Dug in deep down here in the bunker at E.politics World Headquarters, we’ve been cranking away over the holidays on a much-needed rewrite of the venerable (and much-downloaded) Online Politics 101 guide. The new version should be out within a week or two, Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise, and at the moment it includes at least one entirely new chapter (on Twitter) plus plenty of other fresh goodies perfect for kids of all ages. Teaser: here’s a new addition to the original Five Rules for Online Politics, now expanded to a Lucky Seven.
The Tools Don’t Care Who Uses Them
At various times over the past few years, one side or another has seemed to dominate some part of their online world. In the U.S., Libertarian/conservative websites outnumbered their liberal counterparts noticeably in the late ’90s, but Democrats rallied online in the Bush years via blogs, email lists and online fundraising, culminating in the Obama campaign’s masterful and comprehensive use of the digital tools available in 2008. Never fear, the Right roared back, with Sarah Palin turning Facebook into her own personal megaphone and Republicans of all stripes flocking to Twitter in 2009-2010. The tools are open to anyone with the time and/or resources to use them, and any side that thinks it has a monopoly on internet activism is likely to be disabused of that notion sooner than it would like. This is a democratic medium, and I mean “democratic” with a small “d”.
What’s the other new rule? That’s a secret for now — but I have some hopes for it. Can the the world handle the wait, and the tension? Tune in tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel to find out more.
– cpd
January 2nd, 2011
Trackback
A last look at 2010 — deploy your rear-view mirrors before reading.
- Blue State Digital Bought by WPP. That’s the press release; see also the Sky News blog post that broke the story. Next, read Nancy Scola’s Interview: Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Blue State Digital Partner, on Being Acquired by Global Giant WPP. Finally, note that while the founding partners will stay on (for now), Kate Kaye discovers that key BSD senior staff have left the company in recent weeks.
- Facebook cements No. 1 status, as Myspace Mulls Significant Layoffs, With Potential Sale Looming.
- The Fireside Chat Returns to the White House, via online video. Meanwhile, the iPad comes knocking on House of Representatives’ door, and decypher this: #1Q grows to many: The @WhiteHouse @PressSec takes questions live on Twitter, makes @AP news.
- Tea Party Dominates Google’s Top 10 Politicians In 2010, while Facebook Users in Survey Say Republican Pols Handiest With Social Media.
- Twitter, Snow and Politics: Newark Mayor Shows Online Smarts.
- Palin fires back on Facebook with list of Obama gaffes.
- Whatever happened to the “ground zero mosque”?, with special thanks to Google News.
- Google’s auto-complete shows what we really want to know about our politicians.
- Krugman defends email.
- Apple Drops Marriage App after Complaints from Gay Activists and also Bans Lame WikiLeaks App. Back at the ranch, Nonprofits Tell Steve Jobs: Don’t Be a Bad Apple.
- North Korea targets South Korea in propaganda drive, by fax?? (via The Awl).
- Politics is Mobile, According to New Pew Report. C.f. The Public Square Goes Mobile.
- BoA Shows How Not to Defend a Reputation Against a WikiLeak.
- Git yer Afghanistan election data here.
- Social Justice camp is coming.
- 2010: The Year the Internet Went to War.
- Activist groups take full advantage of new media outlets to spread their message. Duh.
- Gen Y Connects To Brands Via Digital Media. Again, duh. Though note that The Kids also read magazines, presumably when they’re busy not getting off my lawn.
- Game-Changing Strategies for Nonprofits in 2011.
- Best And Worst Of 2010: Social Media.
- 11 Ad Predictions for 2011.
- 3 Questions From Facebook.
- Foursquare still struggling to become more than a niche app. Be careful what you ask for: As Geolocation Campaigns Step Up, So Will the Malware.
- Social Media or Snake Oil: Does Social Media Measure Up to the Hype?
- Judith Miller Joins NewsMax. Or, Judith Miller: From the Times to the nuts.
- The state of the left wing blogosphere in the UK.
- Social Media and Numbers — Why They Don’t Matter.
- Why iPad Magazine Subscriptions are Dropping and What to Do About It.
