Politicians live in the public eye and their new media campaigns are becoming an ever more important part of their path to success. Politics has always been a complicated business, but now elected officials and political candidates can make much bigger missteps....
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Anthony Wiener (D-NY) Image credit: anotherblackconservative.blogspot.com[/caption]
If You Build It, Will They Come?
I’ve been having a hard time convincing some of my clients that blogging needs to be part of their online marketing strategy.
Especially elected officials and political candidates.
They tend to believe that all they need to do is slap a static website up, say hello on Facebook once in awhile, and they’re set to attract voters.
The “build it and they will come,” theory.
Well, any professional involved in current online marketing and social media knows that method does not work. There is no “one size fits all,” path to success.
It’s about creating relationships.
And you have to drive traffic.
Laws Of Attraction & Four-Letter Words
Savvy online marketing professionals would probably also agree that publishing blog articles is like magnetizing your target audience to you. When the blog is quiet, the publicity cycle slows or stops.
If you’ve lived in the USA for any time at all and watched the news, you might agree that politicians are one group of people that should tend to like the core elements of blogging…
Lets take a look at some benefits:
- Gives the writer credibility.
- Focuses on the author’s ideas.
- Establishes authority in the author’s niche.
- Attracts the reader to the author & the author’s additional content.
How awesome, right?
Who wouldn’t want that?
Ever met a politician that didn’t like the spotlight or to talk more about themselves?
There’s a reason there are time limits at political debates!
{Being married to an elected official, I can say those things. :)}
Even so, when I say the word, “blog,” to those getting ready to run for office, it’s like I’ve said a four-letter word.
BLOG.
Oh, my!
Doing The Nasty
So, for some time, I’ve been pondering how I could make blogging more palatable. A little more exciting...more “sexy,” if you will.
It would have to be, or I’d lose my audience.
In this case:
- Elected Officials (incumbents).
- Political Candidates (running against incumbents hoping to be elected).
Individuals you and I will make decisions about on ballots in any election year.
Sometimes forgotten: They’re human too.
These days, the Internet is a haven of nifty new media. A place where we read, play games, buy, sell, trade, socialize, and more…
Factoid: The second most popular thing people do online includes pornography.
PORN.
Yikes!
That word - how completely terrible!! :O
The Revealing Truth
On the other hand, it’s a very relatable word. Even those that will yell from the rooftops that it’s wrong will still be talking about it with some form of research behind their speech.
Ready for some honesty?
When I first talked about doing an article on “Politics And Porn,” I didn’t reveal my true goal. But the reactions I got were interesting:
- “Don't forget former rep. Anthony Wiener!!! Hahahahahaha”
- “Trying to see the difference. In both, someone gets screwed.”
- “Don't forget the bathroom toetapping guy”
- “I think they just use different theme music!”
- “Should be easy!”
…So people obviously have a perception that government and political officials think porn is exciting stuff!
Anybody remember a whole governmental department that missed the Bernie Madoff scandal because they were too intrigued with pornography???
And the EPA employee that perused 600 pornography sites while earning $120,000.00 per year PLUS BONUS...? (Just how much pornography would it take for an EPA employee to lose their job?)
How ‘Bout A Little Sugar?
Back to my challenge – To making blogging more attractive and enticing. As a parent, my instincts are to put a fun slant on it.
Much like how we convince our children to take their medicine with the song, “A spoon full of sugar.” Or inspire others to remember something with a groovy acronym.
This one is timeless:
E - Every
G - Good
B - Boy
D - Deserves
F - Fudge
EGBDF
Remember?
From elementary music class – The notes on the treble clef scale. Somewhat fun, and most everyone likes yummy fudge, so they identify.
Finessing The Hot Button
So, playing to what gets my clients enthused I realized this is the sweet spot…the hot button. I should find a way for them to get just as excited about their blog as they might be about porn.
So, the acronym…
P - Personalized
O - Outreach
R – Rippling
N – New Media
PORN
Personalized outreach rippling via new media.
