Join us for a Google+ Hangout on April 1: Accessing Credit for your Farm or Ranch Business

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Rachael Dubinsky, USDA Office of Communications, on March 27, 2014 at 9:50 AM

Accessing credit can be challenging for new farmers and ranchers.  It’s hard to know where to start, what to ask for and, most importantly, who to ask.  USDA is here to help.  We have a portfolio of loan and credit options for farmers and ranchers like you. We also work closely with other financial institutions to make getting credit easier in other ways.

On Tuesday, April 1 at 4 p.m. EDT Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden will host a Google+ Hangout to discuss types of agricultural credit and ways to access them in support of your farm or ranch business.

This Google Hangout is part of a discussion series hosted by Deputy Secretary Harden on the changing face of agriculture and the opportunities presented by a career in farming or ranching. You asked and we listened. Based on your feedback, new farmers and ranchers want to have a larger discussion on accessing credit and the financial know how that goes into starting an operation.

During this Hangout, you will hear from panelists who represent some of the key agricultural financial lenders and farmers’ stories about how different credit options were successfully put to work on the farm.

Leading the Discussion:

• Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden
• Gary Matteson, Farm Credit Council, Vice President for Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs and Outreach
• Chris Beyerhelm, USDA’s Farm Service Agency Farm Loan Chief
• Shirley Malek, goat and sheep cheese producer in Gilmanton, N.H.
• Megan Kinsey, a squash, grape, and corn farmer in Sunnyside, Wash.
• Matt and Jolene Nierling, beginning farmers who operate a dairy operation in northeast Iowa

Participate in the Hangout on Tuesday by watching it live on the USDA Google+ page or on www.usda.gov/live.  Some of the questions we will discuss are:

1. How much experience (if any) is required to receive a farm loan?
2. What do creditors look for in a business plan?
3. Who are the best lenders for me?  How do I know who to talk to first?

RSVP to attend HERE and add your questions in advance or share your story on Twitter or Facebook by using #NewFarmers.

Twitter’s Chief Lawyer Defends Free Speech With Revenue in Mind

The following is an excerpt from an article in 

The New York Times
Monday, September 03, 2012

Twitter’s Chief Lawyer Defends Free Speech With Revenue in Mind

By SOMINI SENGUPTA

SAN FRANCISCO — Alexander Macgillivray, Twitter’s chief lawyer, says that fighting for free speech is more than a good idea. He thinks it is a competitive advantage for his company.

That conviction explains why he spends so much of Twitter’s time and money going toe to toe with officers and apparatchiks both here and abroad. Last week, his legal team was fighting a court order to extract an Occupy Wall Street protester’s Twitter posts. The week before, the team wrestled with Indian government officials seeking to take down missives they considered inflammatory. Last year, Mr. Macgillivray challenged the Justice Department in its hunt for WikiLeaks supporters who used Twitter to communicate.

“We value the reputation we have for defending and respecting the user’s voice,” Mr. Macgillivray said in an interview here at Twitter headquarters. “We think it’s important to our company and the way users think about whether to use Twitter, as compared to other services.”

It doesn’t always work. And it sometimes collides awkwardly with another imperative Twitter faces: to turn its fire hose of public opinion into a profitable business. That imperative will become far more acute if the company goes public, and Twitter confronts pressures to make money fast and play nice with the governments of countries in which it operates; most Twitter users live outside the United States and the company is already opening offices overseas.

That transformation makes his job all the more delicate. At a time when Internet companies control so much of what we can say and do online, can Twitter stand up for privacy, free expression and profitability all at the same time?

“They are going to have to monetize the data that they have and they can’t rock the boat maybe,” said Ryan Calo, a law professor at the University of Washington. “I don’t predict Twitter is going to lose its way, but it’s a moment to watch.”

Jonathan Zittrain, one of his former professors at Harvard Law School, called it both a challenge and opportunity for Mr. Macgillivray, widely known as @amac, his handle on Twitter, and one that could influence the Internet industry at large.

