lesson's value is not so much for "us," but for the campaigns

iwilker — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:36:06 -0400

The smart campaign will love an opportunity like this, will in fact have trained for it assiduously. "How will we react when someone tosses us a curveball? When we're criticized, or when someone with a cam and a Mac remixes our 'brand' into something far, far away from our intent?"

The electorate knows to pay little or no attention when candidates are able to stick to the script. And they spring to alertness when ever an unexpected, unscripted out-of-left-field moment arises. They want to see the real person; they want to see what happens when a candidate (and a campaign) has to improvise.

Moments like these are a huge chance to be authentic, to show faith that your constituents will also get the difference between authorized and unauthorized views, to show belief that it takes all kinds (within obvious bounds) and that the candidate will take people as they come).

From what I've read about Obama, he's got the chops to handle things like this in perfect key. And if so, the electorate will say, "Ah, Obama-san, your social-media kung fu is very strong."

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Ian Wilker
roots.lab - helping nonprofits leverage the social web.
www.ianwilker.com/rootslab/

Obamagirl Video as a Teaching Moment

Alan Rosenblatt — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:10:00 -0400

The sudden interest in Obamagirl's Crush on Barack music video provides a great opporunity to talk once more about the nature of internet communications. As I have often argued, the net is a chaotic message environment precisely because it enables anyone, as long as they have access to a wired computer, to post their own ideas and opinions. And this content has no editor other than the poster.

So, just as the 1984 video before swept through the campaign news cycle, the Obamagirl video may be starting its sweep now.

But what does this mean for the candidate?

techPresident - Obamagirl Video as a Teaching Moment - Comments

lesson's value is not so much for "us," but for the campaigns

Obamagirl Video as a Teaching Moment