E-Voter Institute

Green Numbers on WsRadio

Karen — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:35:57 +0000

Last week I hosted the Quest for Power segment on a new Internet radio show called Green Numbers Radio: Ask the Experts which can be heard live on WsRadio.com/greennumbers and downloaded as an MP3 file.

My guests were Paul LeBlanc and Rachael Wexler from Sunlight Planet and Joseph Kalkstein, Global Solar Ventures talking about solar initiatives, incentives, and applications for low income housing. Check out the interview with these 3 experts.

I am hosting another segment today Thursday on the Green Numbers Radio show which is live from 2-3 pm PACIFIC. I will be talking with Gary Bivings, The Bivings Group from 2:30-2:45 PDT. If you miss it, the link will be posted here by Monday.

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Attorney General Race in CA

Karen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:14:50 +0000

Guest on the Digital Politics podcast today is Alberto Torrico, Assemblyman from the CA 20th State district, Majority Leader in the California State Assembly, and candidate for Attorney General in 2010. Alberto is using Facebook to get attention for his Assembly Ballot 656 Fair Share for Fair Tuition initiative as well as for building coalitions and raising money for his campaign.

Alberto, with roots in the Hispanic and Asian communities, is a modern candidate currently representing parts of Silicon Valley and the East Bay. His web site includes pages in Spanish and Chinese. I think this campaign is a great example of using social media, email, online ads, search, and traditional web elements to reach voters in a state wide race. In a crowded primary, will social media engagement make the difference?

Listen to this interview with Assemblyman Alberto Torrico

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Are Political Campaigns Going Green?

Karen — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:22:21 +0000

GOOGLE Earth Day

On the Digital Politics podcast on this 40th Anniversary of Earth Day I ask the question–Are campaigns interested in being environmentally responsible by using more digital solutions to reach voters? My guest Chris Talbot, Account Executive, Google Elections and Issue Advocacy, says that campaigns don’t seem to be much motivated by being green but rather by what works to win.

Google and other industry leaders have brought to market tools that campaign strategists have only dreamed about. Sites like YouTube are changing the way media buyers can reach voters with :15 and :30 second in-stream video ads and long format video. The tools are out there to persuade voters using online tactics and to reinforce messages in traditional media. If it is green –all the better.

Listen to this interview on what Google and the web has to offer 2010 campaigns.

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Social Chatter

Karen — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:53:18 +0000

Guest on the Digital Politics podcast today is Benjamin Hagedorn, Vice President of Consulting Development, Infegy Inc., developer of Social Radar, a tool to measure online buzz. This tool not only tracks comments but also the tone of the conversation showing up on social media sites, blogs, news sites and other sources. Ben talks a bit about the use of natural language processing to determine whether the conversation is positive or negative and when the tone is changing. While still a new way to measure the attitudes of voters, Ben says the Infegy methodology is getting close to what the traditional pollsters are finding. This is also an indication of how the web and participants in social media sites are representative of all voters.

Here on Tax Day, Ben says that he is seeing a real break-out for words related to taxes but not much related to the Tea Party movement. Another example of how the volume of the megaphone might or might not reflect the real interest in the general public.

Check out this interview with an expert whose finger is on the pulse of the web.

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Canvassing 2.0

Karen — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:46:47 +0000

Digital Politics podcast today with guest Eimar Boesjes, Chief Technical Officer, Moonshadow Mobile is a view into the next generation of political campaign management. With the mobile app Ground Game that Moonshadow has developed with Labels & Lists, they are redefining the way campaigns can target and engage constituents face-to-face as well as online and changing what it means to be a volunteer for a campaign. Moonshadow has also been developing mobile apps for candidates.

Eimar is very insightful about how to get people to accept change and the impact a good interface can have on adaptation. His mobile apps take full advantage of Google maps–an interface most of us have become quite familiar with. He also relates how his 16 year old sons have learned to send text messages in the dark because they have had to deal with restrictions in school and so they text with smart devices in their pockets.

Eimar is very excited about the potential of the iPad to help deploy his apps for campaigns up and down the ballot.

Listen to this interview about how campaign management will never be the same again.

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The Traditionals vs The Digitals

Karen — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:09:51 +0000

Guest on Digital Politics podcast today is political consultant Steve Kramer (gotvcalls@gmail.com), from Get Out the Vote. Steve and I both attended the AAPC event last week in Phoenix where he interviewed many of the speakers and exhibitors for a video project. We share some thoughts about the changing focus of this yearly event for political consultants and how the “Traditionals” are coping with the growth of digital competition.

Steve shares some of his insights about creating web videos and experience with creating messages that get the attention of undecided and Independent voters.

Most interesting trend Steve saw at the event was a mobile app that streamlines the field operation. Is this the year mobile apps will significantly change the way campaigns are managed?

Listen to this interview with someone who knows what it takes to get the vote.

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The Narrative

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Guest on the Digital Politics podcast is Kelley Moran, Moran Associates, a public affairs and political consulting firm in California. Kelley shares his insights about how political and advocacy stories are created and the impact they have on voters. Kelley wonders how the expected $100 million dollars Meg Whitman is projected to spend on her run for California governor will drown out the stories of other candidates.

Why the picture of Lassie? Kelley talks about the role a spokesdog can have in a campaign–he actually used Laddie, Lassie’s successor.

Listen to this interview with an expert political storyteller.

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Dynamic Video Advertising

Karen — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:36:55 +0000

Guest on the Digital Politics podcast this week is Anupam Gupta, CEO, Mixpo, a Seattle based tech firm specializing in dynamic online video advertising. Mixpo is all about engagement and making it easier for agencies and campaigns to re-purpose and enhance campaign video and television ads. Anupam makes it clear that online political ads are moving away from standard banner ads to video ads and that we should all expect higher quality online video ads in the near future.

Mixpo is providing tools to extend interactivity with political ads. Will these kinds of solutions help move more dollars online? Will online budgets be 1% or 10% of the average 2010 campaign? Anupam suggests that performance pressure will cause more political strategists to reconsider traditional media budgets.

Listen to this interview with an industry leader who sees the holistic view.

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Finding Common Ground

Karen — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:45:13 +0000

Guests on the Digital Politics podcast this week are Peter Pasi, VP, and Ben Olson, eCampaign Director from emotive llc, a Washington, DC based agency with a focus on political campaigns, trade associations, and coalitions. With all the discussion this week about building support for job creation and health care reform, there are many question about how candidates and advocates are using online tools to refine their messages to target and persuade voters.

With deep roots in the direct mail world, Peter now suggests that campaigns spend at least 15-20% of their budgets for online activities. Ben reminds us that people need a real reason to jump into action. Working with McCain in 2008, Ben learned some key lessons about how activists get engaged with campaigns and the need to grant more permission to the grassroots crowd to get involved.

Listen to this interview with 2 industry leaders.

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King of the Lobby

Karen — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:32:15 +0000

Guest on the Digital Politics podcast today was Kathryn Allamong Jacob, Curator of Manuscripts, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University and author of King of the Lobby: The Life and Times of Sam Ward Man-About-Washington in the Gilded Age (Johns Hopkins, 2010). I recommend this book not only for its insights about the early days of lobbying in Washington but also because it reveals many similarities to our own times. While online tools give new meaning to the social lobby, the story of Sam Ward provides perspective about doing business in Washington. What would Sam have thought of Facebook?

We have come a long way from Samuel Colt, munitions manufacturer, passing out trunk loads of pistols to influence Congress.

Listen to this interview with Kathy who is a great story teller and buy the book.

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