“If @amac can help find a path through it, it may serve as a model for corporate responsibility for an Internet where more and more code and content is governed by corporate gatekeepers,” Mr. Zittrain said via e-mail.

He added that the challenge for Mr. Macgillivray “is not only to pioneer a wise way through this thicket, but to implement it as Twitter’s use continues to explode: it’s complex maintenance on a jet engine while the plane is in flight.”

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

Hashtag Activism, and Its Limits

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Monday, March 26, 2012

Hashtag Activism, and Its Limits

By DAVID CARR If you “like” something, does that mean you care about it?

It’s an important distinction in an age when you can accumulate social currency on Facebook or Twitter just by hitting the “like” or “favorite” button.

The ongoing referendum on the Web often seems more like a kind of collective digital graffiti than a measure of engagement: I saw this thing, it spoke to me for at least one second, and here is my mark to prove it.

But it gets more complicated when the subjects are more complicated. Hitting the favorite button on the first episode of “Mad Men” is a remarkably different gesture than expressing digital solidarity with kidnapped children in Africa, but it all sort of looks the same at the keyboard.

In the friction-free atmosphere of the Internet, it costs nothing more than a flick of the mouse to register concern about the casualties of far-flung conflicts. Certainly some people are taking up the causes that come out of the Web’s fire hose, but others are most likely doing no more than burnishing their digital avatars.

In February, the digiterati went bonkers after the Susan G. Komen foundation (shorthanded as #Komen on Twitter) announced it was cutting off financing for Planned Parenthood. And then #KONY2012 started popping up in my Twitter feed and I, along with 100 million others, watched a video about the indicted Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony.

After weeks of remaining under the radar, #TrayvonMartin began to surface as well, with many suggesting that the people who got so frantic about the victimization of young black males on another continent needed to look closer to home, at the death of an unarmed black teenager in Florida.

As a reporter, I don’t sign up for various causes, but as someone who lives — far too much — in the world of social media, I can feel the pull of digital activism. And I have to admit I’m starting to experience a kind of “favoriting” fatigue — meaning that the digital causes of the day or week are all starting to blend together. Another week, another hashtag, and with it, a question about what is actually being accomplished.

News Release from American Express - Using Twitter #Hashtags

American Express Turns Twitter #Hashtags into Couponless National Merchant Offers and Cardmember Savings Using Its Smart Offer APIs

Cardmembers Can Now Sync their Cards with Twitter, Tweet, and Save at National Merchant Partners including Best Buy®, McDonald’s, Whole Foods Market, Zappos.com & More

New Technology to be Featured During Upcoming Live-Streamed Concert Event from SXSW® featuring Award-Winning Recording Artist

NEW YORK,  March 6, 2012 -- 

American Express today introduced a new experience for US Cardmembers using Twitter, that turns customized Twitter #hashtags into savings. Now, American Express® Cardmembers can sync their eligible Card with Twitter at sync.americanexpress.com/twitter, and when they tweet using special offer hashtags, couponless savings are loaded directly to their synced Cards – no coupons, no print-outs. Then, when Cardmembers use their synced Card for qualifying purchases online or in-store at participating merchants, the savings are automatically delivered via a statement credit within days. Participating merchant partners include Best Buy®, McDonald's, Whole Foods Market, Zappos and more. This unique user experience is facilitated by American Express' Smart Offer APIs, which also enables American Express to provide detailed reporting to merchants about the online and offline spend behavior of their customers.

"American Express is turning Twitter content into commerce by connecting Cardmembers to merchants and delivering real world value to both," said Ed Gilligan, Vice Chairman, American Express. "With the continued convergence of online and offline commerce, our closed loop continues to enable us to bring seamless, relevant ways to connect our cardmembers and merchants on the most powerful social and digital platforms."

