A Schwarzenegger Republican

2005-07-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

2005-07-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Yeeeaaa!!

2005-07-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Micropayments are Bad, Bad, Bad

2005-07-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Re:Neilsen, Jakob, The Case for Micropayments. See also Readers' Comments on Micropayments. Sidebar to Jakob Neilsen's article on Micropayments. (January 25, 1998)

I completely disagree with the micropayments system. The internet should be free of cost at all times unless you are going to purchase an item or good. As Neilsen says, "The Web is a user-driven phenomenon, where people go online for a purpose. Quite often, that purpose will be to buy something, so there is a great future for commercial sites that sell or support products and services. Traditional products can be charged to credit cards, but many Internet services will require incremental payments rather than large one-time payments. "

Unless you are going online to purchase goods, you should not have to pay for viewing a web site. I can see how the Post Office is trying to tax emails because they are being financially hurt due to decreased mail flow. But too bad!! If we allow the internet and email to be taxed or charged for viewership then what next!!

The Memo

2005-07-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

My web site strategic memo is finally complete. I enjoyed writing the memo but I must admit it was harder then expected. Fitting all my ideas and everything I learned from this semester into five pages is near impossible. I learned that my candidates web site was not functional to the terms set out by this class. I hope that the candidate realizes his web site must be revamped before the Primary Election.

Basic functions are necessary to have a successful web site, such as secure financial contribution forms. These and other forms were missing in my candidates web site and it astonishes me that more care was not put into the development of such an important campaign tool. My only guess is that the campaign did not want to spend or did not have the funds to develop a proper web site.

Regardless, I learned a lot this semester but nothing more important then knowing that true realities and functions of new media, such as a well developed campaign web site.

China

2005-07-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

Re: http://www.emilienneireland.com/blackboard/sources/zittrain_04-14-05/ONI_China_Country_Study.pdf

After reading this study I am extremely glad to live in the United States. It is of no surprise that China would have a large government agency that monitors and dictates what can be posted on the internet. China censors content transmitted through multiple methods, including web pages, web logs, online discussion forums, university bulletin board systems and email messages. Access to information ranging from pornography to religion is prevented.

I hope that America never fosters the same regulations as China. I hope that America continues allowing freedom of speech via the internet and other forms of media. The internet is meant to allow people to reach others and share ideas. China's laws are breaking the initial idea and aspiration of the internet.

I learned from this study that the internet is not free to everyone and that we must fight for our continued right to a free internet world. Regulations are currently being pondered by politicians and we must not allow laws that will restrict our freedom of speech and expression!

Get Out and Vote

2005-07-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Suppressing voter turn out or any other negative campaign tactic should be illegal. Whether the campaign activity performing such goals is developed through online, new media or direct mail, the principles are flawed. America is a democracy that should cradle the idea of "one voter - one person" and every politician and political manager should do their best to make sure citizens vote.

The above statement is what many people would like to see take place in America's political system. The fact is that politicians and political managers will never take the sole responsibility of making sure all citizens can vote due to dirty politics. We all know that each candidate in an election has a base of supporters and non-supporters. Why on God's green earth would a candidate want his non-supporters to vote for his opponent? Political managers are hired to win elections, not be the face of democracy. Yes, this may sound troubling but it is true. Both the Republican and Democratic parties are like corporations. It is the goal of each corporation to turn out their customers so they can rule the roost in Washington.

Unfortunately this corporation mentality has corrupted the true meaning of democracy in America. While every American has the right to vote, every candidate and political manager is hoping that they don't vote, pending their support. There is not much we can do to fix this problem, and according to our readings and class discussions the debate is even split on how much responsibility the voter has versus the government to regulate and stimulate voter outreach. GOTV the closest solution to beating voter suppression in America. Until the government develops some other regulations to make people vote or criminalize campaigns for suppressing voters (God forbid they do), the current system will continue today.

Disabilities and the Internet

2005-07-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

Re: Neilsen, Jakob, Beyond Accessibility: Treating Users with Disabilities as People. useit.com, November 11, 2001.