Oh, yes!
What incumbent or candidate wouldn’t get excited about that? Information about themselves - about their purpose - rippling across the Internet where their target audience is hanging out!
Can you imagine what could happen with this slightly changed perspective?
So…
How porn can help politics?
Putting The Red Lace Teddy On It
Political campaigns in any year will be tough. Battles between parties are intense, at a time when our country and its people need answers and solutions.
President Obama won his campaign with mighty mileage from social media. From a marketing and publicity standpoint, a blog should be the hub of social media and online presence.
Technology is already changing who wins an election and how.
Elected officials and political candidates – regardless of party, status, or experience - NEED to stop snarling their nose at penning a few words once in awhile, and start realizing the benefits.
For them, and their constituents.
I strongly recommend that our political candidates start PORNing not with their eyes, but with their pen and keyboard.
P - Personalized
O - Outreach
R – Rippling
N – New Media
PORN
Do you agree or disagree?
Please tell me your thoughts in the comment box below! :)
67 Replies
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Pingback: How Porn Can Help Politics in 2012
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Thanks for these useful thoughts! This is another quality post from you.
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Thank you for stopping back. I appreciate your comment, ~Keri
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Wow… At first I was wondering how in the world does Politics and Porn relates. But after reading your article, I would say, Indeed they are. You’ve shown us a perfect picture of reality. I would love to share this blog to my friends. Never will I forget the mnemonics that you have here… PORN which stands for Personalized outreach rippling via new media. Perfect!
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Grace, So, we’ve found the path where Politics and porn relate – I giggle a little at that. 🙂 It is always more fun when we can make lemonade from lemons or turn a frown upside down. My purpose with this post was to do just that. Thank you for reading, and for your comment, ~Keri
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Haha nice tongue in cheek post, Keri. Though it’s interesting anyway that you choose the relationships between pornography and politics. Most people would assume politicans are screwing people in some way 🙂 On a more serious side though, it’s actually surprising to see these porn stars/starlettes do social media the right way. The cross-post each other’s blog and activity and reap the rewards of higher traffic as well as sales and loyalty with people. Relationship Advice 101: connect with people on a personal level and make that connection real, truly honest and through in transparency too.
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GeekandJock, Thanks for smiling, and appreciating the humorous angle here! I chuckled with your comment regarding politicians and the peoples’ perspective 🙂 You have a profound point! There are actually porn stars that actually “get it” with social media. They’re engaging their audiences, using the power of their networks, and seeing the traffic and organic growth in fans. Your Relationship 101 advice is good. Transparency is so important! And so is real connection. So delighted to become acquainted with you here! Thank you for your comment, ~Keri
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I agree – your blog should be the hub of social media and your online presence, but there are so many people who don’t get this. And, like you say, so many who don’t get it that social media is hard! I would think especially as a politician, it’s not enough to just show up on social media. You have to be consistent and have something to say. I agree that PORNing is the way to go, and those who realize that, and hire someone like you to implement it, will likely reap the rewards.
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Jennifer, So kind your words! Glad we are on the same page. You must do well in your profession, and I appreciate your support of my PORNing idea! 🙂 Thank you for reading, and for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri
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Great post, and very cleverly written. Politicians should take advice from small business if they want to change the path they are on. Glad we connected on Facebook.
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Jason, I appreciate your kind words, and agree that our elected officials — at all levels — need to be paying attention to the words of the small business sector. Soon there will be no more for them to bear. Also glad we connected on Facebook, Jason, 🙂 ~Keri
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I would love to see politicians doing more face to face meetings with local communities and talking more to their constituants. I think they would use a blog as a way to hide behind a screen, or worse, have one of their aides do all the work for them.
