Borf is Dead - or is He?

If you're like me and walk around DC or ride the Metro, you've experienced the graffiti art of BORF. We know that "Bush hates Borf" and that "Borf is good for your liver" but who is Borf and what does he stand for? Bloggers have long speculated on his identity and his motives. That speculation has now come to an end.

Last week, the artist who created Borf was arrested. According to a report from the Washington Post, the creator of Borf is an 18 year old art student named John Tsombikos and the character is based on a childhood friend who recently committed suicide. According to the article, the inventor of Borf didn't want his identity revealed and became "an earnest though sometimes muddled mix of progressive politics filtered through a lens of youthful optimism."

What's interesting about Borf is the cultural phenomenon that an aspiring 18 year-old invented. From stickers on city trash cans to graffiti art on public buildings, Borf has become a cultural icon and a brand that everyone recognizes. With very little money and a large imagination, one of the most fascinating characters to come along in some time has captured the imaginations of people from DC to Greece.

Throughout class we've discussed how candidates and causes are marketed and positioned and how elections can be won or lost depending on grass-roots tactics from door-to-door visits to instant messaging and blogging. What's fascinating about Borf is that this 18 year-old took a very similar approach and created a solid, enduring message.

Although the Borf creator owes thousands of dollars in fines, this young man knows character development and grass roots marketing. He will be an interesting person to watch - providing he doesn't spend too much time behind bars.

You Go, Ernie!

Listed in the class reading assignments is an article on the Muppets choosing their new CEO. The article from FairVote.org is a fabulous way to explain Instant Run-off Voting by using the beloved Muppet characters and a little humor.

Instant Run-off Voting supports the theory that not only does the candidate with the majority of votes win, but the candidate with the majority of support wins as well. It's a cute article and if you're a Muppets fan (my favorite is Cookie Monster) you'll enjoy the process of how the new Muppets CEO was voted-in.

Call Me Crazy...

What's the one thing missing from the US Trademark & Patent Office website home page? How about a copyright notice? How about a trademark notice? None of these elements is listed. For example, check out the official government logo on the upper left hand side. Notice anything missing? Look at the bottom of the page where the following copy is written: "This is the only official website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office." Notice anything else missing?

If the logo is truly official, wouldn't it be copyrighted and wouldn't the (c) be referenced on/at/near the logo or somewhere else on the page? What about the content of the site itself?

Lots of questions here and I'm sure there will be many more, especially in light of Lawrence Lessig's speech on copyright law and if we've gone too far in terms of regulation.

Podcasts Go Mainstream

Today's Washington Post featured an article on mainstream media and how corporate American has taken podcasting away from the grass-roots level. Yet again, we're faced with the dilemma of understanding just how relevant podcasts really are.

In the article, it states that the moment Apple Computer, Inc. made content available through podcasts, the site went from 0 podcast subscriptions to 2 Million in two days - that's a fast grass-roots movement! It seems like people need to play in the corporate environment to be relevant to customers. Phil Redo, vice president of station operations and strategy for New York public radio station WNYC states "We have got to be in those spaces or we run the risk of becoming less relevant to them [listeners]."

The article goes on to mention websites that have podcast directories for listeners to choose from. I visited Digital Podcast, an online directory that features over 2,100 podcasts to see what content was featured. In the politics/government category, there are 126 podcasts available, mostly from Air America and Two Rights. Compared to other categories such as business/finance, movies/entertainment and science/technology, political podcasts have an equal percentage of programming available. According to Alex Nesbitt, who runs the company, "Getting people to try the media is the first step." I would imagine his content database will soon grow as more people want the convenience of downloading content to platforms such as iPods.

In my opinion, podcasts are a natural extension of political campaigning. It's relatively inexpensive to produce a podcast and political candidates and causes can post content quickly to their websites. As campaigns turn negative, this will be very useful to counter negative attacks in a short period of time and position the candidate and/or issue as needed.

