How important is the internet to politicians? Can it make or break an election campaign?

I happen to think the internet and blogs have changed the face of politics forever.

Labour don't seem to have grasped this concept. Their censorship of Labour websites/blogs tends to say more about 'the Labour Party' than they realise. They want to control the internet? No chance.



click here

click here to read Iain Dale's Diary - it's always good fun


I think Ed Vaizey writes a really good blog. It's finely balanced between 'local' and 'national'. Highly recommended!

click here to read Ed Vaizey's Blog - He's really great.

Very perceptive Canvas - you really do impress me - Oh yes this is probably the right thread to tell you, I really struggle to get a post out - that's how important the www is!

It's an adapt or die scenario now Canvas. I agree.


They either blog and deal with disagreement or they lose I think.

At some stage the media might start to lose their influence but for the moment I believe getting and keeping the media on side is also hugely important.

All of them have to realize that with You Tube and the like any faux pas made is around the world in an instant AND CANNOT BE CENSORED or CONTROLLED!

click here to read a very interesting article about Vivienne Westwood and David Cameron

I know this article isn't about 'the internet' - but what a coup for David Cameron. Westwood has serious clout in the world of cool and groovy.

I am so happy to hear Vivienne Westwood say these things about DC. I really do share her thoughts regarding this matter.

Canvas - I think political blogging is just beginning to become very significant.

It still has a long way to go, but it has enormous potential - on one condition - and that is that the party machine leaves individual MPs to sink or swim by the blog. If central office gets involved, the blogs will become nothing more than extensions of the main party website - and any interest in them will die very quickly.

At the moment the political blog direct readership is probably pretty narrow, but they give individual MPs a gateway into other media - mainly the nationals. Seeing quotes from blogs in print is becoming more commonplace every day.

I think it will be a long time before political blogs overtake the mainstream media - if ever. This is mainly because it's a sort of 'pull' technology, whereas TV news, for instance is more like a 'push' technology.

OK, that's not very clear... What I mean is that receiving the political message in a blog requires active participation by the recipient, whereas seeing the same message as a news report on TV is much more passive.

In my experience the main benefit is the direct connection that can be established between the blogger and his/her constituents. The hitherto remote species to which most of our MPs belong can become more like close acquaintances. That is a very powerful tool.

Mike

Canvas, you are right. Labour seen to be stuck in the 20th century and are very slow to adopt the modern methods of campaigning. The great thing about the internet is that it is a way of reaching younger people. The interesting thing about Labour being in power for so long now is that the next 'Batch' of kids growing up seem to be very hostile to Labour and see them as being old-fashioned and boring. Those kids will be ready to vote anytime soon!

Powerful indeed Mike, but RSS is push technology and together with podcasts seems an exciting prospect, well apart from seeing DC's wall on Facebook that is.

Agreed. I suppose the point I was trying to make was that watching TV news is the ultimate in passive participation in politics, whereas accessing a blog, whether via an RSS feed or not, requires some sort of 'opt-in' choice by the participant.

But it's a small difference, I'll grant you.

But for me the significant aspect is the ability to 'get to know' your MP in a way that has not really been possible without going so far as to join the local association and become an activist.

Mike

Scrubs, Do you have a link for DCs wall on Facebook?

It's an even more exciting prospect - Canvas no link yet but I'll keep you posted; I was having a moment ;-)

I really feel like Webcameron is being left to wither away. Why does it take so long to get a post up on the forum? It's stupid.

The Admin team need to raise their game. Why can't we have 'profiles' and 'avatars'? Why don't we have 'special guest bloggers' on the forum?

David Cameron - please - your forum needs some energy and creativity. It used to be so dynamic - with so many surprises. This forum feels like it is suffering from neglect.

Chicken & egg possibly Canvas, while it is important to hear peoples views in a democracy, I suspect some posts have to go thru a chain of command where ultimately David has the final say on any post so inflammatory or derisive it cannot be published, is illegal, or, more importantly, whether is renders the 'poster' liable to suspicion of treachery or lobbying or is wholly detrimental to the good of the party.

This website was radically re-designed last May.

Perhaps it is time it was "refurbished" again.

Scrubs - other blogs and forums manage to get posts up almost immediately. It smells like complacency to me...

Scrubs
....... ...or protection against being sued for libel perhaps?

click here to read the article





I really hope DC sacks the admin team / mods on Webcameron because they are destroying this site.

Will admin delete this post too?