"Every day, millions of people use Twitter to get special offers from the brands and retailers they care about," said Adam Bain, Twitter's president of global revenue. "Now, American Express is making it even easier for people to act on those offers simply by sending Tweets with special offer hashtags from retailers. It's exciting to see American Express build on Twitter in a way that benefits both consumers and retailers."

Sync. Tweet. Save.
Cardmembers can tweet their way to savings by syncing an eligible American Express® Card with Twitter at sync.americanexpress.com/twitter. To take advantage of the exclusive offers available from a variety of the nation's largest merchants, Cardmembers tweet the special offer hashtags to load offers directly to their synced Cards. When the Cardmember uses that same Card to make a qualified purchase in-store or online with a participating merchant, an automatic statement credit is issued within days.

Participating merchants at launch include 1-800-FLOWERS.COM®, Best Buy®, Century 21 Department Store, The Cheesecake Factory, Dell, FedEx Office, FTD®, Gulf, H&M, McDonald's, Seamless.com, Sports Authority, Ticketmaster, Virgin America, Whole Foods Market and Zappos.com. All of the current American Express special offers are highlighted as "favorites" on the @americanexpress Twitter page.

American Express created @amexsync, an automated notification handle that is activated when someone sends a Tweet that includes one of the special offer hashtags. This sophisticated handle detects if a user is already synced and either confirms their offer enrollment or provides a link to first sync their American Express Card to enroll in the selected offer. Additionally, if an offer is no longer available, @amexsync will direct users to check out the Tweets @americanexpress has "favorited" to find the latest offers. Questions or additional assistance will be provided by @askamex, the American Express customer service team on Twitter.

Experience Sync at SXSW®
American Express will showcase the new Twitter experience during a special, nationally live-streamed concert from SXSW on March 12 at 7 p.m. CT featuring an award-winning recording artist. For details, please visit youtube.com/AmericanExpress. The Amex Sync Show will be broadcast live at youtube.com/americanexpress and also be available on the VEVO mobile and tablet platform.

Local and visiting eligible Cardmembers in Austin can take advantage of a special city-wide offer and get $10 when sync their Card, Tweet the special offer #AmexAustin10 and use their synced Card to spend in Austin during SXSW from March 9 to March 13. Limit one statement credit per Cardmember. Click here for program terms.

About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress,foursquare.com/americanexpress, twitter.com/americanexpress, andyoutube.com/americanexpress.

Early Access to Twitter Advertising

News release from American Express:

American Express Cardmembers and Merchants Get Early Access to Twitter's New Advertising Solution for Small BusinessesAmerican Express Gives $100 in Free Twitter Ads to First 10,000 Eligible Small Businesses; Registration Opens Today -- Launches in Late March

NEW YORK,  February 17, 2012 -- 

American Express announced that its Cardmembers and merchants will be the first to have access to Twitter's new advertising solution for small businesses, which is scheduled to launch in late March. And American Express will give $100 in free Twitter advertising when using this solution to the first 10,000 eligible businesses that register starting today at ads.twitter.com/amex. These businesses will be able to use Twitter's advertising products to engage with current customers and reach new ones. The new advertising solution is expected to open to the general public later this year.

"We are committed to providing cutting-edge products, services and programs to help our small business Cardmembers and merchants grow," said Ed Gilligan, Vice Chairman of American Express. "This partnership with Twitter gives our small business owners access to a powerful tool for reaching and engaging existing and new customers."

"Small businesses were among the first to embrace Twitter as a way to connect and interact with consumers in real-time," said Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter. "Today, we're announcing a simple way for small businesses to amplify their voices on Twitter and reach a new set of potential customers using our Promoted Products. With their deep commitment to supporting small businesses, American Express is an ideal partner to help us launch this new advertising offering and give small business owners everything they need to get started with advertising on Twitter."

This is the first time Twitter has introduced an advertising solution specifically designed for small businesses. Through the new advertising solution, small businesses will now be able to run their own promotional campaigns that tap into Twitter's 300+ million user base to help them gain new followers and engage current ones.

