501derful.org
AdAge is taking a poll (may
be closed now) and they are trying to asses the power of the
blogosphere in political marketing. In the background they cite the 2004 Dean campaign – run by my buddy Zack Rosen – and the recent Ned Lamont victory in Connecticut. Yet captains of the political machines are not willing to devote more than 1% or 2 % of their energy to blogging. The poll asks for your thoughts.
Here are mine. It is not the activity that counts, it is the
audience that get the message that is important. Lets face facts – barely 58% of the total US population voted in 2004!
So why should you waste time, money, and energy getting messages out to
them. Your rally cries fall on deaf ears! The blogoshpere is populated
with a higher percent of engaged and socially active people compared to
the national average. The blogosphere is interactive and stirs up
conversation and discussion. TV adds simply interrupt reruns and
provide a respite during the evening news.
I wish Gallup would take an exit poll of of people and ask them if
they blog, read blogs, or participate in on-line community. I bet dime
to dollar that more voters have that type of profile and the trend will
grow as we move into the future. I think it is less about the power of
the blog and more about the power of targeting the people who will
actually act. That is why political blogging is real community
mobilization.