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Joanne, I appreciate your sharing your thoughts. It may very well be that the blog would be a screen to hide behind. And, probably aides would be helpful in getting print to post. However, the posts can still adhere to a credo of informative and transparent if the intent is there. There is an art to stating things without being harmful to yourself and others while being genuine. Is the real issue here that we’ve lost the general ability to raise up the more genuine members of our society? Great to see you here — Very glad we connected through Facebook. Thanks for reading and sharing, ~Keri
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Pingback: Blog Soup 01.18.2012 Wednesday Women: A Celebration of Woman « The unofficial blog of Stan Faryna
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I think about the four emails I got from President Obama, The First Lady, The Obama Campaign Manager, and some Obama volunteer – each asking me to give five bucks today. That’s PORN of the worst kind. But that bad PORN did fuel the most successful online fundraising campaign ever. Great thoughts, Keri!
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Stan, The more I talk with people, the more people identify themselves as recipients of those spammy, “pornographic,” Presidential emails. Your point is a good one. But is size always what matters? Signed, ~The quality over quantity girl 🙂
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Now this is the kind of porn a girl can get used to ; ) On a serious note I agree one hundred percent that all business owners should get blogging, I dislike the term “blogging” very much because it doesn’t sound effective and has a kiddy feel to it, but if you think about it so does Google. Is there anything kiddy about Google? It is the number one website in the world and blogging is a big part of Google search results, so politicians who do not want to conduct sexual controversy for attention should get blogging instead and be known for acts they actually want to be known for and make their children proud : )
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Karla, Interesting perspective! I agree, terminology has to be intriguing. Maybe we should call Blogging “Idea Exchange.” Or…? Your comment stands on it’s own – well said!! Thank you for sharing, ~Keri
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Well, the first thing that popped into my mind when I started thinking why a politician wouldn’t want to start blogging was that they don’t know what it is. I mean, they probably see a girl talking about the new dresses she bought and how hard life is without a boyfriend, and they can’t see how they would fit in that picture. If they do know what a professional blog can be like, they probably have a publicist panicking about it, because s/he know s/he would have to control all the information going public and deal with the comments. I still hope politics will be able to change in its method and be more honest and friendly, but I think it goes against the very core of it and we can only hope. Nevertheless, I really like this idea of yours, and I think, if I were a politician, I would at least give it a try!
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Hi there, Thanks for reading, and for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate your positive words, and hope that by speaking out, we can encourage positive changes in how things are done. And maybe even a little buy-in from our elected officials to trust us: As reasonable people, with reasonable information, to make reasonable decisions. Meaning – We can help them make the changes that *need* to be done. Without havoc. Lets see what happens… ~Keri
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We are in age where every motion can be captured with the click of a smartphone, yet politicians are still trying to remain in the rotary phone era. In lieu of trying to hide from technology or being afraid “something might come back”, politician should embrace it, control their image and message. I would definitely follow the blog of a politician that went beyond the controlled “hi there” post. Great post.
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Brenda, Thank you for reading, and for sharing your thoughts! You do have a point that some politicians refuse to step out of the dark ages. Though, I must say that there are some that do. Some are good leaders. We must let them rise like cream to the top. Lets stay in touch, and I’ll let you know of blogs from political officials that are interested in transparency and message. I appreciate your thoughts here – Thank you for your compliment. ~Keri
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Like it or not, pornography is often at the forefront of most modern technologies as they seek ever new ways of reaching out to ‘customers’. So in that sense I suspect they have quite a lot they can teach all of us in whatever sector we’re in, as unpalatable as that may seem. Given the reputation of politics of course you might get some in the porn industry balking at association with such a seedy and grubby industry 🙂
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Adi, Thank you for reading, and for sharing your thoughts here. You have made some good points. And I appreciate your humor! 🙂 ~Keri
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Hi, Keri, Tongue in cheek! Really like your post on PORN, I was somewhat worried to be branded with the scarlet letter on spreading your gospel but so far unblemished! Check it out on PINTEREST! This platform certainly has its uses. More PORN in 2012!