I found this study to be extremely interesting because I never really thought about how those with disabilities utilize the internet. As Neilsen points out, those with disabilities are less likely to have successful web site sessions. Those with disabilities have problems viewing web sites that do not cater to the blind or the death. Some web sites have disability software set up so those who are blind can hear a vocal review of the web site copy. However, many web sites do not cater to those disabled.

If I ran a corporate web site I would make sure to include software on my web site that would allow those with disabilities to view, listen and actively utilize the site. I don't think that the American Disabilities Act should apply to web sites at this point as the internet is still a highly unregulated sector, as it should remain. But I do think that smart corporate CEOs will see the value in making sure they reach every person in their main market audience.

Teens and the Internet

2005-07-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Re: Neilsen, Jakob, Usability of Websites for Teenagers. useit.com, January 31, 2005.

The above reading reviewed studies conducted to evaluate how teens utilize the internet. The studies found that teens like easy to use, good looking, fast paced web sites. Teens who visit web sites prefer to see cool visuals rather than a lot of text. Teens use the web site for a large array of tasks, such as homework, e-commerce or just to surf the web. Regardless, the studies conclude that teens lose patience easily and demand user friendly web sites.

I found the studies to be interesting because it concurs with my initial thoughts on how and why teens go online. If you look at a lot of the teen web sites they are flashy, easy to navigate and contain a lot of eye catching graphics. Just like producing a TV commercial with teens being the main audience, a web site has to catch and maintain the attention of teens who are already use to the fast paced technological lifestyle they have ground up around.

Garnering teen participation in a web site is a true test for many political web sites that are trying to gain more teen or young adult influence at the polls.

Food Before Computers

2005-07-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

Re:The Real Digital Divide. The Economist, March 10, 2005.

This article is a great read because it goes into details about the real digital divide. As described by the article, the digital divide is not a problem in itself, but a symptom of deeper, more important divides: of income, development and literacy. Third world countries have a tougher time getting access to the internet because people are poorer, illiterate or are more concerned with other issues such as finding food, health care or security. Developed countries have the resources available to offer access to the internet and technologies.

What I really liked about this article was how it described the deeper problem of the digital divide. The deeper problem is the necessity for basic needs, such as food or electricity. If people don't have the basic needs for life, such as food, then why would they need or want a computer. Having a computer wont help someone feed their hunger.

The greater digital divide must first be dealt with by giving the essentials of life to people before worrying about computers.

Intranets Cut Red Tape

2005-07-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Re: Neilsen, Jakob, Ten Best Government Intranets. useit.com, June 21, 2004.

Intranets play a crucial role in the marketing and feasibility of private companies. When I worked for Porter Novelli, a world-wide public relations firm, I used the company's intranet to complete a large amount of internal tasks. The intranet proved to be an efficient way to quickly access information that is available twenty-four hours a day.

It is refreshing to see the government utilize intranets much like the private sector. As Neilsen noted private industries use intranets to meet and exceed profit margins. The government utilizes intranets to meet and exceed project deadlines. As we all know and have experienced once in our life, the government can act very slowly. So I applaud any attempt to speed up the red tape bureaucracy.

Bridging the Gap

2005-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Re: Johnson, Dennis, Congress Online: Bridging the Gap Between Citizens and Their Representatives. 2004.

Johnson's book explains the bridging gap between citizens and their representatives in Congress. It is safe to determine from the reading that a digital divide exists amongst the members of Congress and their citizens. Realizing that fact can then lead us to the correct hypothesis that a large gap does exist with the communications technologies being utilized by citizens and their members of Congress.

I agree with Johnson that the gap must be resolved. Members of Congress must have the education, technology and enthusiasm to accept electronic forms of communication from their constituents. Although thousands of emails may pour into a representatives emails in-box, it is the responsibility of that representatives office to read and respond to each email.

The technology is now available for every American to contact their representatives from thousands of miles away. It is therefore important for Americans to utilize such electronic communication devices to speak their opinion on issues. Representatives now have the responsibility to respond to their constituents no matter what form of communication the constituent communicates with.

