Everyone Deletes Tom

Online social movements and Australian politics are hotting up.

I can only imagine how overwhelmed Liberal Party staffers must be with Kev’s drive to the web. Particularly after today’s launch of the Kevin07 campaign. For a user, its fairly logical that when you look at one of these blokes you’ll look up the page of the other. Seems clear to me very quickly that one has a strategy and the other is a joke.

Myspace – for example. Kev’s got more than 11,000 mates. He’s team has put in a big effort to create a visual style which clearly speaks with authority, dedication and of “official” content. Plus! His friends login and post comments - they wish him well and clearly there is a person on team to approve the content.

http://www.myspace.com/officiallaborspace

Mr Howard on the other hand is friends with other Liberal ministers plus the how to vote page and NO ONE else. Clearly no-one is being approved because I’m sure someone out there would ask… so if he isn’t friends with ‘ordinary Australians’ then he can’t be considered a man of the people – clearly.

http://www.myspace.com/howardgovernment

Facebook. Well Kev’s there. Johnny is too… but not officially. His profile lists winning at all costs as one of his past times.

I think the message here is clear – if the pollies don’t act in these spaces – someone else will for them. In the end it can’t be denied that Mr Howard is being made a fool of online as a failure to participate in these communities leaves him wide open for pranksters. Clearly Johnny’s famous position of do nothing and take no responsibility doesn’t work well in online communities.

Tut tut tut. Makes me laugh.

As you can see this effort is pulled together with a new campaign site…. http://www.kevin07.com/

Clear, end to end, “up with the times” and a people focused effort. Well done, I say… but mostly because we have nothing to compare it too but humiliation for Howard. I love that Kev is drawing so much attention to the online space while Howard flounders.

Hec, I’ve just written half a page and been calling one option by his surname and the other by a nickname…