Although people are complaining that the "garage level" podcasts are being overshadowed by corporate America, I'm glad to have yet another platform from which to communicate key messages.

Political Videos - Have We Lost Our Sense of Humor?

I've been reviewing the IPDI's report entitled: Under the Radar and Over the Top: Online Political Videos in the 2004 Election. The report draws some interesting conclusions regarding the use of political videos online and just how far producers will go to make a point.

On one hand, the report notes that in 2004, internet politics focused primarily on the positive aspects of new technology. It mentions that "Bloggers across the political spectrum have brought unique perspectives to the campaign discourse." The report also notes however that "independently produced political videos have added a distinctly sharper edge to this year's already polarized election campaign." The report mentions that some videos went to the extreme by displaying dead babies and bloody soliders killed in the Iraq war to make a point. The report also states that 1/3 of the political videos were anti-Kerry whereas 2/3 were anti-Bush and that only the two videos produced by JibJab.com "skewered both candidates equally."

Intrigued and always up for a laugh, I visited the JibJab.com website to view their videos "This Land" and "Good to be in DC." I found them to be funny and full of creativity. The intent of the videos was to poke fun at politicians and politics in general and they succeeded.

Politics is a serious business, especially as partisanship continues to grow on both sides. We need to remember to maintain our sense of humor through all this and laugh a little, especially at ourselves.

Influencing the Influentials Take II

I thought tonight's discussion was very enlightening, specially as the FEC prepares regulation of blogs. In a previous post (see 6/28/05) many bloggers are outraged at the FEC's proposed regulations. I can understand why. If the Internet is seen as another communication outlet for news and opinions and bloggers are associated with members of the press, why not give them media status?

I understand the concern about chipping away at the federal election laws, but they are already corrupt or outdated. The industry has passed beyond this and it's highly doubtful that it can be reigned in. The suggestion to post where you get funding was a good one. I'm curious to see how infiltrated the blogosphere is with corporate America and special interest groups. I believe it's more than we realize.

Technology and the Disabled

In preparation for tomorrow's class, I've been doing a bit of reading on the topic of disabled Americans and the technology available to them to enjoy the same access as non-disabled Americans. The statistics aren't in their favor.

According to the American Disability Association, the Internet is viewed as a "unifying technology" yet many disabled Americans don't have access to technology in a manner that's user-friendly. In fact, the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research has listed access as the number one issue among disabled Americans.

I admit, I've not given much thought to disabled Americans and the Internet. As we plan our online strategies, I thought I was ahead of the game by including dual language on my campaign site, let alone making it user-friendly for disabled Americans. I agree with Jakob Nielsen who states that much of the usability issues can be minimized by designing a website that takes disabilities into consideration. He states that "Usability isn't just a matter of whether or not it's possible for a user to perform a task. It's also a matter of how easy and fast it is for them to do so."

If you've not included disabled Americans in your web design, the good news is that it appears to be an easy fix that won't break your campaign budget.

Influencing the Influentials

In July, 2004, the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet published a paper about campaign influentials - who they are, what they do, who they persuade and how to reach them. In this detailed report, they acknowledged that among online political citizens (OPC's) they were:

- Seven times more likely than the general public to have attended a political rally, speech or protest in the last 2-3 months
- Nearly five times more likely to have contacted a politician
- Over four times more likely to have donated $$ to a political candidate
- Three times more likely to have written a letter to the editor
- Three times more likely to belong to groups trying to influence public policy

This is an enormously powerful group who should not be overlooked when planning a campaign strategy. In fact, campaign managers should be looking to them to help fulfill their objectives.

In the report, it gives great tips on how to reach them and use them to your advantage including the following advice:

- They are activists, so help them lead
- They are joiners and networkers, so build a campaign community
- They are news junkies, so feed their habit
- They are opinionated, so given them a microphone
- They are busy, so make it easy

Powerful indeed. I am not a believer that the internet can make/break a campaign but I am becoming a believer that those who are using the internet are key influentials and should be targeted for success.