IP: MSNBC: Spamming in the Theater of the Absurd (political SPAM?)

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 20:47:03 -0400
From: Jonah Seiger <jseiger () mindshare net>


Greetings:


Thought you all would be interested in the attached MSNBC story. It
highlights a growing issue in the new media political strategies community
over the use of unsolicited email (a.k.a SPAM) as a campaign tool.


The discussion started a few weeks ago when the San Francisco Chronicle
reported on pair of California political consultants who recently launched
an email based 'voter contact service'. Basically, they are attempting to
replicate traditional direct mail outreach tactics on the Net.  (see below
for the URL of the Chronicle story). =20


While those tactics may have an analogy in the new media world, the value
of such a direct implementation raises some very interesting questions. And
as the Net becomes an increasingly important battleground for political
candidates and issue campaigns, these questions will have a real impact on
our political process.


Hope you find this topic as interesting as we do...


Best,


Jonah


=3D-=3D


Spamming in theater of the absurd=20
Politicians have taken to trolling for votes with unsolicited e-mail


COMMENTARY=20


By Brock Meeks


WASHINGTON, May 5 - Political campaigns have traditionally provided a=20
stage for the theater of the absurd. Candidates are routinely made to=20
perform the equivalent of "stupid human tricks" in the vain attempt to=20
"connect" with voters. Now the absurd becomes insane as politicians=20
begin "spamming" potential voters with unwanted political junk e-mail.


WIRED CALIFORNIANS received a blast of unwanted political e-mail=20
recently in the form of what is called an "electronic slate," which is a=20
plea for support from a group of like-minded candidates. The idea behind=20
the "e-slate" comes from a group called Informed Voter Network, which=20
bills itself as a "full-service, campaign-oriented, non-partisan voter=20
contact service," run by Robert Barnes & Associates in California.
     =20
The Informed Voter Web site boasts: "We can provide your campaign with=20
a full Cyber strategy that will reach millions of voters across the=20
state of California and hundreds of thousands within your own county." =20
   =20
What the IVN doesn't tell potential clients is that this "e-slate"=20
strategy also has a good chance to alienate millions of potential voters=20
and backfire at the ballot box.  =20
   =20
CYBERPOLITICS ON THE ROPES      =20


"While it is doubtful that any candidates will win a campaign because of=20
the Internet this year," says Ken Deutsch, vice president of Internet=20
Strategic Communications for Issue Dynamics, Inc., "it is clear that=20
some will lose because of it."


Deutsch knows his stuff. He was the first full-time paid Internet=20
political consultant; unpaid, he developed the first major political=20
party committee and candidate Internet sites in 1994 for the Democratic=20
Senate Campaign Committee. He's not pleased with where his efforts have=20
led.      =20


"Campaigns are about creating a message and image that stays with voters=20
on Election Day," Deutsch says, "and spam will leave a bad taste in voters
mouths."      =20


Infamous online junk mail kings can afford to alienate millions; a 1
percent return rate for their efforts can produce enough cash flow that
allows them to "float around in the Bahamas on a yacht," says Jonah Seiger,
co-founder of Mindshare Internet  Campaigns. However, if a politician or
organization trying to gain  support for an issue tries that and ends up
alienating 99 percent of the potential voters, "you haven't done anything
to serve your ultimate=20
objectives," Seiger says.     =20


SPAM OR FREE SPEECH?      =20


The Informed Voter Network didn't respond to a request for comment, but=20
founder Robert Barnes told the San Francisco Chronicle last month that=20
the political mailings weren't spam because he wasn't selling anything.=20
"We're not trying to get you to buy anything," Barnes told the=20
Chronicle. "This is political free speech," he said.      =20


Free speech, yes, but Barnes had to gin up some real pretzel logic to=20
make the statement that he's not selling anything. But selling is what a=20
political campaign is all about.      =20


The free-speech issue is a non-starter, says Seiger. "As a politician, I'm
trying to get people to like me, and if I do something I know they don't
like, regardless of whether it's legal or whether it's protected by the
First Amendment, if I push them away, my objectives are lost," says Seiger.
"I am in fact selling something: my ideas. I'm selling my brand, my
candidate's=20
brand," he says.      =20


VOTERS MIGRATING ONLINE=20


Politicians who don't wake up and begin to use the online medium wisely=20
are doomed. Recent studies show that a large majority of registered=20
voters also are "wired" and are seeking political information from the=20
web.      =20


A survey by Field Poll of California voters found that 42=20
percent of some 14.3 million registered voters use e-mail on a regular=20
basis. And as other studies have shown, the demographics of the Net are=20
nearly a mirror image of Americans not online, according to David=20
Birdsell, who co-authored the study for Lou Harris. That holds=20
tremendous potential to affect the political process. "It's very likely=20
by the "98 elections, certainly by the 2000 elections, a majority of=20
voters will be online," Birdsell says.      =20


The correct way to use the Net in the political process is to cultivate a
relationship with the voter over the long term. That entails two key
factors for any politician or organization trying to grow a mailing list:
notice and=20
choice.      =20


Any site soliciting a person's participation should provide notice on how
that information will be used. Once that has been established in no
uncertain terms, the person must be given the choice to receive relevant
information via e-mail.       =20


At the Informed Voter site, you can "sign" the guest book and leave a
comment; However, you must supply your name and e-mail address first. There
is no "notice" as to what will happen to that information - but you can
make an educated guess how it will be used.       =20


"It's really important for someone trying to make a good name with the
public to be very up front with how they are going to use information they
collect," says Seiger.      =20
=20
Deutsch and Seiger each worry about the impact such political spamming=20
will have on voters as electronic democracy tries to stretch its legs in=20
the coming election cycle. "I'm worried that these (spamming) tactics=20
could undermine the potential of the medium for politics by making=20
people feel like they are assaulted by political information," Seiger=20
says.      =20


Hey, it happened to television. Negative TV ads and boring=20
debates have only succeeded in making a cynical population more so. If=20
politicians succeed in doing the same with cyberspace, they will have=20
blown one of their last, best shots at regaining some amount of=20
respectability.       =20


Meeks out=8A        =20


[this article is (c) 1998 by MSNBC. Forwarded without permission]


------------


The above MSNBC story can be found online at
http://www.msnbc.com/news/wwwashington.asp


The SF Chronicle story that started it all can be found at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/1998/04/=
18
/MN13037.DTL


Informed Voter Network can be found at
http://www.informedvoter.com/home.htm



--


Jonah Seiger, Principal                         <jseiger () mindshare net>
mindshare Internet Campaigns, LLC               (voice) 202.887.7071
http://www.mindshare.net                        (pager) 202.859.2151