On-line Media and The Campaign 2011

Presidential Campaign 2011Sharon Hughes

What is’On-Line’?

• ‘On line’ is the terminology used to describe information that is available electronically or digitally

• There is no one, simple, list to describe everything that is available, or could potentially available on-line.

• The list is ever changing and ever growing and is fluid depending on the needs of the user

So what are we defining as ‘on-line’

• There is a certain amount of activity which will have to be classed as on-line

• For the purpose of the campaign it is important to acknowledge which material is ‘on-line’ and which material is just material

• In many cases it will be both and it is important that the Social on-line element of the campaign is measured and mastered early in the day

The Internet

• The easiest way to think of our on-line activites, will be anything the campaign produces which is only accessible via the internet

• In 2000 the estimated interent user figures for Ireland was c. 784,000 (20% of pop)

• By 2010 it stood at over 3 million and 65.8% of the population *

*Figures from ITU

So whats on the internet?

• In relation to the campaign, it would be envisaged that the following Internet tools should be employed:– The Website– Social Networking Websites (mainly Facebook)– Twitter– You Tube– Other Websites– I-Products Applications or Apps and Podcasts

The Website

The Website• What are websites used for?– A website is the word used to describe a collection of

webpages– A web page is a page of information which at one point

only contained static text and images but the Internet has come a long way since that

– Webpages can now host a wide variety of info including videos, recordings, archives etc

– People who use the Internet for political purposes are called ‘Online Political Citizens’ and studies show they are considered up to 7 times more influential than an average citizen

*Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet

The Website• Anyone who requires ‘background’

information will most likely head for the official website

• The website should be viewed as the ‘Shop Window’ of the campaign

• It needs to lure, attract and be very clear of what's on offer

• It should also have very clear directions on how to get more information

The Website• A website is classed as a ‘many to many’

medium, which is important to remember• A website should have good interactive tools,

but it is NOT an interactive medium• It is imperative people have access to the best

information, in manageable bits• In March 2009 Nielsen reported the average

visit to a website was 56 seconds**http://influxinsights.com/2009/technology/people-will-give-you-56-seconds/

The Website• There's also a theory known as the ‘3 click’ rule. If a

person cannot find what they’re looking for within three clicks, they will leave the site

• The idea is to get people in, and give them the information they WANT and directions for where else they can go

• If they leave with those boxes ticked the Site has achieved its purpose

• This means asides from a good archive of material for those interested can peruse, the site should mainly be used to direct people to other interactive sites

Facebook

• Facebook is defined as a Social Networking Website

• It is currently the second most popular website on the internet (after Google)

• It started as a service for Harvard Graduates to find and connect with each other in 2004, it now has over 600 million members*

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

Facebook

Facebook• People connect with each

other as ‘friends’ this gives them access to each others pages

• The site has an internal email which can now be replied to through external mail providers

• People can upload photos friends can see

Facebook• People can add links, videos and articles that

they feel their friends will be interested in• People can update their ‘status’ which is a sort

of sound bite of their day or thoughts that then becomes visible on other peoples pages

• It is this ability to share information that is useful to a political campaign, as we mentioned earlier, people are far more likely to take recommendations from friends

Twitter• Twitter is described as a ‘micro-blogging’

websites.• The user ‘follows’ people they like and are

‘followed’ by people interested in what they have to say

• The trick is it has to happen in less than 140 characters

• The ‘tweet’ is then uploaded and shows up within the followers ‘feed’

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter• Where Twitter is getting more popular is probably due to

the nature of smart phones. People are able to get bite-size chunks of information directly to their phone

• Recently, politicians are taking notice of twitter due to the ability to gauge the public reaction of something in ‘real time’, such as the Queens visit

• Users can ‘tag’ things of interest and twitter counts these tags, top 10 items at any one time are then promoted

• There is often an attempt to ‘trend’ things on purpose like a charity or event

Twitter

• People can also tag people, for example when Michael D was on BBC, he was being tagged

• If there were enough tags it would become promoted

• If not, when someone searches the tags at a later date for Michael D, they will see the comments

• It is imperative not to over-tweet

You Tube

• You Tube is an on-line Video-Sharing website• Users are able to watch, upload and share

videos • There are two major categories of users:

Those who put up information, and those who access the information

• Those who access information can register accounts or not.

