It All Comes Down to This for Neilsen

Jakob Neilsen should be in politics. He reminds us of his 1996 Presidential election pick - Clinton over Dole. And how did he come to this conclusion?

Not money.

Not GOTV.

It's the usability of e-mail lists!

Expect anything less from our "usability guru?"

John Kerry used his last week e-newsletters to grovel for money from maxed-out donors, instead of focusing on Events or GOTV efforts. (To his defense, he probably did this expecting a close recount similar to 2000.)

George Bush, on the other hand used his e-newsletters to communicate with volunteers. He encouraged voters to contact other voters and get them to the polls. He asked for money too, but not to the extent of Kerry.

Neilsen says that Bush's GOTV e-newsletters trumped Kerry's fundraising e-newsletters because they connected emotionally with voters. Kerry continued to ask for money, causing most of his supporters to ignore their newsletters.

This was an interesting article because I was so inundated with campaign e-mails that I didn't read any of them at the end. Like most voters, I hit delete after the election. Given how close the 2004 elections were, I find myself agreeing with Neilsen that a successful internet strategy (including e-newsletters) contributed to Bush's win.