- Roger Ebert Declares First-Ever Oscar-Worthy YouTube Video.
- Abortion pills prescribed via Net targeted.
- Groupon raises $500 million in capital.
- Jumo: Love It or Hate It.
- Ex-Googler Helps Users Disconnect From the Social Web.
- Lady Antebellum: Why is the world’s dullest band also one of its most popular?
- A 2010 aftertaste, for the discerning palate only: Mosque foes launch Bieber boycott via Facebook Page (guess what it’s based on).
– cpd
December 31st, 2010
Trackback
Remember the halcyon days of 2007, when presidential campaigns competed for the honor of Most Creative Campaign Kick-Off Announcement? Hillary did her business on YouTube, while Barack promoted his video announcement via email, and several of the other candidates chose late-night talk/comedy shows to heighten their common touch. Special bonus round: don’t forget the legendary Joe-Biden-for-veep text message.
This time around, all of these choices are old hat, and it’s hard to imagine a venue that would attract anyone’s attention in and of itself. “Glee?” “Dancing with the Stars?” (Hey, if DeLay could shake his hips pre-conviction, why not Huckabee?). Though perhaps the standards at “American Idol” might hit a little close to home….
In any case, The Hill’s Shane D’Aprile took a good look at the question today, and e.politics got a few choice quotes in toward the end of the piece. My guess? The substance and the candidate will matter much more than the chosen channel, and I bet we’ll see campaigns unveiled via multi-outlet blasts designed to attract every shred of attention possible. Good luck, kids! Have fun storming the castle.
– cpd
December 29th, 2010
Trackback
So the new Census numbers are out, and the Rs look to benefit mightily. One of the most revealing takes was Dave Weigel’s breakdown of the states destined to gain Congressional seats vs. the party in control of the redistricting process — not so pretty for Dems.
At least for now. But remember, the Sun Belt states that gained population are doing so in part because of an increase in the number of people of Hispanic descent living within their borders, which may portend a political change down the road. As more Latinos move to Texas, Arizona, Florida, Nevada and similar states, the entire electoral math may shift, particularly if Republicans keep doing things like killing the DREAM Act — seats that are comfortably Republican after this year’s round of redistricting may be much more competitive a few years down the road. But that’s cold comfort for Democrats today — and don’t say you weren’t warned, again and again.
– cpd
December 21st, 2010
Trackback
The return of Quick Hits! NOW you know it’s serious…
- Chris Hughes’ Jumo: A Social Network for the Social Sector, which generated A Lot of skepticism among those of us who, like, do this for a living. See First Reflections on Jumo, What is JUMO and why should you care? and Early Thoughts About Jumo. C.f. Daschle Leaving DGA to Start (Yet Another) Social Platform. Relevant Dave Lowry/Cracker lyric: “What the world needs now/is another folk singer/like I need a hole in my head.”
- With Sanders Filibuster, C-SPAN Has a Hit on Its Hands, which it shamelessly markets online.
- E.J Nails It: “No Labels” is really moderate Republicanism looking for a home. Bonus: An interesting (for once) David Brooks thesis on “cluster” v “network” liberals on the tax cut deal.
- The Liberal Thorn in Obama’s Side, starring friends-of-e.politics, natch.
- When Animated Bears Explain: Can Viral Video Save the Economy? Wasn’t “viral” animation all 2004 and stuff?
- Engagement Ladders: Building Supporter Power.
- Children’s Crusade: A Primer on How Britain’s Students Are Organising Using Social Media.
- Video: Mobile Year in Review 2010.
- State Department To Columbia University Students: DO NOT Discuss WikiLeaks On Facebook, Twitter, and Library of Congress Blinds Hill’s Researchers to Wikileaks. Meanwhile, MasterCard.com, Swiss Bank, Lawyer’s Site Hacked By WikiLeaks Supporters With DDOS Attack, but is that a legitimate form of civil disobedience? More perspective: The Oldest Hack in the Book: How WikiLeaks supporters tried to take down Visa and MasterCard and Ten Ways to Think About DDoS Attacks and “Legitimate Civil Disobedience”. A bigger point: WikiLeaks’ resilience shows strength of Internet-age lifelines. Finally, and not surprisingly, Glenn Beck Doesn’t Understand Operation Payback.
