Obama will announce Vice President position by SMS

By on August 12, 2008 in News, Services

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FINALLY!

FINALLY they’re getting it. The US polling geniuses are deploying the medium of text properly. It’s been a real annoyance of mine for a while. Over here in the UK, we’ve more or less got no clue. (I refer you to Tony Blair’s Big Conversation rubbish a while ago — 35p a text I think it cost the electorate to use).

Presidential Nominee Obama has announced that he’s going to tell his supporters of his Vice President selection first. By text message. (Or email).

Very clever. First that’s a news item in itself. I read about it in USA Today. That’s going to get quite a few folk signed up if they haven’t already.

Second, he’s sidestepping mainstream media. Love it. If mainstream media want to find out, they’ll need to subscribe too.

Third, he gets control of the message. It’s his spinners who’ll craft the text message content and who’ll get the message directly into the minds of his key supporters. Before any mainstream media filtering.

The USA Today quotes Micha of Techpresident.com:

Micah Sifry, co-founder of the blog Techpresident.com, says the Obama campaign is “charting new ground” in using cellphones to keep supporters interested and engaged. The offer to text the vice presidential news is “a big carrot to hand people,” he says.

Interesting, interesting.

If you’re in the States, sign-up by texting VP to 62262. Or sign-up online.

About Ewan

Ewan is Founder and Editor of Mobile Industry Review. He writes about a wide variety of industry issues and is usually active on Twitter most days. You can read more about him or reach him with these details.
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  • http://www.smsjock.com LeilR

    Obama planned his campaign very well by choosing the mediums which he can use to directly interact with his supporters, who are mostly the young voters. He got into interactive website, social network sites, and SMS campaigns. Even politicians are recognizing the power of mobile technology nowadays.

  • http://shkspr.mobi/ TerenceEden

    I'm not completely sold on the “MSM == Bad” meme – although reading Flat Earth News has strengthened the idea. This, however, is the perfect example of where MSM should be working but is failing.

    Instead of getting critical analysis of the VP nomination and the politics surrounding it, we're reduced to consuming unchecked and uncontested press releases. Why is this? Because MSM would either repeat the press release verbatim or would offer a vociferous attack by the most partisan talking heads.

    Or it would be a 30 second item followed by an hour's expose of a starlet's waistline.

    Don't get me wrong – I think it's great that a prominent politician is engaging directly with his electorate – it's just sad that it's because MSM doesn't work any more.

  • http://shkspr.mobi/ TerenceEden

    I'm not completely sold on the “MSM == Bad” meme – although reading Flat Earth News has strengthened the idea. This, however, is the perfect example of where MSM should be working but is failing.

    Instead of getting critical analysis of the VP nomination and the politics surrounding it, we're reduced to consuming unchecked and uncontested press releases. Why is this? Because MSM would either repeat the press release verbatim or would offer a vociferous attack by the most partisan talking heads.

    Or it would be a 30 second item followed by an hour's expose of a starlet's waistline.

    Don't get me wrong – I think it's great that a prominent politician is engaging directly with his electorate – it's just sad that it's because MSM doesn't work any more.

  • http://shkspr.mobi/ TerenceEden

    I'm not completely sold on the “MSM == Bad” meme – although reading Flat Earth News has strengthened the idea. This, however, is the perfect example of where MSM should be working but is failing.

    Instead of getting critical analysis of the VP nomination and the politics surrounding it, we're reduced to consuming unchecked and uncontested press releases. Why is this? Because MSM would either repeat the press release verbatim or would offer a vociferous attack by the most partisan talking heads.

    Or it would be a 30 second item followed by an hour's expose of a starlet's waistline.

    Don't get me wrong – I think it's great that a prominent politician is engaging directly with his electorate – it's just sad that it's because MSM doesn't work any more.

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