Dems Woo Dem Bloggers
Democratic rivals in race to recruit bloggers
· All eight contenders head for internet conference
· Republicans stick to traditional campaigningEwen MacAskill in Washington
Thursday August 2, 2007
The Guardian
Whether left, right or somewhere in between, the notion that the blogosphere as well as the net in general have strategic importance in politics should be lost on no one. The majority of stories relate the Democratic party embrace of the net while the Republican party is described as rejecting or ignoring its importance. In addition, most accounts claim the left dominates the blogosphere while the right is far behind. One thing is certain by nearly any measure, the Daily Kos ranks right up there in terms of presence, traffic and other specs. The counterpart from the right is arguably Michelle Malkin. While there are plenty of sites featuring both sides of the political spectrum, just as in the politics itself, the manner in which this medium is approached has striking differences when comparing left and right.
So all eight Democratic candidates are heading to the YearlyKos convention to woo bloggers. Based on statistics available regarding demographics and choice of medium, the 24 and below age group dominates use of the latest electronic devices and if interested in news, opinion or public affairs selects the internet for information. The younger demographics also seek peer opinion with the same technology perhaps much more than older age groups. If the strategy is to gain votes primarily from the 24 and below age group, the benefit may be more limited than one might expect. The number of registered voters is lower compared to the public at large. Those who follow through after registration is not an impressive number and the interest in politics and voting may also be surprisingly limited. Maybe the Dems are just covering their bets since the money and time invested is not excessive.
Stanford Matthews
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