Welcome to my new blog. It is new to me, and I am new to it. But in an effort to prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks, I am plunging headfirst into this mysterious world.
At this point, I'm planning to talk about using the internet in politics, hence the name, "internet politics." It is non-partisan, only really about what candidates are doing with the internet. I will work very hard to keep my political opinions to myself. We will see how long I am able to stay with the subject, but with a big political year in the state of Mississippi and a big political year on the national stage, I ought to be able to find plenty to talk about.
First up is Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour has had a pretty successful run as a two-term governor. He could probably get elected again, but he can't run. He has been mentioned as a possible Republican presidential candidate and has said he is considering making the race. But he has not yet announced a decision, and he has said he is "focused on his day job."
Haley Barbour is a smart politician. Former chairman of the RNC, he built a successful lobbying firm. Chairman of the Republican Governor's Association. Prodigious Republican fundraiser. And, predictably, he seems to have learned how to use social media to best advantage.
He has a website, very active Facebook and Twitter accounts and is a regular poster on YouTube. Almost every post on Facebook has an attachment to YouTube, to his web site or to a story or other posting in the media.
Every appearance becomes a YouTube video, and if the appearance is tied to a news story, the appearance gets to be part of the news story. For instance, his last Facebook posting is about Nissan making a new commercial van at the Canton, Miss., plant. Since the governor was there to make an appearance and speak, he is on YouTube as a part of the story. Consequently, he is associated in the public's mind with the creation of additional jobs and a new product line in Mississippi, whether he had anything to do with it or not. He also tweeted about it and linked to the YouTube video from his Twitter page. His postings also say only that he "congratulates" Nissan. The postings don't give the governor the credit. Of course, that is not what will stick in voters minds.
In addition, his postings all touch on some aspect of issues near and dear to his heart which also could figure on the national political stage -- jobs, spending, new business, health care, responsible government, GOP and the Tea Party. He talks about the State of the State address and a link to a Mississippi Public Broadcasting site that will carry the speech live.
He also has announces a speech he gave celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Riders with a YouTube video of the speech. It would appear he is interested in diminishing some of that racial baggage he carries.
And all of these items are mentioned on Twitter with YouTube links, so everything complements everything.
Love him or hate him, you have to give the man credit. He is smart.