Congress Should Not Blog

2005-07-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Re: http://www.personaldemocracy.com/node/403

I found this article by Molly Chapman Norton extremely interesting because it describes why members of Congress have yet to fully enter the blog world. While many members of Congress take advantage of blogs in campaign season, once in office the members fear a lack of control of message development. Blog are designed to allow direct feedback from the public and the thought of having a key message torn apart on an issue on a blog is a communications manager's nightmare, along with the member.

I fully agree that the reason members of Congress have not and will not fully enter into the blog world is because that can't control or spin the messages. It is the goal of the communications director, or press secretary, to manage spin on issues. Blogs do not allow spin. If a member of Congress wishes to enter the blog world, I would suggest simply offering a public discussion board on their web site and not reply to the comments. Offer the discussion board as a forum to let people vent or communicate to the member but make sure they know that the member will not being participating on the forum.

Blogs for elected officials are risky. If I was a staff member for a member of Congress I would not recommend a blog for their web site.

Half of Reporters Use Blogs

2005-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post this interesting article:

SURVEY: HALF OF REPORTERS USE BLOGS.Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter
Internet Edition
June 29, 2005
Page 3
By Jerry Walker

The findings of a media study conducted by Euro RSCG and Columbia University found blogs have become a large part of how journalists do their jobs.The study of 1,202 journalists found 51% of them use blogs regularly, and 28% rely on them to help in their day-to-day reporting duties.The survey found journalists mostly used blogs for finding story ideas (53%), researching and referencing facts (43%) and finding sources (36%). And 33% said they used blogs to uncover breaking news or scandals."

The fact that the media are using blogs for reporting and research...demonstrates that blogs have an enormous potential to not only influence the general public, but to influence the influencers - journalists and the media - as well," said Aaron Kwittken, CEO of Euro RSCG Magnet.Despite their reliance on blogs for reporting, only 1% of journalists found blogs credible, the study found.Aker: Website = CredibilityA website is one of the most important tools an organization can use to become a "reliable, credible and timely news source," according to The Aker Ptrs., a Washington, D.C.-based PR firm.The firm, which said one-third of reporters go to Google to find a website, advises companies to communicate up-to date messages and accomplishments on their websites because reporters are always looking for what's new.

Federal Regulations and the Internet

2005-06-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

Re: Bloggers seeking protection from federal regulators, USA Today, June 30, 2005
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2005-06-28-bloggers_x.htm

According to the above article, the Federal Election Commission met last Tuesday to discuss a proposal that would have extended some campaign finance rules to the Internet, including bloggers. Federal election officials until now have steered clear of Internet oversight, siding with bloggers and other online activists who portray the Web as a laboratory of grass-roots political participation and an outlet for free speech that should develop unhampered by the government.
But online political activity has become increasingly more sophisticated since the FEC last examined it a few elections ago. Acknowledging the Internet's growth, a federal judge last year ordered the FEC to extend some of the nation's campaign finance and spending limits to political activity on the Web. Bloggers fear that will mean new, unique limits on their activities, even though several of the commission's six members have indicated they have no desire to go beyond what the judge has ordered them to do.

Even though a majority of Commission members feel that regulations should not be placed on blogging and other internet activities, the hearing indicates just the beginning of a long debate. I am glad the blogging community has organized into a coalition opposing such regulations. Blogging must maintain its independence in order to remain successful. I hope that the blogging community starts a viral marketing campaign to alarm other bloggers about the FEC hearing and possible future debates. The blogging community could really come together on this issue and make a difference.

Hold My Hand

2005-06-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Re:Tumulty, Karen, et al., Fighting for every last vote: In such a tight race, the game is about turning out your supporters. CNN.com, 10/11/2004

We all know Ohio was the battleground state in 2004. But this article goes into great details on how each party ran their campaign and managed their grassroots outreach. Both sides said that the campaign was going to be won or lots in the battles that are raging block to block and house to house. Old campaign weapons such as yard signs and bumper stickers were being utilized to their fullest and new weapons such as data mining and microtargeting proved efficient to target messages. On Election Day each party loaded their voters into vans and drove them to the polls. I am sure each party also educated those being transported to the polls on how to vote and which line to stand in.

This hand holding approach by the parties to the voters is crucial and necessary. It is unfortunate that such activities do not take place in non-battle ground states. But voters must still take the responsibility to learn how to vote.

