Are you a journalist in Asia? Obama wants to hear from you!

The US State Department has started looking for feedback from journalists in Asia about Obama’s speech tomorrow. (No pressure, Mr. Speechwriter!)

Here’s the email that has been sent to local media in Hong Kong.

What do you think?

Seeking your reaction to President Obama’s speech

Greetings from the American Consulate General in Hong Kong. As you may have heard, tomorrow morning (Saturday) from 9:00-9:45 AM, U.S. President Obama will give a speech that focuses on his Asia policy. CNN International and Hong Kong Cable TV plan to broadcast the speech live. I urge you to watch the President’s speech. In case you miss it, we will also post the text of President Obama’s speech on our website as soon as it is available. The link to our website home page is: http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov

When speaking about U.S. foreign relations, President Obama has said that “there must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground.” In this spirit, I would like to relay your feedback on the President’s speech back to Washington, DC. Please reply to ... read more >>

It was Obama's "triple O" or his online operation which "took a skinny kid with a funny name and turned him into the most powerful new national brand in a generation," said Fast Company. As they described on their cover, Team Obama beat out Google, Facebook and Amazon to be their No. 1. Obama raised our awareness as to the power behind social networks.

The Obama team was the first to have the vision to use the technology in a way that further defined the statement - it is not the technology, it is how you use it. They took the political election playbook, applied it to an online community framework and targeted the young voter (considered unreachable).

We can all learn a lot about the tools they employed but one important fact is the big take away — they inspired their constituents with a consistent and clear message that resonated with them and they empowered them with community tools and a presence

Oh, so we’re getting bailed out after all:

Off to apply for my millions while the bonanza lasts

(Found this stupid ad on a respected blog site – not linking to the junk site behind the ad though).

It is a big day for the United States. It is a big day for the whole world. I’m glad that the theme of this new administration is “hope”. We have a lot to hope for, a lot to improve about our country and our individual lives. The last six months have been tumultuous to say the least. I don’t know anyone who has not been touched by the economic slowdown - ok, recession.

This new president is unlike any other we have ever had. He is not “old-school” as most if not all former presidents have been. For me, that is a good thing. The old ways don’t seem to work in this new world.

I hope that President Obama can change the country for the better. I hope that he represents more than just policy change and economic change. I hope that he and his administration can bring real change to this country - can bring us together again as Americans, and to promote acceptance of all. I hope that he can live up to the expectations of everyone that has put their faith in him. It is a big shoe to fill.

Good luck, Mr. President.