Last month, I linked to Rachel Maddow’s rather groovy video deconstruction of the campaign asylum. Rachel’s worth watching again, taking on the Republicans (and Hillary) on Iraq:
Incidentally, we could do with a better debate on Iraq - not just the nonsense from Dolly et al, but Labor’s position of “implement the Baker report” is also significantly behind events now. But we probably won’t get one. And nor, in terms of political commentary via vid or vodcast, do we have anyone doing the sort of vital and really funny job Rachel is doing in the States. Today did see John Howard take the plunge into the YouTube waters (“to appeal to Generation Y” as if none of the rest of us who aren’t government staffers or flaks have discovered the Intertubes yet…). I’ll post it over the fold. One question though - what ever is he talking about when he claims that the Coalition have been leading “Australian action to reduce greenhouse emissions since 1990″? Does he think teh yoof won’t know he was elected in 96? Is he lying? Has he forgotten when he became PM? It’s an obvious ploy to counter the inaction/denialism/asleep at the wheel theme, but what the? Anyway, Labor’s ad in response is quite cute. Lord only knows how much difference all this makes - building on the post about pollies and social networking, probably not much unless (a) it’s clever; (b) it’s genuinely interactive and (c) it inspires a response. (Btw, Howard’s myspace still has just 8 friends and Rudd is up to 6665.) Personally, I’d much rather see some Australian Rachel Maddows, or some clever viral bombs, than a hundred JohnHoward2007 and australianlabor videos. But maybe they know what they’re on about.
Howard’s youtube performance is priceless. You can almost see the cog’s whirring in his head as he attempts to come to grips with this wild new technology which, by the looks of things, he half expected to bite him on the leg.
It reminds me of those clips from the 30’s of British royals sitting stiffly behind a microphone as they awkwardly delivered missives to the great unwashed (’Eye see. Et’s called a wairless es et? End whet does et do? Es et laik a telephairne?’)
This latest PR blunder shows once more that Howard doesn’t get it - but worse - his advisers don’t either.
Howard is mortally wounded. His flailing is pathetic to watch. Believing he could walk on water, he just couldn’t work out when to make his exit.
The internet confirms his fate!
You need to check out the comments to Howard’s climate change Youtube posting. There were hundreds of comments, mostly negative, and they’ve been deleted. It’s priceless. Howard’s free speech.
Kymbos: when you say hundreds, any idea how many hundreds?
Don’t suppose anyone knows anyone that saved the pre-purge page for posterity, to guage magnitude of the spill/cleanup?
I would say that approximately 150 comments have been deleted. I had a look yesterday and there were at least 200 listed then, now there are 80.
Anyway, talking about the stoopid Annabell Crabb’s column in the SMH on Howard’s foray into the Intertoob Video world deserves a post of it’s own. Apparently Howard is a YouTube natural. And the punditocracy wonder why we laugh at them.
When will MSM journo’s shut up about the internet and conversational media and leave it to the pros?
I think this might well be Howard’s last YouTube. He’s getting hammered by the related videos from:
Planet Nerd
Lindsay Tanner (a bit dated and, well, dull)
Clarke & Dawe.
Unless, of course, the little spin fairies find a way to stop people posting related videos to his YouTube page.
This might be the clever viral bomb you’re looking for Kim.
I don’t know how many in total before they got deleted. I think there were at least 300 up there this morning when I posted, then they all got deleted and my response to a nasty comment went to the top. I really should have saved it last night when I was checking it out.
It is hilarious what they are doing though. I can picture the Liberal Party emails going around. “Quick, get on Youtube and post flattering comments - we’re getting buried here”!”
Re: your link, Gummo Trotsky,
Ha! “fascism is the perfect lifestyle choice for the busy professional”
Love it.
Personally, I’m delighted to see this move by Howard. Red rags and bulls anyone? The parodies of this are going to be priceless.
Whether it’s Youtube, Myspace, or any of the other online communities, engaging in the social media space requires users to let go of their message - something Howard and co. have long shown an unwillingness to do.
John Howard does NOT have an Impact Myspace site, rather Myspace put up a page which links to his website so any comparisons between Rudd and Howard and “friends” is flawed. I reckon MySpace and Facebook sites are for people with too much time on their hands anyway and not very helpful in a political context.
YouTube is the medium to watch and no doubt that is why the PM attempted his first foray there. The upcoming election campaign will see the maturing of politics and the Web 2.0/ So for all you Howard haters on this blog (most of you it seems) - guess what, you are talking and blogging about him so perhaps his YouTube post worked and did you ever think you were not the target!!?
