Politicos beware: You live in YouTube's world.

[n2doc]

Politicos beware: You live in YouTube's world.
By Linda Feldmann | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON – S.R. Sidarth never imagined his 15 minutes of fame would come from a sleepy campaign stop in the southwest Virginia town of Breaks. Or that his handiwork with a camcorder would catapult to the list of most-watched videos on the Web's most-trafficked video site. Or that The Washington Post would devote an entire article to exploring exactly what to call the 20-year-old college student's hairstyle - a mohawk or a mullet? (Answer: neither.)
Sen. George Allen (R) of Virginia also surely never imagined that the young man assigned to track his campaign appearances would cause him days of grief, simply by recording a comment that critics have called "racist" or, at best, "insensitive."

But in the brave new world of YouTube politics, almost anything is possible. And just 18 months after its launch, the website is already playing an integral role in campaigns. Supporters of Ned Lamont, the Democratic upstart who beat Sen. Joseph Lieberman in the Connecticut primary Aug. 8, discovered that by capturing funny, embarrassing, and otherwise telling campaign moments on video and posting them on YouTube, they could reach voters in a way that's far more entertaining than over-the-top rants by bloggers. Anyone familiar with the Mentos-and-cola phenomenon - put the candy in the soda and watch it explode - has probably already visited YouTube. But for the uninitiated, YouTube is a free site that allows people to post, watch, and share video clips. By plugging in keywords, as with search engines, users can easily find topics of interest. The searchability is key. "We've always known the power of video, but now everybody in the world with a cellphone or a small high-res camera and broadband" can get in the act, says Michael Cornfield, an expert on the Internet and politics who teaches at George Washington University. "YouTube is the last link in the system, which is, now 'I can go find it.' "

For several years, political advisers have been instructing their clients to Google themselves and check their Wikipedia entries. "Now the third station of the cross is you've got to YouTube yourself," says Mr. Cornfield. "You have to know just what you look like and how many people are hitting on and redistributing your video." Already, Web-savvy candidates across the globe are posting speeches, ads, and clips from community meetings on YouTube, though most are best viewed to combat insomnia. Search "Deval Patrick," Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts, and 15 titles, such as "Deval Patrick discusses issues of concern to voters in Quincy," pop up. For low- budget campaigns, videos on YouTube are a cheap way to spread the word.

more: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0818/p01s03-uspo.html

Comment: Of course those of us here at DU have known this for a long time!

[lonestarnot]

1. heh heh heh

[Arugula Latte]

2. I love this.

Another way to get around the corporate media filter -- :woohoo:

Fox, CNN, et al: You thought you held all the reins of imagery. Maybe you did, for a couple years, propping up that douchebag who is president. Well, your time has passed ... The people are talking to each other and choosing what images they want to see. Remember Stephen Colbert?

Bwa ha ha!