Candidates: At least they understand online marketing
Just four years ago, Howard Dean rattled campaigning cages with his Web-fueled presidential push. Yes, his run faded like a late 90s startup, but it had indelible influence. Candidates of every stripe are now taking their outreach online—and it’s a necessity, not a novelty. Today’s Washington Post spells it out. Money quote:
…the Internet isn’t just a tool. It’s a strategy, a whole new way of campaigning, a form of communication, from blogs to MySpace to YouTube, with far more potential than the old media of print and television.
The handshake sessions are losing their significance. If you want to reach voters (like any audience), you have to meet them on their turf. Increasingly, that turf is virtual.
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Caley Powell said,
on May 4th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Hopefully the internet with cut down on the money needed for candidates. My biggest concern is that the truth be accessible
easily. I hope this works to educate the public and get more people to vote. It is such a blessings to have access to more information.
Is it 2008 yet?
Cynthia Creelman said,
on May 7th, 2007 at 8:53 am
I’m totally fascinated with the online campaigning, and hope it will make it easier for all voters to access information and make informed choices.
We’re seeing some really interesting uses of the web for campaigns and voter information. I know MySpace plans to hold a mock election in January 2008, plus they have pages for each of the current candidates, and a link that users can follow to register to vote.
Time will tell if the online communities, and the web in general, can get more people out to vote. In any case, I am definitely going to be watching to see what happens.
Randall Ferrari said,
on May 7th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
As Pappy O’Daniel (Charles Durning) said in “O Brother Where Art Thou?” “We aint talkin’ about one on one politickin’.We’re talking about mass communicatin’”