Having written about Labour's somewhat underwhelming online strategy, let me balance things up. This morning's Tory campaign launch is a case in point, where the Conservatives seemed to have been very successfl in setting up the online infrastructure, but appear to have no idea how to market it.
At about 11.15 I saw on Twitter that they were live webcasting the Cameron/Osborne policy launch which had started at 11. I dialled it up on Conservatives.com and was interested to see that they were using Mogulus to broadcast it. It all worked well - the picture and sound were both good. But I was one of only 9 people watching. I quickly put a note on my blog about it, which got the numbers up to 35 (wow!) but by then it was nearly over. Had I known about the webcast earlier, I cold have flagged it up, as could ConservativeHome have done.
I then searched in vain on Conservatives.com for both the excellent poster which was launched and the 20 second video. Neither seemed to be there. Or if they were, I couldn't find them. They're there now, but they should have been put up during the launch. It was covered in full on Sky News so it's fair to assume that quite a few people will have dialled up the website in the hope of finding out more while the press launch was going on.
If the Conservatives had emailed all 314 Conservative bloggers listed in the Total Politics blog directory last night and told them about both the live webcast and the fact that a poster and video would be available from 11am via the main site, do you not think their live viewership might have been more than 36? And might not a good proportion of those bloggers have embedded the video and displayed the poster? This is pretty basic stuff, but no one seems to have got a grip of it. It's about time they did.
I fail to understand why there is such a reluctance on the part of CCHQ to use bloggers to help spread their message online. From time to time there is a spurt of activity, but then it all goes quiet. It's a real missed opportunity.
NOTE: I'm going to the Cameron Direct event in Chatham tonight, which I hope to live blog if the internet connection at the venue is up to it. Tune in from 6.30-7.30pm.
14 comments:
It could work, but many of the Conservative bloggers listed at Politics Home, are bloggers who happen to be Conservatives, rather than people who seek to use their blogs to promote the party as a whole.
Remember Webcameron - very successful for the activists, gave them a voice, - not so for the leadership, too much unwanted debate about policy - it was simply not good enough, can't have the great unwashed having an opinion can we.
Ross has a good point.
Many of us are happy to muck in when the occasion demands ( think election time ), but not to be the communications wing of CCHQ.
Hence any attempt to use blogging supporters would have to be carefully measured and not too frequent. Always bearing in mind we're going to do what we bloody well like anyway - after all this isn't the heads down in submission support the leader Labour party.
PS The baby in debt viral got a mention on R4's News at One. Gordon Brown was asked about it - but went off on some rant about Tractor Stats in play groups or something.
Is Cameron Direct - Chatham, on self-cast tonight?
Matthew Taylor's blog tells us that the average family will be better off this year and goes on to use false arguments to prove his point.
I have replied but assume it will be moderated away so here is my response:
"That is excluding those who will lose their jobs.
Are you echoing Polly Toynbee when she said that if 10% lose their jobs at least 90% will be working?
This article is one which shows the unbearable smugness and political blindness of most Labour supporting writers. They are able to picture defeat as victory, disaster as a benefit".
Iain - you are absolutely right. I have taken your lead and posted a piece about the campaign on my blog but some advance notice could have ensured a wider audience for the launch!
http://richardwillisuk.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/labour%e2%80%99s-debt-crisis
Or alternatively send these emails to a certain Mr Iain Dale to give his blog some exclusives. ;-)
Have to say Ian bloggers appear to be developing an overinflated view of themselves. When I read a blog that is clearly left or right wing I view in the same way I would if I read a left or ring wing newspaper.
Blogs are self selecting most of the people who choose to read most likely of similar views to those of the author, or if they don't the chances of swinging that voter is pretty low.
Bloggers didn't need to be tipped off separately. I assume (c)Conservative Bloggers are signed up to the Conservatives.com mailing list.
There was no Email today from Conservatives.com announcing the webcast etc.
Iain, I hope you're going to raise these questions with our mate Dave this evening, if only privately.
I wronged Matthew Taylor. He not only published my reply, and several others which were critical of his blog, but replied courteously to me and the other writers.
But we must recognise that the Mandelson/ Draper/ Campbell troika has great skill in making stories which are counter-intuitive and reverse reality.
Conservatives need to read and reply to such messages at the same source in which they are published. We may get lucky as I did.
Of Conservative politicians it is really only John Redwood whose blog has impact and authority. Others, such as Douglas Carswell and Daniel Hannan, simply push the party boat out. Hannan is too good to waste in Brussels, by the way.
I would have linked to it on my blog. I'm always happy to get the message across, although I think they regard us bloggers as off message as we are not frightened to criticise the leadership when we think it is appropriate. Perhaps this is the reason they didn't tell us?
Cameron should formally appoint you his webmeister.
It's all because they haven't contracted Rouse Media to take care of these things for them ;-)
Oh I am a cheeky boy!
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