A Voter's Responsibility

2005-06-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Following up on our heated class discussion regarding the current voting system - I honestly believe that the system needs to be reviewed in order to meet the growing demand for voting machines. As our population continues to grow, more machines need to be delivered to meet the growing demand; however, voters still need to take responsibility of finding out how to vote.

The film that we watched tonight showed several angry would-be voters. These would-be voters were upset because they were unable to vote due to a variety of self-inflicted reasons, such as: "I asked someone to save my spot in line and left the building and the polling officials wouldn't let me back in because it was after 7:30." Well, duh, who is to say how many people would use that excuse as a reason to go inside to vote after the time deadline? Another reason was due to someone being in the wrong line. I don't care how un-organized the polling location was that person could have still asked anyone else in that line what district they were in. There is no excuse for voters not to be educated on where and when they need to vote.

Saying that, people should not trust anyone or anything other then non-partisan political educational groups, such as the League of Women Voters. This organization has helped educate voters about the election cycle. However, as I have discovered, many community members do not utilize their free services. Shame on them and shame on them for not being informed voters. Men and women have died for our freedom to vote - the least people can do in return is spend a half hour reading about how to vote in their district.

Internet Transforms Modern Life

2005-06-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

Re: The Internet transforms modern life, By Steve AlmasyCNN http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/06/23/evolution.main/index.html

I wanted to post the above article because it illustrates how far the internet has come over the past ten years. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, less than one in five Americans were online in 1995. Today, the majority of Americans are surfing the Web, exchanging e-mail, reading bank statements and ball scores, checking the weather. Today, Pew says, two out of every three Americans spend time online.

The article goes into great detail about the history of the internet and compares what was with what is - such as the use of blogging, growing internet companies and talks about the internet generation. It is amazing to see just how fast and powerful the internet world has become. It is my belief that the internet will only continue to grow in numbers and power, evolving into a new form of life that will one day dictate how and what we do.

After reading the article, I was most amazed with the in-depth reporting on the internet generation. The Web is changing the way people communicate and teenagers who grew up with the internet are communicating by instant messages. This has greatly changed the forms and methods of communication.

Corporate Style Campaigning

2005-06-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

Re: Bai, Matt, The Multilevel Marketing of the President. The New York Times Magazine (4/25/2004)

I wanted to post on the above article because it reminded me of a corporate business model. After analyzing the method of grassroots building the Bush Administration developed, I found that it closely followed the advertisement models of corporations. Bringing corporate style models into campaigns is very smart. If models work for a corporation, why not for a campaign? After all, a campaign is selling a good just like a corporation.

The grassroots model utilized by the Bush Administration helped lead to his victory. It is obvious that by organizing a campaign like a corporation it becomes more organized and efficient. The Kerry campaign seemed to lag in this area. The Kerry campaign did not have an organized corporate style campaign.

I would imagine that this new corporate style campaigning will only increase. If running a corporate style grassroots campaign will help a candidate win, then both sides of the aisle will utilize this tool.

The Pyramid

2005-06-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Re: Bai, Matt, The Multilevel Marketing of the President. The New York Times Magazine (4/25/2004)

The Republicans finally used more grassroots actions in the 2004 elections. What is called a pyramid multi-marketing model, or viral marketing, has proven very successful. Every Bush supporter had to recruit 5 volunteers. This is a visionary philosophy because it spreads messages by word of mouth, door-to-door. Republicans made a good move to start this viral marketing because Democrats already have that citizen participation by its support from labor groups and the like.

As stated in the interview, this viral marketing may have elected Bush. Instead of profit, emails, names, voter preference are sent to the national campaign headquarters to garner massive supporter lists. The revolutionary ground level grassroots campaign was described in the interview and it worked. This multi-level marketing of the president looks to become a major, new staple for the Republican Party. It worked for Bush - it may also work for whomever in 2008.

I really like this viral marketing tool. I do believe all politics is local. It makes sense for campaigns to move to the local levels to gain support. The pyramid operation is perfect for creating phone trees, email networks, names, etc. This is a smart and cheap method to coordinating volunteers!

