MySpace Launches MyState of the Union

WebKnowHow
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; 04:17 AM

MySpace.com, the world’s leading lifestyle portal, announced today the launch of MyState of the Union, a contest for users to submit videos expressing views on where America is and should be going. Former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist and former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta are among judges who will be selecting nominees, with MySpace users choosing the winner.

“Whether you’re Left, Right, Center or off the spectrum, this is another way for our community to express themselves and make a positive impact on the world,” said Tom Anderson, president and co-founder of MySpace.com. “2007 is going to be a big year for political engagement on MySpace and this kicks things off in the right direction.”

MyState of the Union calls on users to submit up to sixty seconds of video offering their own state of the union address. Leading political bloggers from the Left and Right, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of DailyKos and Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online, will join Frist and Podesta in selecting nominees. The MySpace community will vote on a winner who will be announced on January 22, the day before President Bush delivers his annual State of the Union address.

"The American people have great ideas to offer and MySpace is offering a unique way for them to put those ideas forward," said Senator Frist.

"I look forward to the MyState of the Union contest," added Center for American Progress President John D. Podesta. "One of the things we try do everyday at the Center is engage and interact with the online community. Contests like this broaden the political dialogue and that's unequivocally good for our democracy."

The winner will receive a prize package including an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

The contest can be found at http://www.myspace.com/MyStateOfTheUnion.

About Dr. Bill Frist

Dr. Bill Frist is a heart and lung transplant surgeon who represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from 1994 to 2006 and served as Senate Majority Leader for the last four years of his term.

About John Podesta

John Podesta is the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a leading progressive think tank. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton.

About Markos Moulitsas Zúniga

Markos Moulitsas Zúniga is the founder and main author of Daily Kos, a weblog focusing on progressive, liberal and Democratic Party politics. He is the co-author of Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics.

About Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg is editor-at-large of National Review Online, a contributing editor to National Review, a CNN contributor, and writes a nationally syndicated column and a regular media criticism column for The American Enterprise magazine.

About MySpace.com

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture and making a positive impact on the world. By integrating web profiles, video, mobile communications, instant messaging and more, MySpace has created a global connected community with a wide array of communication choices. As the highest ranked website in terms of page views(a), MySpace is the most widely-used and highly-regarded site of its kind. MySpace’s international network includes localized community sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Australia and Ireland.