You Tube• You Tube is currently the 3rd most used

website in the world• It is a wonderful archive of a whole

arrangement of material• The downside if it gets up there, we can’t take

it down• I would suggest using You Tube as the archive

for the video footage under a newly formed Michal D account

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

• If an account holder is registered they can comment on videos and rate them, if a user is not registered they can see the video but give no feedback

• Those who use You Tube to promote themselves set up ‘Channels’. They then upload their content and forward a link to friends or encourage users to ‘Follow Me’

You Tube• Content on You Tube at any given time can

range from:– Home videos– Comedy videos– Short film productions– ‘How to’ guides (from language to furniture)– On-line tutorials– Political videos– Music Videos– Illegal films in blocks

You Tube• Up-loads can be a maximum of 30 minutes• Up-loads are ‘tagged’, this is where if a user

searches certain words, the relevant tags will be used to find them

• The campaign will need to agree a ‘tag’ that will ‘uniform’ the uploads we wish them to see

• It would be wise to ‘store’ all video material on You Tube itself

You Tube

• There are more videos uploaded to You Tube in 60 days, than 3 major US channels created in 60 years

• Over 150 years worth of footage is watched per day

• The average user spends 15 to 20 minutes a day on You Tube*

• There are literally millions of videos on-line*http://mashable.com/2011/02/19/youtube-facts/

You Tube• The New York Times reported that Obamas

use of You Tube for Video data was seen as more successful than television as it didn’t interfere with peoples televison schedule and videos were recommended by friends

• It also gives people the right to ‘check’ on what a candidate has actually said in the face of controversy

*http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/how-obamas-internet-campaign-changed-politics/

You Tube for MD Higgins

I-Products: Apps and Podcasts• Applications or Apps as

they’re referred to are often re-formatted websites that can be easily accessed off an I-Phone

• This gives people access to things they wouldn’t otherwise have time for

• Podcasts are recordings uploaded so people can listen to them on their I-Products at a later date

Live Streaming• This is what its called when something is broadcast

live across the internet• It can be referred to as being delivered in ‘real time’• Many of the news agencies will be delivering live

broadcasts in real time over the campaign• We also have the opportunity to set up our own

‘channel’ and have live episodes• Personally I think this could be useful as we could

record it and upload it on You Tube for those who miss it live

Comparison Chart of media available

Facebook• Connectivity? Yes• Popular? Yes• Interactive? High• Promotional? Yes• Visibility? High• Controllable? Not at all• Quality of communication?

Medium, quantity not quality• Comments: Those who already

like you will follow you on Facebook and influence friends

You Tube• Connectivity? Yes• Popular? Yes• Interactive? Low• Promotional? Yes• Visibility? High• Controllable? Not at all• Quality of communication?• Medium, quality not quantity• Comments: You Tube needs to be

viewed as an archiving tool. Controlling what happens after is impossible

Comparison Chart of Media Available

Twitter• Connectivity? Yes• Popular? Yes• Interactive? Low to Medium• Promotional? Yes• Visibility? High• Controllable? Not at all• Quality of communication? Low,

lots of bite size info directing traffic

• Comments: Twitter directs, it doesn’t inform, keeping that in mind will help

Website• Connectivity? No• Popular? Depends on us• Interactive? Low• Promotional? Yes• Visibility? High• Controllable? Yes• Quality of communication? High,

but in a delivering way, not interactive

• Comments: One visit per visitor is likely all we’re getting

Email• Nearly everyone in the country has email• Its fast, cheap, can fit to size and direct

someone where you’d like them to be• It can inform, lead, activate and direct• It can also harass, annoy, bamboozle and

spam people• I would recommend an email policy for

protocol be drawn up in advance of using peoples details

To Close• There is no simple ‘one stop shop’ element as

yet available on line• As you can see from the most popular sites in

the world they each have their own niche and strengths and uses

• There is a lot of lingo and terminology and it would be wrong to dismiss this

• Vincent Browne called Twitter the ‘Tweet machine’ it didn’t go wrong, but it didn’t go unnoticed

To Close• For a certain generation everything they do goes through some

form of I.C.T media, to not pay them the respect these people feel they deserve will affect how they view you

• Try and get to grips with the basic fundamentals and as much of the lingo as you can muster

• Also remember the amount of people aged 13 up who use them. Studies have shown kids are often the most influential factor on undecided parents

• Please remember if something gets onto the internet it can NEVER be deleted. There will always be someone with the skills to find it again.

• Also please be aware nothing goes unnoticed any more. Privacy stops here

Questions?

ThanksSharon Hughes

May 2011