The swearing in of President Obama — scheduled for Monday, January 21, 2013 — has gone mobile. Two committees have created inauguration-related apps for the event. One allows users to post remarks and photos to their Facebook and Twitter pages, while the other features live ceremony streaming.
The 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee, the group responsible for the inaugural parade and balls, developed an app compatible with iPhones and other Smartphones that allows users to post remarks and photos to their Facebook and Twitter pages, as well decide where they want to watch the activities, Politico said. The application also is designed to direct ticket-holders to their entry points and allows viewers globally to watch the festivities streamed live.
“This is the first official Smartphone app built for a presidential inauguration,” said Nate Lubin, PIC digital director. “We wanted to build a tool that will enable us to reach new people in new ways. This app does just that.”
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the group that handles the details of the actual swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, has an application that features live streaming of the ceremony, maps for ticket-holders and non-ticket-holders, and links to the Secret Service’s Twitter feed, Politco said.
“For the first time ever, a mobile Web app will help anyone on Inauguration Day figure out the best route from the Metro stations right to their ticketed area,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, said in a statement. “These tickets and this new site are a big part of our efforts to make sure these ceremonies are safe and enjoyable for everyone who attends.”
