Monday, May 08, 2006
Mark Warner promotes podcasts
Likely Democratic presidential candidate Mark Warner has been releasing a series of podcasts via his PAC's website, ForwardTogetherPAC.com.
Produced in both audio and video formats, Warner's podcasts have been accelerated in frequency of late, perhaps reflecting a new focus on the medium. Several of the podcasts look to have been shot in a single session, but the site promises more to come, including some answering visitor's questions.
Although the series has the rather unfortunate label of "iPolitics", it does seem to be a quite savvy move on the part of the campaign...errr...PAC. The podcasts have the potential to serve as a great tool for motivating younger, hipper political set, who are after all the ones who do the grassroots grunt work of any major campaign.
It's a logical progression for Trippi-esque House Party community building, taking it a step further and placing the message directly in the hands of the end viewer. Rather than use the "come over to our house and watch a campaign video" model, podcasts embrace the web 2.0 dissemination of power ethos and could turn out to be even more powerful. While there will no doubt be room for house party style events in the 08 campaigns (face time can still be the most exciting motivational tool), podcasts give the neighborhood activists the power to spread the message on their own, on a more personal one-to-one level.
And it's not hard to imagine someone sitting on a subway, watching their campaign podcast, getting excited and energized about a candidate's message. Keeping the video handy for whenever they need that extra reminder about what they're trying to accomplish, fitting it into the corners of the day.
Having said all that, the Warner podcasts aren't there yet. They don't have quite that zing that will be needed to be as effective as they could be. The podcasts are clearly in the experimental stages, and already there has been improvement in production quality over the course of the short series. Warner has always seemed a little stiff in his speaking, though, and the podcast format screams for a more intimate talking-directly-to-me approach. Perhaps as they produce more of them, and in possibly shorter, more frequent sessions, Warner will gain a more comfortable conversational tone. If so, he really could form a strong bond with supporters, one that lets him be everywhere, with everyone. It's like the revolution TV brought to politics, but potentially much more of a personal feel.
In terms of content, Warner does pretty well. It's too early for specifics, so the videos focus primarily on selling the vision. Warner clearly plans to pull the Democratic Party to more of a positive message, and away from the easy path of criticizing the errors of the current administration. The podcasts seem headed in that direction, though they could use a bit more focus on goals, even in a broad sense, as that will be what motivates people to get out and set up organizations and knock on doors in the long run.
Overall, the podcasts are a smart piece of a well-done web strategy by the Warner team. The Forward Together site is one of the best in politics, doing most everything right for where they're at in their campaign (PAC). It would be great to mix the bite-sized podcasts with longer video of Warner speeches, though text of select speeches are available, including the classic "Why I Am A Democrat", one of the best speeches from a candidate I've come across in recent years.
Warner seems to be making good use of the podcast medium, it's probably a good thing he doesn't live in Singapore. Prison Got No Broadband, after all.
Produced in both audio and video formats, Warner's podcasts have been accelerated in frequency of late, perhaps reflecting a new focus on the medium. Several of the podcasts look to have been shot in a single session, but the site promises more to come, including some answering visitor's questions.
Although the series has the rather unfortunate label of "iPolitics", it does seem to be a quite savvy move on the part of the campaign...errr...PAC. The podcasts have the potential to serve as a great tool for motivating younger, hipper political set, who are after all the ones who do the grassroots grunt work of any major campaign.
It's a logical progression for Trippi-esque House Party community building, taking it a step further and placing the message directly in the hands of the end viewer. Rather than use the "come over to our house and watch a campaign video" model, podcasts embrace the web 2.0 dissemination of power ethos and could turn out to be even more powerful. While there will no doubt be room for house party style events in the 08 campaigns (face time can still be the most exciting motivational tool), podcasts give the neighborhood activists the power to spread the message on their own, on a more personal one-to-one level.
And it's not hard to imagine someone sitting on a subway, watching their campaign podcast, getting excited and energized about a candidate's message. Keeping the video handy for whenever they need that extra reminder about what they're trying to accomplish, fitting it into the corners of the day.
Having said all that, the Warner podcasts aren't there yet. They don't have quite that zing that will be needed to be as effective as they could be. The podcasts are clearly in the experimental stages, and already there has been improvement in production quality over the course of the short series. Warner has always seemed a little stiff in his speaking, though, and the podcast format screams for a more intimate talking-directly-to-me approach. Perhaps as they produce more of them, and in possibly shorter, more frequent sessions, Warner will gain a more comfortable conversational tone. If so, he really could form a strong bond with supporters, one that lets him be everywhere, with everyone. It's like the revolution TV brought to politics, but potentially much more of a personal feel.
In terms of content, Warner does pretty well. It's too early for specifics, so the videos focus primarily on selling the vision. Warner clearly plans to pull the Democratic Party to more of a positive message, and away from the easy path of criticizing the errors of the current administration. The podcasts seem headed in that direction, though they could use a bit more focus on goals, even in a broad sense, as that will be what motivates people to get out and set up organizations and knock on doors in the long run.
Overall, the podcasts are a smart piece of a well-done web strategy by the Warner team. The Forward Together site is one of the best in politics, doing most everything right for where they're at in their campaign (PAC). It would be great to mix the bite-sized podcasts with longer video of Warner speeches, though text of select speeches are available, including the classic "Why I Am A Democrat", one of the best speeches from a candidate I've come across in recent years.
Warner seems to be making good use of the podcast medium, it's probably a good thing he doesn't live in Singapore. Prison Got No Broadband, after all.
Mark Warner | Campaign News | 2008 Election | Forward Together | Political Podcast
# posted @ 6:40 PM 
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