- In a Week of Internet Takedowns, Apple Yanks Anti-Same-Sex App from the iTunes Store.
- Shadow Wars: Debating Cyber ‘Disarmament.’
- Tea Party Patriots distribute new Congressmembers’ personal emails and phone numbers, via email. Careful with that “send” button, Eugene! Back-channel emails in favor of “Christian conservatives” in Texas politics (no Jews needed).
- Cong. Dana Rohrabacher in Twitter war with own constituents.
- Chris Christie, the Justin Bieber of Political Media, aka The right’s favorite 300-pound (plus) porn star.
- Palin dominates other Rs on Google, but she has competition, as (Nikki) Haley rockets up the Google charts in 2010 (via Shaun Dakin). C.f. Palin’s Facebook: All bark, no bite?
- NPR outsources comment-filtering on its site, to much rejoicing. Long interview with friend-of-e.politics Andy Carvin.
- Interesting calendar-style view of the Congress-soon-to-be-gone.
- Media Advocacy: Amplifying Your Argument. By one of Rosenblatt’s minions.
- Online Advocacy and Campaign Cheat Sheet (a report from RootsCamp).
- Trend To Watch In 2012 — The Rise Of Mobile.
- Hitting Jim DeMint via Twitter, via War Room Soon to be a national sport! C.f. Pray for Jim DeMint!
- The Mitt Romney Charm Offensive, in part conducted via Facebook ads.
- Republicans want your help destroying science.
- Tory councillor arrested over Alibhai-Brown ’stoning’ tweet.
- The Medium Is the Medium: Enter the Twitter Blog.
- Storytelling 2.0: The epic poet of Twitter. C.f. Reinventing literature for the digital age, and making it pay.
- Pew: Twitter’s Your Place for News.
- Coca-Cola, Pillsbury Embrace Organic Trends — and Risks — on Twitter.
- A Marketer’s Guide to the Next Congress.
- NASA Ranks as Most Social Media-Savvy in U.S., Study Says.
- U.S. Retailers Show How To Use Twitter. Hold on a second: Black Friday For Geo-Location (Foursquare not quite as transformative as hoped).
- Not so splashy, but actually practical: How LED light bulbs will transform the Third World.
- What would happen if Facebook made its data available for research?
- Tools to Help Companies Manage Their Social Media.
- What is Chipotle’s Social Media/PR Team THINKING? Or, The Great Facebook Cat Fiasco.
- Kim Jong-il Says the Darnedest Things. The extra-large propaganda machine (and bizarre language) of the DPRK.
- And finally, Great Moments In Boobies: Rupert Murdoch Changes The Face Of Journalism Again. Here’s a new subscriber: Mr. Smut Goes to Washington (reading Playboy for the policy analysis, no doubt).
– cpd
December 16th, 2010
Trackback
Also published on The Huffington Post
John Boehner’s tears may have overshadowed the substance of his 60 Minutes appearance last Sunday, but he did mention some “serious” policy options in his time on screen. I put “serious” in quotes for a good reason, because looking below the surface of one at least one of his ideas suggests just how un-serious he is about the job of governing.
Talking with Leslie Stahl, The Speaker-to-be made the following grand proposition:
Well, how about we start with cutting Congress? I’m going to cut my budget, my leadership budget five percent. I’m going to cut all the leadership budgets by five percent. I’m gonna cut every committee’s budget by five percent. And every member is gonna see a five percent reduction in their allowance. All together that’s $25-$30 million and it likely would be one of the first votes we cast.
(more…)
December 14th, 2010
Trackback
This past Saturday saw the latest running of the lefty online organizing bulls — the New Organizing Institute’s regular post-election RootsCamp, which brings Democratic and progressive field organizers and online staff from around the country in for a mass de-brief. It’s an “unconference,” meaning that the agenda is written on the spot as people propose discussion sessions and the organizers assign rooms. This year’s event drew roughly 1000 of us, many fresh off campaigns, and it was a true joy to get to learn from people who are applying online orgnizing principles in the Real World (i.e., we got to listen to actual practitioners rather than the usual loud voices that hog the stage at these things). Kudos all around — besides meeting some great folks, I learned a ton, the best parts of which you Loyal Readers will get to share in the coming weeks.
