With technical information almost doubling every year now, it’s no surprise that there are rapidly evolving systems – and new solutions – to help solve our nation’s very real problems. Now, alongside the image-makers and storytellers who have traditionally driven public campaigns, the most interesting new key players in the political industry are the social scientists and design experts who are applying behavioral psychology and statistical modeling to motivate action.

Even as Capital Hill stumbles over the fiscal cliff and lands on the debt ceiling extension and new cabinet secretaries enter the confirmation turnstiles, a new generation of leaders is promising to boldly change the public discourse. They would be wise to deploy a new approach that increases the impact for – while decreasing costs to – government leaders. It begins by empowering citizens to take part in their work – offering a clear alternative from those mired in obstructing progress and expanding gridlock. Every major issue confronting our nation would benefit from this modern approach – from rebuilding our economy and developing new energy solutions to increasing access to health care and a quality education and increasing our security and standing around the world to fixing our broken immigration system.

It’s not a new concept. As a matter of fact, the merits of this bottom-up approach were proven last year – at scale. Many of the new officials arriving in Washington this month employed high-ranking campaign deputies in last year’s elections to make discoveries in the world of big data, specifically to increase the depth and breadth of their engagement with constituents. They deployed technologies and sharp design-thinking methodologies that made taming it a boon for their efforts. But while, there’s little consensus about how those roles fit best in their new public offices, last year’s lessons have already started to disrupt the consulting and PR markets in Washington.

Last month, nearly two hundred experts and leaders gathered for the launch of SocialxDesign’s DC office. Some of the city’s brightest minds joined us for a panel discussion. One rising star who runs a team at Democratic Party headquarters had the final word when she asked a mind-numbing question – given all the progress we made in 2012, why are organizations running post-election campaigns the same old way? Why aren’t they combining what we’ve learned from the Obama campaign – bridging the worlds of online social engagement and offline social movements – at scale?

While reason often gets lost in Washington, the common sense answer is hard to ignore. A new era of reform can continue to occur only if Americans continue to mobilize against the influence of entrenched interests. This means arguing the case and cutting through propaganda, the fear campaigns and well-funded lies and distortions. It also means using old world organizing and the new world of social technologies to multiply impact. The world of communications and engagement has changed – and how governments, NGOs and businesses use them is changing too.

This past year illustrated the impact it can have – where victors deployed a new cadre of experts to create unified models for capturing and managing data, they tested and implemented high-velocity interactions where innovation was focused on where people need it most across their whole experience, and they embedded new measurements for deep and sustained public engagement.

Now is the time to redouble those efforts – to expose and challenge the failures of the past and to use new tools and techniques to chart a new course. The tactics that helped dig the hole we’re in aren’t likely to be the best in getting us out of it, so this is a welcome change. After all, if our leaders are to claim their mandates and form new majorities, the public must be inspired to act. SocialxDesign is gearing up to design for this effort.

–Recent events in Puerto Rico — including the plebiscite on the status of the island, and the Arab Spring-like reaction on social networks to the recent spike in violence — make this a particularly important time to look at projects that aim to pull people together, on and off the island.

A beta version of the network goes live on Christmas Eve.  In the meantime, it’s important to share our perspective on the potential impact of the Parranda concept on the market we serve.  Beyond the personal satisfaction it brings me to be part of this effort, the idea of supporting a diaspora with social tech helps demonstrate the power of social engagement in the new global, socially networked economy:

–the power of transnational communications

–the power of public/private partnerships

–a new approach to multicultural communications in an age where “nations are not defined by their borders, but by their people, wherever they happen to live” (from the Parranda mission statement)

If any of this sounds interesting, please let us know.  We’ll be busy this Christmas (what’s new?), but it won’t all be work.  Parranda is named after a Christmas tradition where people roam their neighborhoods, knock on doors, and drag their neighbors to come with them (bringing beverages and food for the journey).  Puerto Ricans LOVE Christmas — the holiday ends in late January — and their uniquely social approach to the holiday is both meaningful and joyous.  As the islanders say when they knock on your door, annoucing the parranda, ¡Asalto!  You’ve been Parranda’d.  And you don’t need to be a Puerto Rican to enjoy.

Early coverage of the Parranda project:

http://nbclatino.com/2012/12/13/reinventing-the-puerto-rican-parranda-as-a-networking-website-for-professionals/

http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news/parranda-aims-to-power-a-greater-pr-79494.html

http://www.voxxi.com/parranda-social-network-puerto-rico/

http://www.noticel.com/noticia/134660/una-parranda-virtual-busca-conectar-a-diaspora-boricua.html

www.parranda.org

“Whether they are recruited, merely tolerated, or loathed by the candidate, they are seen as symbols of the party or surrogates for the campaign.

Way back in 2004 — dark days for the Democratic party — Berkeley professor George Lakoff chided his fellow Democrats for falling prey to a party that was far better organized, far more disciplined, and far more willing to tow the party line. Perhaps Mr. Lakoff is feeling merrier these days, for one of the striking features of the GOP’s 2012 campaign is how much of the party has gone rogue…”

Check out the full post from Giovanni on his Forbes.com blog: “Rogues Gallery: The Romney Campaign’s Unwanted Surrogates.”

“The international business school hasn’t been around that long.  But it’s coming of age at the right time … the age of social entrepreneurship.

One of the great perks of being a social tech consultant is that you get the privilege to speak at amazing venues.  My favorite type of venue:  universities.   I am lucky:  so far the list includes Yale, Harvard, and Stanford.  But until this week, I had never spoken at a business school attached to any institution.  I gave a lecture yesterday at the San Francisco campus for Hult,where the business school is the institution…”

Check out the full post from Giovanni on his Forbes.com blog: “Hult Breeds Disruption in MBA Market”

“Stagecraft mattered quite a bit in the first debate.  But with a real stage in the second, Obama stole the show.

You may already know this:  about me:  before I became a marketer – sometime in the late 90’s – I was small professional theater producer.  As co-owner of a Berkeley-based theater company, I produced mostly one-man (or one-woman plays) and small ensemble pieces that played especially well in smaller, more intimate venues.   So it was with special attention that I watched last night’s drama unfold at the second presidential debate, which was held at a venue not unlike in size with the ones I best know.  But you don’t have to be a theater person to appreciate the stagecraft in last night’s debate…”

Check out the full post from Giovanni on his Forbes.com blog: “Obama’s Masterpiece Theater (The Stagecraft Behind the Second Presidential Debate)”

The evening really was perfect – amidst yummy food and drinks, and conversations with dear friends and new comrades, we welcomed SxD to the SF scene.  Punctuating the night: A panel discussion featuring our own advisors, founders and senior consulting fellows, giving insight on the current state of social, what’s in store for the ever-changing landscape, and the opportunities on the horizon. On the night of, we were capturing the live tweeting via a projection off to the side of the panel, but I’ve Storify’d the whole thing here if you want to play catch-up.

You can also get a full download of the night via the photos posted to SxD’s Flickr stream – enjoy.

Cheers and thanks to all who made it out! We couldn’t have been in better company.

Courtney | @CourtneyPong

“The NetBase Mood Meter monitors real-time reaction to candidates on the DNC and GOP tickets.  But in this election, the big time for real time is the next presidential debate.

When watching tomorrow’s presidential debate, no doubt you’ll be wondering if President Obama gets his groove back. But for a growing number of Americans — marketers, political junkies, campaign workers and volunteers — you’ll be curious to know when he gets his groove back, or loses it again…”

Read the full post from Giovanni on Forbes, “Will Obama Get His Groove Back? New Technology May Tell You ‘When.‘”

Photo Credit: NetBase