Err, Simon, we’re talking about Howard because we’re a political blog. Because we oppose him, that’s not necessarily an advantage. I’m not seeing the “any publicity is good publicity” thing working here.
Any comparison of the number of friends anyone has on Myspace is “flawed” but given the publicity that has surrounded similar affiliations for Presidential candidates it would be foolish for the Liberals to discount the fact that people will make such comparisons. It wouldn’t be particularly difficult for them to contact Myspace and assign someone to approving friend requests, and the fact that they don’t feel the need to do so demonstrates their lack of understanding of Web 2.0.
And perhaps you’d be kind enough to disclose which side you worked for “in Federal Politics”, though I think I can guess:
http://www.p-p.com.au/blog/post.asp?pID=55
What a silly way to introduce yourself to LP’ers Simon. One would have thought that working at Ogilvy might have taught you a few smarts.
Anyway, you’re wrong about YouTube, it’s mobile that matters.
Seen in Martin Place this morning: man wearing chef’s hat, spruiking a recipe book with a sign that read “As seen on YouTube”.
Simon, you’re a goose. Web 2.0 as a medium for discussing and taking the piss out of politics has already “matured” condiderably since the 2004 US presidential elections, as a cursory examination of the blogosphere and social networking sites would reveal.
It’s Australian politics that have been slow on the uptake and if the PMs effort is any guide he looks as comfortable as if he were trapped in a room full of Catholics.
That’s priceless Suz. Maybe someone could spruik hats with a sign saying “As seen on a chef”
Keeler, your web-illiteracy is showing. Web 2.0 is not a medium, it is, in fact, a maximum. Did you not use the update patch?
Some fair points Mark re publicity at any price - yep, I worked for the Libs a while back. Dont underestimate the the task at making a MySpace page for a polly relevant - one of the MPs involved in the Impact launch last week has had over 5000 comments / requests etc and unless it (engaging in social networking) is done properly it should not be done at all. The PM, the Libs and Labor have not quite got there yet.
Cheers for the other comments ; - )
What a load pf PR smarm that comment was Simon. Interact, show us that you’re human and not a computer generated PR response
Oh, leave Simon alone. It would be good to have some articulate right-of-centre views on this blog, wouldn’t it?
Yeah Simon, be insulted and give us some knee-jerk reactions.
Ok, I’m in a seriously bad mood today and not interested in niceties.
My point? None of the Jonnie come latelies are really interested in seriously engaging and this includes the PR outfits Simon works for, they only want to harness this media in order to regurgitate more spin.
For them it’s still top down and not the other way around. Howards efforts are just that, talking to us not with us, if he was really interested he would actually listen and so would his crew. Evidence, we are still in Iraq, no one wants us there, but we still are.
He could/should have started his vid with a mea culpa, “I was wrong and I have not done enough in the past.” Then we’d be making some headway. Instead he spins nonsense. No wonder he wasn’t taken seriously. PR guys like Simon should take note.
Lastly. I don’t like smarmy passive aggressive “cheers for all the other comments” BS engage…with everyone.
Keep it real, in your content and your comments.
Okay I will.
I think you’re going too far with the Simon-bashing. Does “I’m in a seriously bad mood” count as an admission of this? Or is that too much of a “nicety” to acknowledge?
No. And that’s why I’d always prefer to listen to you than him FDB.
Aw, shucks.
From Gummo’s Link: The Chaser’s Tribute to John Howard. May it go viral.
Eight friends on MySpace?
John Howard doesn’t have eight friends!
Aw shucks FDG. You caught me out.
I’m also completely disgusted with Simon for being a good sport.
Anyone know how I can get this one into Howard’s YouTube page as a related link?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUbGLVvfB7Y
One way or another, I expect to be playing that one the morning after the election has finally happened.
Phil, the time has possibly passed for this, but I don’t understand what you mean by ‘Johnny come latelies’. What does Howard’s video have to do with Simon’s approach to blogging? What are you really angry about - Simon? PR firms? Howard?
Howard - ur way outta ur league on YouTube. You better hurry and get you party (pay them if necessary) to sign up as “friends” on my space. It looks really bad. Guess what bullshitting doesnt work on these sites. We can c right thru U.
I grasp very little of what the kiddies above are saying, except that they are mightily pissed off.
Old fartz like me, it might be time to go smell the roses, they’ll come back when/if they need to.
“Keep it real, in your content and your comments”
This is Phil ,old grumpy bastard giving a master class in why the Yoof find his type so attractive. “Be serious you little twerps or I’ll ride my push bike at you .”
Yeah , you really reach across the generations.
Predictable moral panic from Fairfax about the threat to society from The Intertubes