BTW, NOI also used the weekend to unveil their new Organizing Toolbox. More on that here shortly, but be sure to check it out for yourself.
– cpd
December 14th, 2010
Trackback
Despite all evidence to the contrary. Welcome to the longest sustained publishing interruption in the modern history of Epolitics.com! What with Your Loyal Editor gallivanting through European capitals and finishing one job while finding another, writing’s had to move to the back of the bus for the past few weeks. But never fear! Online politics never stops, and neither should a good website (or this one, for that matter). Listen closely and you’ll hear those mental gears grinding into place, sloughing off weeks of rust, dust, tarnish and corrosion — a blog is a harsh mistress, and this one’s due to start her whip a-crackin’ right about…now.
– cpd
December 10th, 2010
Trackback
Howdy folks, the new gig is going very well; more on that soon. But real quick, I’m going back on the air tonight with Rick Morris (our favorite paleoconservative) and the rest of the crew over at the FDH Lounge, this time for a post-election roundtable at 8 PM Eastern. Uh oh, now it’s ON! Hope you can check it out — here’s the link to listen live. I’m sure that by the end we’ll have Solved the Problems of the Western World, and maybe we’ll even have made a good start at fixing the East, too.
– cpd
November 17th, 2010
Trackback
Hi folks, the suspense is over — I got a new job! I’m starting as the Online Outreach Director at the National Women’s Law Center this coming Friday, leading a six-person commando strike team to parachute deep behind enemy lines and do whatever it is we need to do to further the policy goals of an illustrious advocacy organization. Kill a man? Probably not, though we may have to try to put the hurt on a bad idea or two in the public sphere.
Should be a fascinating time! We’re going to be working on health care and a ton of other great issues likely to be front and center in Congress over the next two years, and I’m looking forward to a little trench warfare on behalf of all that is right and good in the world. Plus, I’ll be sharing an office with 50 dedicated and talented women of a liberal bent…what could possibly go wrong?
– cpd
November 10th, 2010
Trackback
Burned out on politics? No way! ‘Cause there’s truth to be mined in them thar hills of data, and we’re going to have a bunch of it after this election night. If you’re in the New York City area on the evening of November 3rd (tomorrow, as I write this), come on down to a little discussion we’re calling “What Mattered - Online Politics in the 2010 Campaign.” Democrats.com’s Bob Fertik and I will chat with an audiences about political technologies that did or did not work this year and those that may matter more in the future.
Arranged by my friend Charles Lenchner via Organizing2.0, it starts at 6 pm and should be an excellent discussion. Plus, we’ll follow it up with beers and more back-and-forth, which’ll no doubt be the best part. Location and details on the Facebook page, and you can RSVP directly here.
– cpd
November 2nd, 2010
Trackback
Whew! The day has finally come, and I’m so durn nervous about the results that I’ve barely been able to write. I’ve long been more sanguine than most, which is likely to prove to have been wishful thinking, but what the hell — beats worryin’. In any case, regardless of what happens tonight, my friends on the Democratic side have been working their hearts out to boost turnout. Here are a few highlights:
- Update: As of 6 PM eastern, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee is closing in on 1,000,000 calls on behalf of candidates
- 21.6 million candidate emails and counting through Blue State Digital tools alone, though at least one message has a tragic air about it
- Last-minute ad buys for targeted mobilization, as the DNC Blasts GOTV Ads to Youth, Blacks, and Latinos in Key Races and Dems Back Reid with Splashy Online Ad Buys in Nevada
- Dems are pushing their easy-to-use online phone-banking application via email and tweet
- Dem emails and other communications are also promoting their Find Your Polling Place application
- Oops, almost forgot the Commit to Vote Facebook App
- Online isn’t everything! Radio’s doing some heavy lifting in the Philadephia area (NPR also mentioned President Obama’s radio appearances in a number of cities and races across the country, a good last-minute use of his time — ah, CQ has it here.).
