Government Technology - April 2008 - (Page 8)

point of view Not Ready for Prime Time Raise Your Voice Your opinions matter to us. Send comments about this issue to the editors editorial@ govtech.com. Please list your telephone number for confirmation. Publication is solely at the discretion of the editors. Government Technology reserves the right to edit submissions for length. ust four years ago, now-Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean was believed by many to have set the standard for future elections by running a hugely effective grass-roots, Internet-based campaign. Though his bid to reach the White House eventually came to a screeching halt, it seemed Dean had finally blazed an electronic trail future candidates would follow. J could even download Ron Paul widgets and banners. Meanwhile, the campaign continued to raise millions of dollars online, and thousands of dedicated Paul supporters are trying to spread the word, both online and off. So what did this Web presence bring Paul? Fourth place, 16 delegates and no states won. The cause of such a lackluster showing is certainly worth speculation. The highly unreliable youth vote is always first to draw blame, AN AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION Silver Folio: Editorial Excellence Award j APR_08 The presidential candidate with the most YouTube subscribers was Ron Paul with 38,341. After Super Tuesday, a quick glance at the remaining candidates suggests most have yet to figure out how to fully use the Web to reach potential voters. In fact, the candidate with the most significant Web presence, Ron Paul, has been marginalized by his own party, as well as by Democrats and the mainstream media. This reality suggests the major parties and the traditional media outlets are not ready to accept the Web as a viable campaign medium on par with TV. According to the Dec. 9, 2007, issue of The New York Times Magazine, the presidential candidate with the most YouTube subscribers was Ron Paul with 38,341, and Barack Obama came in a distant second at 12,992. Last November, Paul supporters organized an online fundraiser that generated $4 million in a single day — a feat no one ever before had accomplished. Paul’s flatlining campaign had a well established presence on various social networking sites, such as Flickr, Facebook, MySpace and StumbleUpon. Interested voters and for good reason. Young people generally don’t vote in the large numbers that candidates wooing them need. It could be argued that the digital divide has prevented potential Paul supporters from getting the message. It might also be that Paul and his message simply didn’t appeal to enough people. The more cynical — and perhaps more accurate — explanation is that broadcast news, as well as the Republican National Committee and the DNC, still get far more mileage out of TV and radio than from the Web. Candidates such as Paul threaten tradition by using the Web to inspire legions of followers. It might be that Hillary Clinton, John McCain and NBC News aren’t sure how to do that themselves — and instead of learning how to better embrace Web campaigns, they work collectively to diminish those who have. CHAD VANDER VEEN TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS EDITOR 8 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - April 2008

Government Technology - April 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Scene Four Questions for... Freeze Frame How Safe Is Your Data? Easy Street Gadget Overload Indiana Overhaul First Person: A Better Bill Data Defense Strength in Numbers Public Storage Products Two Cents Spectrum Personal Computing signal:noise

Government Technology - April 2008

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