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Barbara, So glad to see you here! Glad I did not blemish your shining star!! 🙂 Pinterest – I am making it there a bit later today. Will look forward. For now, thanks again for your lovely views reflecting on 2011. So, onto PORN & 2012… 😉 ~Keri
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Great hook AND great content, Keri. I love acronyms that are easy to remember and that one certainly is! I think we all could benefit from a little PORN – politicians or not. PORN revolution in 2012!
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Karleen, Wow, your comment could spark a follow-up: The Benefits of P.O.R.N.! Thanks for making me smile — Love your enthusiasm. We could all use a little revolution once in awhile. To 2012… 😀 ~Keri
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Keri, You never cease to amaze me. Your in depth knowledge of topic is revealing. You hooked me in from the beginning. Politicians would do well to follow your advice. And wouldn’t it be refreshing if a few of them would actually speak the truth on their blogs (this is of course providing they have a blog and comment regularly). Why they would have so much traffic. If they only realized what they could do – a new era/movement could be generated. Thanks for a very engaging post.
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Sandi, Happy you found the post engaging – I do appreciate your compliments. In all the comments, there seems to be a theme of “us and them.” I think that’s unfortunate — As we really should be working together. You mention something others have not picked up on. The blog – if regularly updated and with comments from constituents allowed – would provide web traffic. Which, in turn, would translate to voter support. Which trickles upward as a force. A smart candidate would start well before their intended run, and stay regular with it once they were elected. My belief is that they would create a pattern of a “non-campaign.” Because they would always be campaigning – transparently – and there would be no “campaign season” for them. The candidate would then have it mostly in the bag. 🙂 Thank you for your thoughts, ~Keri
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Hi Keri, Intriguing post. When I started being more interested in politics I tried contacting local representatives and asked them to write blogs like Chris Dodd, rep from Connecticut. Many of them have email campaigns instead. If you want to contact them you can send them an email that is bound to get filed away somewhere. You need to have connections if you are going to get them to pay attention to what you have to say. A blog is much more transparent, especially if they were to allow people to post comments on it. Imagine that, what a world that would be! Each week or two they could tell us (the common folk) just what they spent their time on recently. If they weren’t doing what we wanted them to do, we could tell them immediately, instead of after the bills are already signed into law. I wish you luck in convincing the politicians to start using your “PORN” method in that it would make the world a much better place! Bill
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Bill, How terrific that you contacted your local representatives and asked them to write blogs — And that you found someone in CT that was doing it! 🙂 Your mention of email campaigns is interesting – I don’t see email as something that should be done *instead* of blogging. Do you? I see email as more a support to the blog. Community: A chance for constituents to comment = blog. Thank you for stating it the way you did. That is exactly the point. If approached correctly, this would create a community, a team of evangelists that could share their message with the power of modern technologies. I have to say, Bill, that my local and state representatives know me by name. At the national level, at least their staff knows my name (maybe they do too). This was the case before my husband became involved as an elected official. I applaud my them for this. I do not believe this is usual. It really would be nice to have more frequent updates from our elected officials and political leaders in a way that we can digest and understand. And in a way that we felt they voted for us – the constituents – before they voted for themselves. It’s all a matter of perception, eh? Bill, thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🙂 ~Keri
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I love acronyms, this one is VERY engaging and fun. You are a wonderful source of inspiration Keri. If you can make politicians write great content then I have no doubt how you can help simple mortals like me:-)
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Anne, You’re terrific! You’re so insightful and world-minded – I aspire. Though, maybe if we both got together we’d be unstoppable!? 😀 Glad you had fun with this acronym. I hope it helps just one person get started on their quest for service. Great to see you here, ~Keri
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What a clever post with some great ideas in it as well. It sure caught my attention.
