Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States will convene the first-ever Ask Me Anything session on Reddit.”

You know that social media has power when the most powerful leader on the planet is using one of the most-popular-yet-less-well-known social media platforms to communicate (and upstage the RNC?) — totally unannounced and completely by surprise.

I loved the tweet in my tweet stream that said something like, “Now every news director in the country is asking the nerdiest person in the newsroom – WTF is Reddit?”

For those of you who don’t know, Reddit is a forum-like social platform that bills itself as “The Front Page of the Internet.” So when this popped up this afternoon…

“Hi, I’m Barack Obama, President of the United States. Ask me anything. I’ll be taking your questions for half an hour starting at about 4:30 ET. Proof it’s me: https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/240903767350968320 We’re running early and will get started soon”

…Things got interesting.

What does this do politically? Who knows. For those who like the current POTUS — well, it’s the coolest thing ever. You could say it’s a pretty cagey strategic move to steal the thunder of a presumably big Republic National Convention day.

And it certainly runs circles around those who are just now realizing that Twitter is a valuable tool.

For those who don’t like him, it’s a big meh. For those of us who track the rise of social media in business and government, this is a moment to remember. Clever and down-to-earth at the same time, it speaks volumes about where the future voters, employees, and citizens are gathering.

Turns out that out of the hundreds of questions submitted, he answered eight. The Atlantic has them here.

Next up, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan on a Google+ hangout?

Beverly Macy is the CEO of Gravity Summit and Gravity Summit TV. She is also the co-author of The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing. You can email her at beverlymacy@gmail.com

Follow Beverly Macy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/beverlymacy

Spotlights | Workshops | Connection Points

Each year, the Advisory Board reviews speaker submissions and develops the conference agenda based on the most pressing topics of the day. Sessions designed for the 2012 Women In Green Forum will fit into the following tracks:

Spotlights: Highlighting Leaders

Workshops: Growth and Development

Connection Points: Building Your Professional Network

Day 1 – Tuesday, August 28

8:00 am - 9:00 am	Continental Breakfast and RegistrationSponsored by
9:00 am - 9:07 am9:07 am - 9:15 am	Conference Charge - Sarah Backhouse, Founder and Host, Future360 and Advisory Board Member, Women In Green ForumWelcome to SoCal - Joseph K. Lyou, Ph.D., President and CEO, Coalition for Clean Air
9:15 am - 9:35 am	Spotlight: “Izhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit” = “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins” - Princess Lucaj, Executive Director, Gwich’in Steering Committee
9:45 am - 10:45 am	Workshops: Jumpstarting the Next Generation of Leaders Crowdsourcing – Engaging the Community Moderator: Tess Mateo, Managing Director and Founder, CXCatalystsPanelists: - Kelly Hoey, Co-Founder, Women Innovate Mobile -Natalia Oberti Noguera, Founder and CEO, Pipeline Fellowship -Lauren Gropper, Founder and CEO, Repurpose Compostables Moderator: Sarah Backhouse, Founder and Host, Future360 and Advisory Board Member, Women In Green ForumPanelists: -Nikki Pava, Co-Founder, EcoTuesday / Alegria Partners -Tanya Blackburn, President, RTJ Consultants
10:50 am - 11:50 am	Spotlight: Journey to the Top Workshop: Creating Balance: The Work/Life “Fit” Meet the Experts: - Jane Fullerton – Smith, Managing Director, Sustainable Event Solutions – The SEMS Tool - Silke Fleischer, CEO and Co-Founder, ATIV Software -Jean Seo, Founder, Evolue Beauty -Vivian Panou, Director of Special Events and Projects, Earth Friendly Products -Jill Whynot, Assistant Deputy Executive Officer, Engineering & Compliance, South Coast AQMD -Cali Williams Yost, CEO and Founder, Flex+Strategy Group/Work+Life Fit, Inc
11:50 am - 12:15 pm	Connection Point: Expo Zone and Clean Vehicle Ride & Drive The Ride and Drive will be a fun opportunity for attendees to test drive all electric vehicles from Coda Automotive and Mitsubishi Motors. Cruise the sunny streets of beautiful Santa Monica as you experience the future of clean transportation. You must present your driver’s license to participate.
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm	Award Luncheon – Women in Green Forum Founder’s Circle Award Presentation: Jaime Nack, President, Three Squares Inc. Presentation of the Care2 Impact Award & Women In Green Forum Trailblazer Award Women In Green Forum Youth Trailblazer Award Recipient: Mahuya Barua, ACE Youth Rep, Los Angeles Introduction & Award Presentation: - Robyn Hessinger, Editor-in-Chief, Care2 Inc. Care2 Impact Award and Women In Green Forum Trailblazer Award Recipient: L. Hunter Lovins, President and Founder, Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS) Read more…
1:30 pm - 1:50 pm	Workshop – Mastering Online Outreach - Beverly Macy, CEO, Gravity Summit LLC; Blog Contributor, Huffington Post; Educator, UCLA Business and Management Extension; Author, The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing
1:50 pm - 2:00 pm2:00 pm - 2:20 pm	Wellness Break: Zumba Energy Burst Attendees will enjoy an energizing session of Zumba with Stacy Gross, zumba extraordinaire Workshop – Lights! Camera! Action! Public Speaking for Introverts -Ariana Hall, Founder, Self Expressed Voice
2:20 pm - 2:45 pm2:45 pm - 3:00 pm	Connection Point: Coffee Break in Expo Zone Talk and enjoy a cup of java and some healthy snacks while exploring exhibitor booths. Make sure to leave time for networking with conference attendees! Spotlight: Achieving the Opportunities & Challenges in Meeting the States Renewable Energy GoalsCaroline Choi, Vice President, Regulatory and Environmental Policy, Southern California Edison
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Workshop: We Are What We Eat: Emerging Eco Labels Moderator: Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food and Water Watch Panelists: -Shauna Sadowski, Director of Sustainability, Annie’s Inc. -Megan Westgate, Executive Director, Non-GMO Project -Rebecca Spector, West Coast Director, Center for Food Safety
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm	Film Screening – “Recycled Life” The dramatic and touching story of thousands of adults, children, and generations of families who have been living and working in the largest and most toxic landfill in Central America, the Guatemala City Garbage Dump, over the last sixty years. Written and Directed by Academy Award nominee Leslie Iwerks
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm	Evening Poolside Reception with Eco Boutique Enjoy light appetizers and beverages by the beautiful Sheraton Delfina pool! While you take in the sweet ocean breezes, browse the vendors at our Eco Boutique!

We are excited to announce the Social Media Breakfast LA AUGUST event! 

DETAILS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Topic: Social TV – Social Media in Sports & Entertainment
• Speaker: Beverly Macy, CEO of Gravity Summit, Huffington Post Blogger, Educator for the UCLA Extension and Author of “The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing”
• When: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 from 7:30am – 9:00am
• Where: Coupa Café of Beverly Hills
• Hashtag: #SMBLA
• Price: $15 REGISTER HERE

EXTENDED DETAILS YOU WANT TO KNOW

Key audience takeaways: 

Warren Sapp spent 13 years as one of the NFL’s most talented, verbose and entertaining players. The intimidating mountain of a defensive tackle played in nearly 200 career games, registered nearly 100 regular season sacks and made seven Pro Bowls — numbers that may well lead to a Hall of Fame induction. One season, he even caught two touchdown passes. Read More

One of yesterday’s trending topics on Twitter was “Peyton Manning.” Manning was released by the Indianapolis Colts and gave this heartfelt interview during a press conference.

On March 1, The Los Angeles Times reported that ESPN would begin streaming live college basketball championship games on Facebook, the first time it has done so. “ESPN’s move will allow the Walt Disney Co. cable network to take advantage of Facebook’s platform to reach young viewers who aren’t watching the games on TV,” the Times wrote. Read More