Politicians Try Out MySpace
Politicians across the country are discovering that a presence on social-networking sites such as MySpace isn't just a way of communicating with voters under 30, it is also a means of attracting volunteers and their donations. Howard Dean's 2004 presidential primary run underscored the Internet's untapped potential as a fund-raising tool, and political strategists say these networking sites go further by helping candidates to home in on specific audiences, beyond those who click on campaign Web sites.
Politicians with profiles that get the most traffic, including U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, an Ohio Democrat running for governor, know that on MySpace, it is important to do as the under-30 crowd does: make public what is personal -- and don't skimp on the trivial.
Mr. Strickland's profile says he is a Leo with a weakness for Twinkies. A video shows his guitar-playing wife, Frances, serenading him on stage during a campaign dinner.
Since the congressman's online debut in December, he has acquired an impressive 1,440 friends, and online donations are on the rise, according to campaign spokesman Keith Dailey. While not all online donations can be tracked directly to MySpace, Mr. Dailey says the links between MySpace and the campaign-donation page helps.
2 votes
