President Bush to Be Interviewed on Facebook Today
Proving that nothing is official until it's on Facebook, former president George W. Bush will be interviewed today via Facebook in order to promote his new memoir, "Decision Points."
Bush has been touring the interview circuit for his new book, but an interview on Facebook is unprecedented. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be moderating the interview himself.
"In connection with the release of 'Decision Points,' President Bush has granted a series of interviews and speaking engagements around the country. Facebook is the only stop that President Bush is making during this trip to the Bay Area," a Facebook spokesman said.
The interview will take place at 5p.m. Eastern, and Ted Ullyot, a former Bush staffer, will also be moderating the discussion. Facebook employees have been invited to attend the interview in person but everyone else can watch the interview over Facebook Live.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of a Facebook interview is that users will be able to ask President Bush questions in real-time. Users can click the "Ask a Question" button at the top of the video screen in the Facebook Live interface and type in their questions. Obviously, not all questions will be answered, and it's likely the Bush staffer is there specifically to prevent Bush from facing the most volatile ones.
This is an interesting new step in the progression of social media . Due to the reach of Facebook, it's possible for celebrities to reach a much larger audience at once than they can on the traditional Letterman and Oprah interview circuit (though Bush has hit those venues, too). It may set an interesting precedent for further Facebook interviews.
