The Conservatives have significantly beefed up their web team today, with the appointment of Sam Coates (formerly Deputy Editor of ConservativeHome, and for the last year a speechwriter for David Cameron) to play a leading role in organising the party on the web in the runup to the election. I regard this as an important development. Too often in the past, the party has regarded its internet presence as a PR and marketing tool, rather than one which can build coalitions and grassroots acitivist support. Craig Elder, in particular, has played a massive part in improving the party's internet communications over the last twelve months but there is much more to do.The spat between the party's press office and one or two bloggers this week demonstrates that relationships need to be nurtured and Sam is just the guy to do that.
Tim Montgomerie has written much of what I had intended to say, so I'll direct you to his words of wisdom HERE!
29 comments:
Good Move by the Tories.
Drat!
You need some marketing and PR help yourself Mr Dale.
I shouldn't think you shifted many copies of Total Politics with that ugly old baggage on the cover.
Please take that advert out of your header. It fair puts me off my cornflakes.
PR Lesson one: Sex Sells.
You would have done better to put her husband on the front.
Nice pun Iain
Why doesn't Cameron write his own speeches?
Tony
He looks too much like a Kennedy.
An internet presence won't do the Conservatives any good unless they interact with it. You know, like actually listening to what their grass roots have to say.
I have never voted other than Conservative but next time, I'm not so sure. Refusal to commit on EU policy, refusal to commit on defence, refusal to commit on what they would repeal of Labour's rotten laws, except ID cards which aren't yet law anyway. Refusal to specify where the cuts will fall in this new age of austerity... ringfencing expenditure that could easily have an axe taken to its waste... and so on.
They, the Conservatives, may be all nice & cuddly, but unless they come up with some worthwhile specifics I'll stay at home for the GE.
What with Broon's "One government announcement/initative per day" in action, it would seem he's got a job on his hands.
Of course all these announcements are just window dressing and/or the temporary hiding of unemployment numbers...
Yes good move, about time they took this seriously. Is it too late though? The election is only 9 months away...
Web 2.0 drone. Bottom-up developments like Wikipedia. Drone drone. Radicalising communication through new social spaces. Drone drone drone.
Cutting through the blather, what we have here is a public-schooled webdroid talking up social networking in the hope of convincing younger Tories that in some way the Party Cares about what they think. But as with all of the main media, they don't give a tinker's cuss about all those silly, moronic little textettes, tweeteroids and airhead blogpostings that buffet the shores of their indifference.
In twenty years time, Viscount Cameron, Marquess of Wantage, lounging in ermine, will exchange jokes with his fellow Etonian Lords about the sad little oinks they fooled with all this guff on their relentless path to power and supreme wealth.
Sorry, I should have added that the Marquess of Wantage will be exchanging patronising jokes about the moronic Tory punters with Lord Dale of Saffron Waldon.
Remember Webcameron - best interactive political blog ever.
People expressed honest opinions, which must be good for the party.
Solid Tory support but critical.
Many regular posters were real experts - there was strong opinion, and debate.
But the thing was killed off probably because criticism, analysis and debate, nor alternative views were not wanted.
The Blue Blog replacement is no substitute.
Despairing Liberal, I think the phrase is ROFL. Sam Coates is about the furthest away from a public school webdroid as you can get. He's from Liverpool.
Iain - don't let facts get in the way of a good laugh! Anyway he looks like a typical Tory public school oaf even if he isn't one. I suppose excessive contact with all those rabid Blue Boys alters the features.
Serious point though is that no party would ever take seriously any of the stuff put forward on blogs, etc - any attempt by the main parties to "engage" in it is just so much window dressing and policy-making will remain firmly in the hands of a small coterie.
Which is why the "semi-independent" blogs like yours at least get some real audience participation and the ones run by the parties will remain a mere sideshow. People know the truth.
Saturday, 1st August, 2009
SIR: Mr Iain Dale, tell us when's your mate, Mr Alastair Campbell, coming home from his holidays? Partly because, like me, I expect you don't half miss him, don't you? If your reply's honest, you do
AC has been " ... off his blog" awhile, whilst on holiday. Not writing, even on his own website, shame
Also, a trusted Daily Mail reporter confided in me that the whole Campbell family, (including partner Fiona Millar, daughter Grace and son Calum), annually holiday in Bognor Regis, Sussex
They much prefer the South Coast of England ozone, apparently, to the grey smog of London City, where they live. That, I understand
And with all that traditional "bucket n spade" appeal, candy floss, toffee apples, and Mr Campbell - for once, carefree, with the light breezes rustling through what's left of his hair, with his trouser bottoms turned neatly upwards - oh boy - excitement at the seaside, having a shy, little piddle-paddle at the water's edge, bless him - who can blame them?
