Governments vote for online election

You might have noticed that the government has announced the date for the federal election.
What interests me more is that even before the date became public knowledge, the Internet is already rife with politician-to-public material.  Once a quiet backwater for corny candidate websites, the web is now a cornerstone to effective campaigning.  Traditionally, the web was overlooked in favour of television ads, radio campaigning and direct mail.  It is now sporting some really impressive and innovative political campaigns.  But what makes a successful online campaign ?

It is reflective of the growing takeup of the Internet and broadband over the last 18 months, but many politicians are taking to the Internet like ducks to water.  I don't know about you, but I bin almost every bit of political mail that ends up in my mailbox, but if there is an issue I feel strongly about, I'll usually find out about it online first and sometimes pass it on to my friends via Facebook or submit it to a social news or bookmarking service.  There are a lot of people like me, and in concert, this can create massive momentum.  Many campaigns reach critical mass through online petitions that gain momentum through word-of-mouth referals faster than ever before.  These days, political rallies can be mustered by SMS and email in a matter of minutes.  Public opinion was once measured by polls, these days it seems to be measured by the number of hits to your MySpace page.  Governments are beginning to take notice.

Social networking is the next political battleground.  It has already helped to decide elections in the United States.  In fact, it is only a matter of time before the entire voting process also goes online, and when it does, as one of the leaders in e-democracy solutions, we will be ready.

Labor leader Kevin Rudd's Internet site, for example features all of the stuff you'd never dream politicians would do a few years ago - YouTube videos, blogs, RSS feeds, forums, links to MySpace and Facebook pages, Digg and Newsvine, e-cards, online donations, email newsletters and online petitions.  These new technologies are helping political campaigns exploit viral marketing and Internet word-of-mouth.  Similarly, prime minister John Howard has made a foray into YouTube seemingly unperturbed by his earlier experiment in his climate change response, and is now engaging an array of online strategies.  However the image is possibly a bit more conservative than the 'hip' angle that the opposition seems to be seeking to portray with its web campaigns.  I think one of the most impressive developments in terms of political campaigning is that the Internet now also gives voice to the little guy - the independents who may not have megabucks to spend on a lavish website.  With the right approach, these guys can still make the most of the technology on offer and even make a name for themselves.  The government election site features an even spread of candidate videos, giving them more opportunity than ever to pitch themselves and their policies to the public.  There are many other opportunities for candidates to get online and get the best results for their money.