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AnnaLaura, Glad I caught your attention! Thanks for reading, and for sharing your thoughts… ~Keri
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I don’t think their resistance to blogging is primarily due to fear of having to backtrack later on. Just look at all the broken promises of EVERY president. It’s probably more in line with the amount of work that goes into running a blog… doing research, creating great content and building an audience. They’re going to take the path of least resistance and just go in front of the cameras and reach a wide audience instantaneously.
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Howie, Interesting perspective. I like that you thought past the backtracking. Yes, I do think that time keeps some from putting a consistent blog together. But we all know that time *can* be an excuse. Where some tasks are already delegated by candidates, so can some of the busy work of getting blog posts to publish mode. You are correct about getting in front of cameras. Video does very well embedded into blogs, and is a great way to cross-pollinate content. It’s a matter of shifting with trends. Those that shift will be ahead in the race. So glad to see you here from SME! ~Keri
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I came to your blog without knowing anything about you or your situation. As I was reading it I was thinking ‘”I ‘must forward this to a friend whose DH is running for office” to find… Yours is running too! Good headlines, good follow through!
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Abigail, Thank you for visiting my blog, and for your interest to forward this post to a friend. I hope they get something useful from it for their campaign. Thanks also for your compliment, ~Keri
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Great blog but I don’t think politicians are brave enough to blog! If they say something they regret, it is not like they can go back and fix it. It will be way out in the open by then. Too late.
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Miriam, I appreciate your comment. I think the key is saying things one will not regret and have to fix. It can be too late to engage. ~Keri
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Interesting thoughts. However, my perception is that policitians don’t LIKE to be tied directly to anything concrete. Especially when you get to the national level – look at the Republican debates. Most of the candidates do anything they can to avoid being tied down to a specific statement of their views – each such statement is a filter denying them another segment of the vote. If they ARE interested in directing traffic to their online presence, maybe they SHOULD just post porn!
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Bob, I have to say I agree that there is some interesting looking tap dancing going on out there. But the social space will begin to demand more transparency, and the ones that choose not to engage – choose to stick to business as usual – will be voted out. Or not voted in. It is possible to make a statement and not have to backtrack as new news evolves. They have to want to. Not sure if I agree about posting actual porn to attract an audience. There really isn’t a candidate I’d like to see in that light. But ya never know – It might bring a new spin on transparency, and get some sort of ball rolling… 😉 Thank you for sharing your thoughts!! ~Keri
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Very Awesome post, Keri! I must admit, I totally wasn’t expecting this when I read the title and saw the image on your Facebook profile, but I was pleasantly surprised of the awesome read. Since I’ve begun blogging myself, I have seen the importance and need for businesses and people with personal branding (politicians included) to have them and update them as much as possible. For many, the excuse of time comes into play, but I think that if anyone wants to reach the masses with their voice; the need to have an online presence is paramount! Thanks for driving this point home.
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Deeone, Glad to positively surprise you. Was not sure how this would be received. You hit a few points on the head: Time is not an excuse, and it all starts and stops with the blog. Happy New Year, my friend! ~Keri
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I agree with Anthony – it probably is the fear of not being able to back-track because it’s in writing that keeps them from blogging. You would think as much as they like being in front of the camera they would do video blogging to prepare them for the white house ( LOL ). Thanks for writing yet another great post Keri ~ you never cease to amaze me! 😉
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Knikkolette, Great to see you here. You make some great points, and I’m giggling at your comment about video presence. If even political officials and candidates would be more involved in video, we’d have something. I appreciate your compliments, and learn things from you as well! ~Keri
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Didn’t know what to expect with the title. Great coverage for cross linking topics to social media and blogging. Still wondering though if there might be another R word than rippling, but I guess that describes the social media effect
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Joel, Thank you for reading, and for sharing your thoughts. Surely there are other “R” options. In fact, I had thought of offering the acronyms that I did not go with — all were quite good, but I had to settle for one. R = Reverberating, rolling, right now. Always enjoy our communication! ~Keri
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Delicious, Keri! I admire your writing style and love what you did with the title…! ~you hooked me weeks ago with your ‘promise of this porn post~ There is so much information out there and most of it is here say; a wise man (or woman) in politics would take your advice and RUN with it to their own blog! But like Anthony said in his comment, many, many politicians probably hesitate to put anything on the web they can not chance or backtrack later. And I hesitate to even say this out loud, but I will: ‘It takes very different skills ‘to get elected’ and ‘to be a politician’.’ Maybe some are just not capable? Kudos and cheers to 2012. Can’t wait to see more posts like this.
