SF Mayor to air seven hour video

This is out of our area, but here is yet another example of government embracing technology:

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is taking advantage of technology by airing his 7 1/2 hour State of the City address on YouTube, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Chris Dale, spokesman for YouTube, said the site has become increasingly popular for politicians and heads of state over the past two years. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Queen Rania of Jordan and President-elect Barack Obama have used the site extensively to communicate directly to their constituents, Dale said.

"I think it's not about replacing the in-person experience - just like it's not about replacing the newspaper or the typical press conference," Dale said. "It's about augmenting all of that and giving more people access to more information."