But wait there’s more! Find out Who’s Getting the Most Buzz on Twitter and Which Candidates are the Most Googled. I’ll update this list with more GOTV articles as I can tonight, but I’ll be at an election-night party later on…it’s a good evening to be around friends, regardless. Update: 2010 Election Tops Obama’s Presidential Win in Online Traffic and More Facebook Users Have Already “I Voted” Today Than in ‘08.
– cpd
November 2nd, 2010
Trackback
Hi folks, today’s a big day — I’m leaving New Media Strategies to head back to the nonprofit space. It’s been a fascinating time working here and I’ve learned a ton, and I’m also leaving behind some very cool people whom it’s been great to meet. But life evolves, and you need to know when to move on.
So far, I’m interviewing for positions with do-gooder organizations this week and next, and we’ll see what transpires on that front. More news soon….
– cpd
October 29th, 2010
Trackback
A new article from Google alum Chris Talbot, continuing the focus on getting out the vote in the last days before the election. Find out more about Chris at the Talbot Digital site and on Twitter. Also see his previous article covering online rapid response.
Switching to Guns: Political Air Wars Come To The Internet
Chris Talbot
“Too close for missiles, I’m switching to guns….”
Much like the onscreen aviators in Top Gun (cue the nostalgia, YouTube!) American politicians find themselves in a dogfight this week — and have taken to the airwaves to do combat. But with seven days to go before elections, the television advertising market is swamped with political messages from all corners, marking a challenge for campaigns that need to distinguish themselves among undecided voters. To boost their impact, campaigns are putting more resources into digital advertising — a match made in heaven for their fat TV budgets. But how can a campaign make the most of those final dollars? While the objectives are quite the same as those of traditional media purchases, the methods and strategies of the online media space are unique.
(more…)
October 26th, 2010
Trackback
A little bird just whispered this in my ear, soon after said bird got off the phone with Google’s political advertising team: rates for Google/YouTube’s “in-stream” ads in certain states have doubled or tripled in recent weeks, and it’s because of the glut of political television advertising right before the mid-terms. But the trend isn’t so much driven by political advertisers themselves buying in-stream ads, which run before YouTube videos and hence are difficult for viewers to skip. According to this source, the primary driver is the fact that political ads have eaten up so much broadcast and cable television inventory that businesses are running out of places to hawk their wares. Consequently, THEY’RE cranking up their online video advertising buys, using in-stream ads to reach potential customers viewing videos online instead of over the airwaves.
Now of course, plenty of political advertisers are running YouTube ads, including the source of the story above, so companies aren’t the only ones eating up the video ad inventory and causing rates to rise. But the primary political effect seems to be indirect, in that it’s the campaigns’ (and outside groups’) television spending that’s driving other advertisers to less-crowded outlets. In the process, they’ve pushed in-stream ad rates from a typical $8/thousand impressions ($8 CPM) to something closer to $20 or $25 in active political areas. Next up: once advertisers get a taste of the effectiveness of advertising over YouTube, will they stick with it? Google’s got to be happy about this one.
– cpd
October 26th, 2010
Trackback
The latest from E.pol contributor Henri Makembe! Check out more from Henri at LocalPoliTechs and Twitter, plus his previous contributions to Epolitics.com
Integrated GOTV: Getting Out the Vote Online
Henri Makembe
On October 14th, I had the opportunity to be a presenter for NOI’s New campus GOTV series. My presentation centered around integrating in a campaign’s GOTV efforts, with an eye toward showing how conscious integration of your online presence can boost your efficacy and reach and help your campaign expand capacity in many ways.
In the slides, I attempt share best practices of integrating your online program for GOTV, and show helpful tricks to increase productivity as you move voters to the polls. Whatever else you take away from the slides, I’d like to highlight two items from the presentation:
- Empower your supporters and volunteers (to help with your new media efforts)
- Online efforts should amplify and support existing offline organizing efforts.
(more…)
October 25th, 2010
Trackback
