YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle in the United States

YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle in the United States

An interdisciplinary conference hosted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst
April 16 & 17, 2009
Amherst, MA
http://www.umass.edu/polsci/youtube/

Thursday, April 16

7:30 - 8:00 Registration & Hot Breakfast Buffet

8:00 - 8:30 Conference Opening: Stuart Shulman, Conference Co-Chair and Paul Kostecki, Vice
Chancellor, Research and Engagement, UMass Amherst

8:30 - 9:00 Paper #1: "Going Viral: The Dynamics of Attention," Bob Boynton, University of Iowa

9:00 - 9:15 Questions and feedback

9:15 - 9:45 Paper #2: "'Yes We Can': How Online Viewership, Blog Discussion, Campaign Statements and
Mainstream Media Coverage Produced a Viral Video Phenomenon," Kevin Wallsten, California
State University, Long Beach

9:45 - 10:15 Questions and feedback

10:15 - 10:30 Coffee Break

10:30 - 11:00 Paper #3: "A New Opportunity for Democratic Engagement: The CNN-YouTube Presidential
Candidate Debates," LaChrystal Ricke, Eastern New Mexico University

11:00 - 11:15 Questions and feedback

11:15 - 11:45 Paper #4: "Macaca Moments Reconsidered...YouTube Effects or Netroots Effects?" David
Karpf, University of Pennsylvania

11:45 - 12:00 Questions and feedback

12:00 - 1:00 Hot Lunch Buffet

1:00 - 2:00 Keynote Lecture: "Digital Methods"
Richard Rogers, Chair in New Media & Digital Culture, University of Amsterdam and Director,
Govcom.org

2:00 - 2:15 Coffee & Ice Cream Break

2:15 - 2:45 Panel Featuring Capitol Hill Staffers: "Congressional Communication via YouTube," Jonathan
Godfrey, Communications Director, House Committee on the Judiciary; Erick Sanchez, Online
Communications Aide for Tim Ryan (D-OH); & Brad Bauman, Communications Director for Tim
Ryan (D-OH)

2:45 - 3:00 Questions and answers

3:00 - 3:30 Paper #5: "Supporting Research Data Collection from YouTube with Tubekit," Chirag Shah,
University of North Carolina

3:30 - 3:45 Questions and feedback

3:45 - 4:00 Networking Break

4:00 - 5:00 Poster Session & Demos, Campus Center, 9th Floor

6:00 - 8:00 Conference-hosted reception at Bistro 63 at the Monkey Bar, 63 North Pleasant Street, Amherst
(dinner on your own)

Friday, April 17
7:30 - 8:00 Hot Breakfast Buffet

8:00 - 8:30 Conference opening: Michael Xenos, Conference Co-Chair, Louisiana State University

8:30 - 9:00 Paper #6: "Congressional Candidates' Use of YouTube in 2008: Its Frequency and Rationale,"
Christine Williams & Jeff Gulati, Bentley College

9:00 - 9:15 Questions and feedback

9:15 - 9:45 Paper #7: "The Sidetracked 2008 YouTube Senate Campaign," Robert J. Klotz, University of
Southern Maine

9:45 - 10:15 Questions and feedback

10:15 - 10:30 Coffee Break

10:30 - 11:00 Paper #8: "YouTube and Facebook: Online Video 'Friends' Social Networking," Scott P.
Robertson, University of Hawaii; Ravi K. Vatrapu, Copenhagen Business School; Richard
Medina, University of Hawaii

11:00 - 11:15 Questions and feedback

11:15 - 11:45 Guest Speaker: "Uploading Hope: An Inside View of Obama's HQ New Media Video Team,"
Max Harper, Obama Video Team

11:45 - 12:00 Questions and feedback

12:00 - 1:00 Hot Lunch Buffet

1:00 - 2:00 Keynote Lecture: "Digital Traces: An Exploratorium for Understanding & Enabling Social
Networks"
Noshir Contractor, Northwestern University

2:00 - 2:15 Coffee & Ice Cream Break

2:15 - 2:45 Paper #9: "YouTube, Community, and Me: The New Media Balance Between Self and
Community," Hillary Savoie, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

2:45 - 3:00 Questions and feedback

3:00 - 3:30 Paper #10: "The Obamachine: Techno-politics 2.0," Cheris Stallings-Carpenter

3:30 - 3:45 Questions and feedback

3:45 - 4:15 Closing Discussion: Next Steps for Building an Enduring YouTube Research Community