The custody battle for Senator Barack Obama’s MySpace page has been settled in the courts.
The ‘unofficial’ campaign site set up by a supporter has been split in two – with the name going to Obama and the 160,000 plus friends to the creator, Joe Anthony [read full story here].
Obama’s New Media Director commented;
“We’re flying by the seat of our pants and establishing new ways of doing things every day…We’re going to try new things, and sometimes it’s going to work, and sometimes it’s not going to work.
Marketing Pilgrim wryly observed;
“I think I know where they might find one or two people who have tried these “things” before and have learned a few things about what works for Internet campaigns and online reputation management…”
Here in the UK, politicians are increasingly using social networking sites to co-ordinate campaigns and gain support. A Facebook group for one of the leading political parties has over 1000 members and high-profile politicians such as Boris Johnson have used the site to message members personally to gain support.
This kind of direct dialogue (especially with young audiences) is the stuff of political dreams. However, as Obama has shown, it is still an unpredictable forum which needs careful navigating.
