Web 2.0 Plays Major Role in 2008 Presidential Race

Posted August 13th, 2007 by admin

What do Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards have in common? It’s not their stance on Iraq I’ll tell you that much. Actually, they’ve managed to engage millions of voters and raise tons of revenue using the social web. Hillary has her very own Hillary TV, a weekly segment where she answers questions posted on her blog and gives a video collection of her latest achievements. She has also cleverly used other popular websites such as YouTube to post her “Clinton Soprano” parody that advertises her campaign song contest.

Obama even has his own social web network. No, it’s not called Obamaspace.com. It’s actually My.barackobama.com. Members can create profiles, meet other supporters, join groups and events, and help in campaign fundraising. According to TIME magazine, more than $10 million of Obama’s whooping $31 million second-quarter contributions were made online.

However, the prize for “Best Social Web Ideas” goes to John Edwards. Two of Edwards’ top advisors posted a “how-to” video on YouTube for making John’s favorite pecan pie, courtesy of “Mama” Edwards. In return for the dish, the Edwards campaign asked for a minimum donation of $6.10 to share the recipe. The video brought in nearly $300,000 in one week! As you can see, these select presidential candidates have recognized an untapped resource for connecting to voters and raising funds. Having a profile on MySpace just doesn’t cut it these days.

Obama in iMac

Hillary and Obama boxing

Entry Filed under: Online Communities, Social Networking, Web 2.0