transparency and public access.

You don’t want to be left behind, right?

Register now for the 2008 Politics Online Conference at our discounted rate for Senate and Congressional staff of $100 (full price tickets are $350). Simply enter POLC40584 during checkout for this special, limited-time offer.

This year’s panels and discussions include:

Will “Radical Transparency” transform politics?
As Internet technology creates broader public access to legislative processes, how will this increased scrutiny affect our government?

Open source government: Can peer production create better public policy?
Peer production has produced better code, tracked lobbyist spending, and created Wikipedia. Can it also be used to build government programs, write policy, and save the world?

The future of mass email campaigns
What do we know about the effect of mass e-mail campaigns when they target US regulatory agencies? Do they work? Are there unintended consequences? This panel continues a dialogue that started in 2003 between researchers, agency officials, and a range of e-advocacy specialists from the public interest and business community. At issue are the tools and techniques for harnessing the collective wisdom of citizens who elect to participate through the ‘notice and comment’ process.

Designing outreach in virtual worlds
Outreach is no longer something that occurs on Facebook or in the school gymnasium after a townhall meeting. Some elected officials are using online multi-player games, like Second Life, to reach constituents. Some associations and issue groups are developing persuasive games. This panel will provide an intimate look at developing and designing an outreach program for virtual worlds.

Check out the full agenda, POLC blog and register with the discount code POLC40584!

After the CMF released their Gold Mouse Awards, it was only a matter of time before someone asked this question:

But what of the sites at the bottom of the list? The worst examples of congressional ingenuity, the Bill Gates-meets-Jim Traficant monstrosities, the sites that would impress constituents only among the Old Order Amish?

Drum roll, please…the Politico’s Sore sites for your eyes takes a looks at “Congressional Web Frights.”

To be fair, I think the offices mentioned have already got the message. One office on the Politico list is nearing launch of a new site powered by Fireside Web™…and two of the others contacted us for help before the release of the CMF report.

The phone should be ringing any minute now…

The CMF held two helpful training sessions yesterday to follow-up on the release of their Gold Mouse Report. If you did not get the chance to attend you should definitely download the slides from the presentations.

Among all of the criteria the CMF used in assigning grades to Congressional sites, they had four “Deal Breakers” that were weighed more heavily:

Here are the House and Senate slides (PDF) from the training sessions.