Thanks Emi and Phil

Google Is Taking Over the World

I just found this article on CNN about Google and its prominence within the web. Google is now a platform for email, blogging and tracking web traffic. In the development stages at Google are online payment services as well as plans to become an all encompassing digital library. Within a few years, Google could now who you are, what sites you visit, what you buy online and who you are emailing.

While it is nice to see Google moving in the direction of a one stop shopping site, it does raise some concerns about privacy and antitrust issues. With all of the internet security compromises of late, doesn't it seem really easy that someone could compromise a Google server and steal all of this information from one place? It would seem that Google is putting itself at risk by having all of this information in one place as hackers and law enforcement alike would do all that they can to use the information stored at Google for their own uses.

We have talked a great deal about privacy issues in class and for good reason. People need to feel that their information is safe online and not going to be comprised by people with bad intentions. In the political profession, we need to be keenly aware of keeping fundraising, volunteer and other information that we collect online as safe and secure as possible.

On Lessig

I just finished listening to the speech by Lessig on culture today. While he raises a lot of interesting points, there was one point in particular where I could not agree with him more. Lessig makes the assertion that in today's society, control of culture has fallen into fewer hands than in year's past. I think that this is both sad and true.

Not to sound too much like a hippy, but I truly believe that corporate interests have completely taken control over American culture. Marketers tell us what to eat, what to buy, what movies to see, what to do with our free time and what to think. Control of culture has fallen into the hands of people who care less about culture and more about selling their goods and pushing their agendas. Like it or not, business and special interests have a great deal of control over the media. The few corporations that control the media don't care about what is good for society, only what is good for profit and loss statements.

Even in our field of political management, we craft messages to persuade people what to think and who to vote for. Sometimes I get the feeling our jobs are less about persuasion as much as they are about mind control. While that may sound cynical, it is true that we aim to control what and how people think. Are we just as bad as the companies that try to get us to watch their crappy movies and eat their gross food?

Day Off # 2

Day Off

Politics and IM Plus

I came across this article in the Washington Post today about the new rollout of AOL Instant Messenger. Apparently, AOL is introducing a new version of AIM that will allow people to store all of their contacts for their friends in one place and allow them to text, call or send email to anyone of their online buddies. The new version will also allow for the use of web TV and radio functions.

I think that this is an exciting new advancement that can definitely be used for campaign use. Campaign volunteers will now have one platform from which to reach friends and supporters for GOTV efforts. While AIM can only be effective if the people you are trying to reach are actually online, the ability to use texting capabilities as well as store phone contacts can and should be used by campaigns to ensure that they are hitting supporters in all ways possible to motivate them to vote. While many campaigns use modified versions of these types of technology, the new AIM can be an excellent tool for those of us that are out in the field.

Big Brother and China

I just finished reading the article by Zittrain and Palfrey on Internet Filtering in China and it makes me really grateful that I live here instead of there. It strikes me as incredibly bizarre that China has yet to succumb to the political pressures from the US and other democratic nations who would advocate for free speech rights for Chinese citizens. The measures that the Chinese government has put into place to repress their citizens online are downright draconian.

My office at GW has had to deal with a few incoming freshman from China directly related to this censorship issue. These students have not been allowed to apply for housing at the University based on the censorship that the Chinese have implemented over American educational websites. Heaven forbid what would happen if a Chinese student studying in America could apply for a double over a triple for their freshman year housing.

I was hopeful that when Hong Kong changed from British to Chinese power a few years ago that the trappings of Communism would fall when the Chinese government saw how effective capitalism and a democratic commerce system were first hand. I am still hopeful that the government will see the error in its ways and that the Chinese citizenry will rise up against this attack on informational and free speech rights.

Long Day At Work and a Bunch of Papers to Write......

Another Reason Why I Like Watching Karl Rove Squirm

I just finished reading the fact check on the Bush ad accusing John Kerry of accepting a large amount of special interest donations. It is true that Kerry did accept a great deal from special interests groups. What is ironic, however, is that Bush received substantially more than the Kerry campaign did from lobbyists, corporate types and other special interests groups. And to think that the Bush campaign would call Kerry “unprincipled” when he himself is attacking one of his main funding sources. Boy do I love irony.

While the net has become a great source for information sharing and putting out targeted messages, what scares me is that there is so much clutter on the net that people don’t know what is what. In the case of the Bush ad, people may actually believe that Bush gets most of his donations from small donors rather than from hitting up his friends on K Street. What is more concerning is that idea that the media has become so complacent in that they wouldn’t report of something like this that is blatantly false.

While there is a lot of clutter on the internet, there are also a lot of watchdogs like the Annenberg Report that keep those in the limelight honest. Anything otherwise would be “unprincipled”.

WWTD? (What Would Teenagers Do?)

Nielsen asserts what many of us already know: everything on the net should be dumbed down so that even kids can understand. In his article on usability and teen internet use, Nielsen says that websites must be simple and exciting so that they can carry the collective attention of teens who generally lack an attention span. Phil and Emi have also said that sites need to be easy to navigate, have strong content and simple.

Marketers should take this to heart and create sites that are easy to use so that even teen consumers can understand what they are doing. While many consumer sites have tremendous ease of use, it always surprises me how some organizations still don’t get it and can’t seem to get out of their own way. Who knew that kids maybe our best test market when we are putting websites and messages together.

Nielsen Is At It Again....

I just finished reading Nielsen’s article on the study he conducted with low-literacy users. One of the more interesting parts of the study had to do with testing content with both high and low literacy users. Nielsen found that low literacy users had higher responses to content that was more simple than high literacy users had to this same content.