American Express Cardmembers and merchants will have early access to this advertising solution, and the first 10,000 eligible businesses that register onads.twitter.com/amex will receive $100 in free ads when using this solution. American Express Cardmembers and merchants can register now for the new advertising solution with the Twitter account they use for their business at ads.twitter.com/amex. American Express will follow up with registrants in the next few weeks via Twitter direct message to provide additional program and eligibility information. 

Mobile Apps Take Data Without Permission

Excerpt from an article in The New York Times
Thursday, February 16, 2012

Mobile Apps Take Data Without Permission 

By NICOLE PERLROTH and NICK BILTON

SAN FRANCISCO - The address book in smartphones - where some of the user's most personal data is carried - is free for app developers to take at will, often without the phone owner's knowledge.

Companies that make many of the most popular smartphone apps for Apple and Android devices - Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram among them - routinely gather the information in personal address books on the phone and in some cases store it on their own computers. The practice came under scrutiny Wednesday by members of Congress who saw news reports that taking such data was an "industry best practice."

Apple, which approves all apps that appear in its iTunes store, addressed the controversy on Wednesday after lawmakers sent the company a letter asking how approved apps were allowed to take address book data without users' permission. Apple's published rules on apps expressly prohibit that practice.

But in its statement about the issue, Apple did not address why those apps that collect address book data had been approved.

In that statement, Tom Neumayr, an Apple spokesman, said: "Apps that collect or transmit a user's contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines. We're working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release."

The Federal Trade Commission regulates the use of consumers' data on the Internet, and in the past it has sanctioned big companies like Facebook and Google over privacy issues. It said Wednesday that it would make no comment about the app makers' practices.

Twitter All in Good Fun?

Excerpt from The New York Times
Monday, February 13, 2012

Twitter Is All in Good Fun, Until It Isn’t 

By DAVID CARR

I was going to tweet about Roland Martin’s suspension from CNN, but I decided to write a column about it instead. It’s safer this way.

Let me explain.

Big media companies love when their employees hit Twitter. After all, the short-form social media platform gives consumers direct access to media personalities, and along with it, an intimate connection that large media organizations, and the public, revel in.

Until something goes wrong. Roland Martin, who is paid to spout opinions on CNN, posted a controversial one on Twitter and now he is on suspension.

Like a lot of us, Mr. Martin watched the Super Bowl last Sunday and like many of us, he frolicked on Twitter as one more way of “watching” the big game, including commercials.

Mr. Martin, a syndicated newspaper columnist and a political analyst for CNN, got in trouble for writing, “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl.”

Many, including gay advocacy groups, felt that the post advocated violence against homosexuals. Mr. Martin, a longtime hater of soccer, saw the immediate blowback on Twitter and said he was just mocking that sport, and nothing more. CNN also saw the outcry and suspended Mr. Martin indefinitely, saying in a news release that his post was “regrettable and offensive.”

This is not the first time someone who makes a living on one platform has been clobbered for making remarks on another. Octavia Nasr, senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs at CNN, was fired in 2010 for praising on Twitter Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, a Shiite cleric and inspirational figure for Hezbollah, after he died. That same year, an Arizona Daily Star reporter was fired for writing posts critical of colleagues and of the city of Tucson. The National Labor Relations Board said his dismissal was legal, in part because he had been warned by his employers not to post about work-related issues. Markos Moulitsas, the founder of the Daily Kos, was temporarily barred from MSNBC after getting in a Twitter dispute with Joe Scarborough on his show “Morning Joe.”

The list goes on, but you get the idea. The great thing about Twitter is it offers a friction-free route to an audience — if it can be thought, it can be posted. That’s also the bad thing about Twitter. For employees of almost any company, but especially media companies, it creates an ongoing tension: Yes, build your personal brand and, by proxy, bring social media luster to your employer, but do it in ways that are consumer-friendly and taste-appropriate. That kind of contemplativeness is not generally a Twitter impulse, as Mr. Martin found out.