Mark and others have previously pointed out that Howard is not using YouTube to actually reach out to YouTubers, he is using it to game the news cycle.
The applications for the Armed Forces Gap Year program open today, after a substantial planning period which seems to have done little more than slightly tweak the previous Ready Reserve program, so there was probably always going to be an announcement/press conference from Brendan Nelson today, which would have generated a certain amount of coverage. But by Howard getting his message out there on YouTube for all the news organisations to fall upon, the announcement has generated more noise in the corporate media than it otherwise probably would have.
The old media actually give these video announcements much more play than they would give a normal news conference, probably out of a sense of anxiety that their audience might head off to YouTube for the story instead of sticking with them. They give far more time to covering these video announcements than they actually deserve, to the detriment of covering other political stories.
It’s certainly distracted the media from yesterday’s news stories about the Government, which were mostly negative. So, what should the other parties be doing to counter Howard’s YouTube news cycle hijacking tactic?
Spot on with the media angle, tigtog.
I’d completely forgotten about the “armed services gap year”. Is this supposed to leverage off Prince Harry’s tabloid coverage or something? Wonder what the take up will be like.
Labor should run a daily competition on You Tube (published in the evening) asking viewers to guess what Howard’s next attempted wedge will be. Give them multiple choices.
Or have a competition to see who can do the best mash-up on Howard.
Who can blame Howard for continuing to pump out the turgid YouTube stuff if the media wets its pants every time? The general understanding of anything internet or “new media” among the MSM is terribly low. If kids can catch the emo from the internet because emos use it, is it possible for kids to catch old, boring, mean and tricky from the internet because John Howard uses it?
I think the telling point is that the MSM never seem to publish the most obvious thing about these stories – namely, the URL pointing to the YouTube video. In doing so, it sort of backfires for the Lib’s as a search for “John Howard” on YouTube usually returns a litany of “anti-Howard” video’s – hardly a positive campaign angle you’d have thought.
Equally, you’d have to assume that the Lib’s would’ve worked that one out by know – so clearly they don’t expect anyone to go there either. So it makes you wonder if this is simply a way of manipulating the MSM?
I wonder if Howard got the idea for the Nasho Gap Year from watching the YouTube videos of those nice young armed forces lads ‘letting off steam’ with pillowcases on their heads, etc.
It would be interesting to see “video reponse” links from Howard’s Youtube videos to ones from Bob Brown and The Greens offering the paddy-whack to the government’s rump on these issues. If the ALP remains low-key or “me too” on these items, then it needs the Greens to step up to the plate using this techology to annoy the Coalition and to take over Don Chipp’s old maxim on keeping them accountable.
Ch 7 News pointed out that Howard’s “Youtube Announcement” was the 5th such announcement made of the Gap Year plan – talk about recycling.
And speaking of relaunching old policies wasn’t this plan already announced ?
PRIME Minister John Howard has tonight announced a $189 million program to improve internet safety.
The Net Alert initiative would provide free internet filtering programs to households, appoint internet safety officers and conduct a public awareness campaign.
The Government will enter into a partnership with internet service providers to deliver a filtered internet service.
Family First preffo deal.
(@ Frank)
The SMH online had a direct link to Howard’s You Tube announcement this morning – pretty good publicity for him, I would’ve thought. I also heard it on ABC radio this morning and the online angle was prominent.
Everyone:
Gap Year in the ADF?
What a lovely suggestion coming from someone who has not yet made the National Service medical records of himself and his political cronies available for public scrutiny …. complete and UNALTERED, of course.
So employers are to seeking people with military service, are they? How enlightening! Now we know why governments will not have “military service” added to the list of unfair grounds for discrimination in employment …. it’s not necessary because employers are all falling over themselves to hire workers with military experience ….like hell they are! Now, what’s all this we hear about deceptive and misleading advertising??
Laura:
Aaah. So that’s where he got the idea.
The GG seems a bit confused about it all. Howard can’t lose if he’s seen as a winner’.
After watching that MySpace Macho Man special with Howard and the Village People, I’m a little disappointed he didn’t resort to them again with their hit, “In the Navy”.
My wife wondered whether he should not have included an assurance that recruits would not have to go to Iraq.
Don Wigan:
Wonder if the relatives can use a solemn/core promise made on YouTube as evidence of a misleading inducement when they sue the government over the loss of their son and/or daughter?
Better download and burn it onto an archive-quality disk.