To political professionals, this poses an interesting dilemma particularly when developing a message. Nielsen’s study essentially says that separate of ideological leanings, different types of style and content have different appeal to different users based on literacy. Does this mean that we should be stripping down our messages on the net to appeal to everyone or should we craft messages to users with higher literacy? Are these users more likely to be affected by the message based on their higher literacy?

I am inclined to think that messages should be targeted to higher literacy users. As someone who has an interest in sociology, I know that people with higher literacy rates are more likely to have an education, have a higher level of income and generally have higher rates of political participation. While it sounds somewhat callous, messages should be targeted to those who are going to be moved by them rather than having a broad based message that may get lost of users with higher literacy. This is something that most campaigns already practice, but this study is another interesting reminder.

Technology in the Third World

I just finished reading the Economist article on the emergence of new technology in the third world. The United Nations has made a large commitment to bring people in Third World countries into the “wired age” by making investments in computer, internet and mobile phone technology.

While I think this is a great idea, I agree with the article in that introducing technology to these areas does not address the root problem that these areas have in terms of the disparities with the developed world. The reason that these countries have no technology in place is because they need to invest the money that they have into food and necessities rather than technology which they see as a luxury item. It is a very interesting juxtaposition to think of technology as a luxury item in our society, as many would cease to function without the use of a cell phone, the internet and god forbid if we did not have Blackberries.

At work recently, our internet went down for about an hour and there was literally paralysis throughout our department. They might as well have closed our office because nothing was getting down without the internet. I often wonder what work places must have been like 20 years ago when people couldn’t waste their work days on AIM, Friendster and buying David Letterman memorabilia on E-bay. I am sure we were a lot more productive back then.

I only use this work example to underscore that our society compared to the Third World is extremely different. The rapid development of our economy has made technology a vital part of our culture and we have convinced ourselves that all of these new things are necessary in order for us to survive. When one is living in sub-Saharan Africa and making $100 annual income, getting a cell phone is not at the top of the priority list in terms of things that one should be doing with their life. While I applaud the UN’s push to bring these areas up to speed technology-wise, I think they would be better served to get to the root of the problem and help these people develop their economies.

My Thoughts on NorthernVirginiaGOP.com

All things considered, there is not much that the Northern Virginia GOP website does well. The site is boring, hard to navigate and out of date. Additionally, there is a lack of synergy between the ground operations of the Virginia GOP and the web presence that this organizations has. Overall, the site lacks a professional feel and is not as effective as it could be.

To start, the layout of the site is confusing and it is very busy. The navigation does not work well and once you click on links, not all of them will link you back to the main site. The fonts and the text locations look sloppy and do not have a logical flow. The graphics are also dated look substandard. Stylistically, this is a very poor site.

The site also lacks effective ways to solicit volunteers and contributions. There is no place on the site to sign up to volunteer however; there is a link to receive the Northern GOP newsletter. As far as contributing goes, the link to contribute does not stand out and you have to scroll down the page to actually find it. The actual graphic encouraging visitors to donate does not stand out and is only distinguishable because it has flashing credit cards rather than an appeal to donate.

Content is probably the worst problem that this site has. The site has links to look at polls that do not exist. It is also has links to photo galleries that are 4 years old. Additionally, the site does not list what constitutes that Northern Virginia GOP and it only lists the Chairman of the organization rather than listing as many contacts as possible to show that they are a vibrant organization. There is no unifying themes or messages that the site is trying to convey to the visitor other than that this site is a disorganized hodge-podge of information that is hard to understand or connect to other information on the site. The organization has a great deal of cool information to get out. For instance, members of the organization have their own TV and radio shows. This site needs to be a cross platform for these other ventures so that all of these mediums are successful in getting the word out about the organization and its goals.

Overall, this site is disappointing and clearly not a priority for the organization. There is not an effective fundraising presence and it appears that the organization is just looking to have a website in name rather than something that will be effective for its cause. With some attention and some new information, this site could be an effective tool for strengthening the republican community in the Northern Virginia area.

Happy Early 4th of July

And They're Off.....

Less than a day after the resignation of Sandra Day O'Connor from the Supreme Court and we are already seeing a flood of activity throughout the blogosphere about who should take her place. On the Democracy for America blog, Senator Pat Leahy encourages people to let the White House know that the Senate will not be used as a rubber stamp for judicial nomination and that the President must pick a just right for all Americans rather than those at the partisan fringes. Daily Kos has a variety of different posts weighing in on the Supreme Court vacancy. And Although I have yet to find it, I have heard that there is a conservative website and blog that is dedicated to stopping Alberto Gonzales from beginning nominated for the court due to his moderate stances on social issues.

It seems like everyone is weighing in on the court situation and that the blogosphere may have an impact as to who gets nominated to the Court. Online groups have been important in keeping pressure on both sides of the aisle when it comes to judicial nominations. With this high profile opening on the Court, it is more than apparent that both sides will continue to use online resources to persuade and mobilize the left and the right to get their desired outcome for a nominee. The next few months will certainly be interesting.

Blogging and Congress

I just read Molly Chapman Norton's article on Congressional blogging and I think that some interesting points are raised. While Norton says that many on the Hill resist the use of blogs because they are hard to use for spin, I think that there are other reasons behind only a few people in power using blogs to get their messages out.

For one, I think that there is always a resistance to dive into the unknown in any field. Blogs are a fairly new technology and many in Congress are probably going to resist blog use until they become too important and essential to ignore.

Secondly, members of Congress may feel that blogs will put too much information in the public's view which would hold officials more accountable and susceptible to attack. Opponents of members of Congress could attack a member on their own blog. This lack of control may scare of many members who would otherwise like to have with their constituents the type of dialogue that blogs can provide.

What is clear is that blogs are the wave of the future and that many in Congress will move to using this medium. The attention that Conyers is getting on his blog is proof enough that Congress needs to make the move online and become more accessible to their constituents.