But, listen up, because there's much work still to be accomplished, before next summer's General Election Labour defeat, both on- and off-line
So, please, Mr Iain Dale, Sir, summon AC back home to Gospel Oak, Hampstead, soon. I just know he would listen to someone as important as you. Inform him he's won a prestigious prize or come first-place in some blogging competition, anything
Perhaps, you could even email him abit of a royal "Bugger Bognor" moment, to hint his return will otherwise eventually be overdue, thanks
And you certainly wouldn't wish him to miss your twin-prediction for the year 2010: One, that NuLabour lose the election by a landslide, and two, that Mr Campbell's beloved Burnley Football Club get relegated at the end of their first season in the Premiership, would you, now?
Yours sincerely
TREVOR MALCOLM
Portsmouth, Hampshire
=============================
i do approve lol
Perhaps you could do a probing interview with him iain to give us the full impact how this will affect the tories web presence.
I've just twigged (slow me) - didn't "Sweary Dave" Cameron only the other day deride all this web interaction stuff?? So what on earth is the Tory Party up to - could it be that there are rival factions in HQ arguing over the core communication strategy this close to the General Election?
Or, more likely, is this "appointment" some kind of CCHQ spin to attempt to "clarify" Sweary Dave's faux-pas?
Despairing Liberal:
You start your comment:
"Don't let facts get in the way of a good laugh!".
You then go on:
"Anyway he looks like a typical Tory public school oaf even if he isn't one."
That has to take a prize for one of the most ridiculous, illiberal and hypocritical comments ever.
I'm just being looks-ist Hamish. Everyone is allowed a small lapse every now and then, surely. But do you not agree that this is just PR to cover for Sweary Dave's recent pre-planned "blokey" remark that backfired? The lights are burning late in Andy Coulson's office!
Iain - are coming from Liverpool and attending public school mutually exclusive, then? You should get up North more!
What a cretin you are DespairingLiberal.
"Anyway he looks like a typical Tory public school oaf even if he isn't one."
Nick Clegg- born in Chalfont St.Giles - his father was a banker and his great-great-grandfather a Russian nobleman. His great great aunt was a baroness.
His Education - ? He went to Caldicott private school, whose current headmaster arrived via Eton and then another public school, Westminster College.
Thats one of the leading leading private schools - with the highest Oxbridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college (for the oafs it educates of course).
Apparently its pupils 'fight for the pancake' as one of its traditions. I am thus tempted to say Chris Huhne had no chance when running for the leadership but HE was educated was educated at Westminster School AS WELL and at the Sorbonne (thats in France Mr DL). What an oaf!
We should not worry too much about Bob Ainsworth's qualifications since Clegg only studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge.
And dash it - its the funniest thing - but in his own biography on his own website you will find absolutely no reference to him having gone to public school.
As far as I can see - apart from a six month stint as a ski instructor he has never had a proper job in his life.
Now let me look at that photo again - just what does Clegg look like?
And by the way - DL your hare just isn't running. So give it up.
Otherwise I will have to remind you of Cleggs juvenile conviction for arson.
On Conhome comments, the phrase 'the rise and rise of Samuel Coates' was immediately followed by a series of 'this comment is deleted's.
Is there a gay or hetero angle to this story as yet missed? Surely Coates is not sexless?
There is the point that Con Home has little in the way of sex appeal to any leaning, while Dale and Guido both 'pen'' sexually aware blogs.
The lesson is that of you want traffic, you need sex...if you see what I mean.
Trevorsden - my hares always run - I control the number of posts on any given topic on the Dale blog. When I post, there are more postings from other people. Most of them are very hot under the collar, but volume matters more than thought!
So I am forced to remind you about public schoolboy Cleggs conviction for arson?
But you seem to be confessing that you have no purpose but to spread lies in the hope of attracting attention to yourself ... ahhh your a LibDem. I see now.
This is an excellent move and Sam is no doubt going to be a super addition to that team, look forward to seeing the outcomes :-)
I can have the last word too Trevorsden.
Gosh Brandon, how absolutely ripping! Haa haa haa. (posh braying) I bet you any money we shall absolutely rip into those blahdy socialists wot! How absolutely corking!
Gosh Brandon, how absolutely ripping!
August 02, 2009 10:12 AM
what an utter twat you are despairing liberal.
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