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Dorien, Thank you for your words here. The social space offers a HUGE opportunity for those that want to use it to their advantage. Just like the principles in Launch, it’s a matter of changed style in approach. We need to engage, not broadcast. In all settings there is evergreen content. Politicians can start there if they are hesitant. If elected officials or hopeful candidates are not willing to share their views and stick to them, why are they pursuing election? A good candidate — one that has foresight — will be able to comment and let his/her position evolve. It’s called transparency. Something kind of daring these days, but necessary. Indeed it takes a different set of skills to get elected. I think our current slate will find they have a lot to learn due to the changes the social space will demand. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and for allowing me to jump in with you. Cheers to 2012, ~Keri
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Incredibly enjoyed reading this creative post! I wonder if politicians start blogging, what percentage of voters would take the time to read them, and make their decisions based on the blog rather than negative ads on the internet, TV and radio! Blogging would serve a great purpose for those who think for themselves, and I wonder what percentage of voters fall in that category! What’s your feeling?
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Sherry, I think with a good social media strategy meant to engage, local politicians can absolutely affect their relationships with constituents. On the federal level, it may be a different story – But I have yet to see them actually engage, even though they have blogs and YouTube channels. Negative ads are present for all industries. It’s a matter of making things happen with the will to change perception. I do enjoy your comments here, and am happy you took time to share! ~Keri
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Pingback: Political Campaign Expert » Blog Archive » How Porn Can Help Politics in 2012
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Pingback: How Porn Can Help Politics in 2012
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Pingback: How Porn Can Help Politics in 2012
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Very interesting idea Keri. I think these are great tips for any politician to follow. In this coming election year, it’d be great if candidates would spend less time spin doctoring and more time sharing their true feelings on the positions they hold so dear.Maybe some upstart politician will come out of nowhere and take their blog community to their state capitol or to Washington. Quite the provocative title too! Bravo!
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Phil, Thank you for reading and offering your thoughts. I agree – Less time spin doctoring. If ever there was a year for a politician to come out of nowhere with their blog and make a difference, this is the year. I appreciate your comment on the title. 🙂 ~Keri
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Great article! I do think one of the reasons politicians don’t blog is because it puts their thoughts in writing. They can’t backtrack later on. 🙂
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Anthony, Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your mention of reasons why politicians do not blog. Yes, having words in writing is hard to backtrack. But as technology makes it so much easier to communicate and be transparent, people will demand this transparency more and more. I also believe that it is possible to share thoughts and not *have to* backtrack. There is always content work sharing. 🙂 ~Keri
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I agree with you Anthony that it is not easy for politicians to write down what they usually say. And this is the biggest hurdle which is stopping them to blog.
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Rana, Anthony certainly has a point that some will not blog because they don’t want to have to backtrack on something they have said. But your phrasing is different, suggesting that it is difficult for politicians to write things down. These are two different things. The difference is willingness. We, the people, have the responsibility to vote in those willing to represent us. Thank you sharing your thoughts. ~Keri
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FABULOUS! For those us of with dirty minds, we were not sure what to expect with your exciting writing about politics and porn, but I personally think you have taken it to a whole new place!! Definitely seems to be a hot button as you put it and has some great ideas!! Thanks for sharing and putting a smile on people’s faces today! Smiles Wendy
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Wendy, Thank you for your enthusiastic compliment! This was a fun one, and I hope I can persuade people to think a tad outside the box here. 2012 will be interesting… ~Keri
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