E-Mail Lists are Power

The Republicans and Democrats have different ideas when it comes to their permission-based e-mail lists according to this article.

In the 2004 election, every person that signed up for George W. Bush e-mails was automatically given to the RNC. From there, the RNC could provide state parties with e-mail lists for volunteer drives, local party functions, and candidate recruitment.

The GOP model serves in stark contrast to the approach from the Democratic campaigns of John Kerry and Howard Dean. Every person that signed up for e-mails from Howard Dean were owned by Howard Dean. When John Kerry became the eventual nominee, Howard Dean refused to give his list to Kerry. Many in the Kerry campaign were disappointed. But they need not be. When the 2004 election ended, all of the e-mails belonging to John Kerry were kept by John Kerry.

The GOP wrote their privacy policy to allow the transfer of e-mails, while the Kerry campaign did not. Instead, the DNC would have to buy the Kerry list according to FEC regulations. How much is Kerry's e-mail list worth? Only about $122 million, experts say.

When Howard Dean ran for DNC chair, activists were excited that Dean could tap into his large e-mail database for donors and activists. And in fact, he could. Because Dean wrote his privacy policy in such a way that allowed him to bring his list to the DNC.

It's amazing that a simple thing like a privacy policy could prevent the political parties from accessing a campaign list. For a long time, the GOP has relied on sharing information and technology consultants. Many GOP web designers work for similar clients, according to my GOP friends. Democrats are not as coordinated, and their operations suffer for it. The Kerry e-mail fiasco is a prime example. If Democrats hope to compete in the future, they will need to do a better job of collaborating between the national, state, and local party operations. And this includes e-mail lists and privacy policies.

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.

Podcasting

Seeking relevance in what is expected to be a crowded field of candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination, John Edwards is doing something that Howard Dean did very well in his meteoric rise to the top: Edwards is embracing new technology.

Edwards is focused on taking questions from everyday citizens about issues through his own "Podcast."

Based on RSS type design, Podcasts are downloadable audio files (and sometimes video files). Instead of blogging, podcasting is like linking internet talk radio directly onto your Ipod. This technology was first used in 2003 to allow users to become "WebDJs." Imagine taking your favorite songs and playlists and putting them on the internet to share. The advantage of podcasting is that it is like Tivo, you can play the files on your own time. Having the files in electronic format also makes them portable - perfect for morning rush hour on the Metro.

Edwards has started the trend of Podcasting delivering radio addresses about his meetings with Tony Blair to his thoughts on the UNC Tarheels winning the NCAA basketball championship.

Podcasting might change politics, just like blogs. Don't laugh yet. Many people said that blogs would never catch on. Imagine a blog like DailyKos devoted solely to politics? It'd never work critics say.

In the future, can you imagine a Podcast of the President's State of the Union Address? Instead of holding a "fireside chat," we could download the latest podcast and listen to it on our schedule.

Want to skip the Washington Post in the mornings? Why not have podcast feeds delivered to your Ipod for your commute. There are already over 240 Political Podcasts available for your listening pleasure.

Perhaps a more interesting question is whether talk radio could turn into podcasts? Could a Rush Limbaugh type individual succeed with podcasting? Could a talk show host survive without the interactive/participatory element crucial to talk radio success?

It will be interesting to watch this technology develop over the next 5-10 years and see how it can impact politics.

Jakob Neilsen: New Media Rockstar

Jakob Neilsen: "You're just jealous because he talks to hot babes online all day."

This guy is the star of our class. Who would have thought to become "usability guru?" Neilsen tests out internet objects to determine whether they are safe for general consumption. Back in the medieval times, the king had someone to taste his food to see if it was poisoned. In the 21st century, Jakob kindly fills that role for Joe 6 pack.

Neilsen patented over 77 web inventions that make the internet more "user friendly" like the pop-up advertisement. With the flood of poor internet design, Neilsen proves what effect design looks like with his website, which is fully equipped to run on ARPANET, circa 1977. It might even work on your Atari too with that color scheme...

Just in case you might have missed his "rock star" status, Jakob posts his accolades on his website. Seriously, this guy was voted "one of the top 10 minds in small business," according to Fortune Magazine. USA Today said Neilsen is "the next best thing to a time machine." That's because he was surfing the information superhighway even before Al Gore invented it.

In case you want to feature Jakob in the latest Gap ad, he posted over 100 photos of himself in different positions on his website. (No joke). He's got press clips longer than most politicians, and he has his own drinking game! And 609,000 hits on Google, too!

We should all aspire to become so famous...

(Emi your reading assignment list was down so I couldn't post a substantive entry)

My About Face With Subscription Interface

Subscription Interface? Why should that matter in an e-mail newsletter? I want to see content. I want to see media. I want up to date information on what the campaign is doing with my donation. Where is the candidate making appearances this week?

Then I sat and thought about it, and realized I was wrong.

Subscription Interface is one of the more important steps in a successful newsletter.

Most voters aren't as technically savvy as your average GSPM student. If they want to get the Bush/Kerry e-mail newsletters, they have to go through an elaborate process to even start (or end) the subscription. Even the Washington Post newsletter had an aggravating unsubscribe feature requiring you to remember your user name and password.

We've talked a lot in the class about retail politics. You might have the greatest product ever, but if you can't get people in the door, you'll never sell your product. A successful subscription interface allows you to attract customers and "sell" your candidate and his/her message. The first step is to get them in the door.