"You're Fired! - NOT!"

2005-06-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Re: Bai, Matt, The Multilevel Marketing of the President. The New York Times Magazine (4/25/2004)

I thought this article was great. It really took me into the life of a volunteer, and an important volunteer at that because she was a district chair in a highly contentious county. What I learned from her story was the amount of pressure on these key volunteers is amazing. It shocked me to hear how the Republican party wanted the world from her. When she made the comment about her not being able to be fired because she is a volunteer, I thought that was a good point as well.

Volunteers are crucial to a campaign's success so they better recruit some very loyal and deserving volunteers. I would be nervous as a candidate to have volunteers running my campaign district headquarters just because of the fact the woman mentioned above, you can't fire them therefore there is not as much follow-through or dedication then someone who is paid. Volunteers need big hearts to dedicate their time to a campaign.

GOTV Activities Essential to Campaigns

2005-06-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Re: Tumulty, Karen, et al., Fighting for every last vote: In such a tight race, the game is about turning out your supporters. CNN.com, 10/11/2004

GOTV activities are essential to winning a campaign. Simply asking voters for their support, volunteer time and distribution of materials can make or break a campaign - as we have learned in the above article about Kerry's campaign.

The Kerry campaign did not make the attempts to include volunteers in their daily GOTV activities. The Bush campaign did make attempts and won the election because of it. When it comes down to a close election every vote counts. That means every volunteer who can help GOTV activities are almost more important then the candidate.

Personal one-on-one volunteer GOTV activities, such as neighborhood walks may be the last piece of strategy on a campaign plan, but the most important. I would highly recommend each campaign to coordinate a GOTV activity and please, please utilize volunteers to their fullest potential. Adequate volunteer sign-ups are key on web sites and at campaign headquarters along with strategies to keep volunteers active in GOTV activities.

The Digital Divide

2005-06-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

Re: The Real Digital Divide. The Economist, March 10, 2005.

The digital divide is real and only getting worst. As stated in the above article, the divide exists because of a lack of income, development and literacy in third-world countries. The United Nation has established programs to bring third world nations up to speed with the information technology boom of industrialized countries but the real problem are the three categories I just mentioned.

Simply put, if people are illiterate and can't read or write, how are they going to operate a cell phone let alone a laptop. The third world nations are not the only place where such divides exist, but right here in the United States exists a divide.

This digital divide, while socioeconomic in many respects, also separates those in rural areas from those in urban. In Idaho, most who live in rural areas have limited access to electronic information sources, specifically broadband. These so-called underserved markets in Idaho and across the country must be brought into the 21st century the same way that rural areas in the 1930s became "connected" to the nationwide telephonic system.

Podcasting - A Great Tool for Message Marketing

2005-06-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Re: Podcasting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

After reading lecture 5 details on our class blog, I was amazed by how such a system called podcasting works. I had never heard of podcasting and was unfamiliar with the mechanisms that make it work. MP3 players are a major part of podcasting and as an owner of a MP3, I immediately downloaded the podcasting software and listened in amazement to the files I had just downloaded. The files that I downloaded could be played over and over again.

What a great way to market a campaign's message. Podcasting allows listeners to subscribe and pick the files they wish to listen to and that is a great tool for a campaign web site. The only disadvantage of podcasting would be if a listener had to have a MP3 player - but they don't! Anyone with a computer, internet and speakers can listen to podcasting.

This is just another great tool that can be utilized to manage a campaign and market a message.

A Business or Profession?

2005-06-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight in my political management ethics course we discussed whether or not political management is a profession or business. In respect to what I have thus far learned in this course, I would consider internet political management a business. The reason internet management is a business is because there is no degree criteria for running an internet and anyone can learn how to operate an internet system and web site.

Unlike professions such as medicine and law, where practitioners must meet certain criteria in order to practice, internet professionals have no such foundation. Instead, what differentiate internet professionals are experience, creativity and personal relationships.

The internet business is extremely new and it wouldn't surprise me if a more formal foundation of requirements is set-up to establish a profession like atmosphere - but I have a real doubt that will take place in my lifetime. The internet business is too new for fundamental requirements and criteria.