Sir Spamalot: McCain Campaign Using Astroturf To Boost Online Presence
August 7, 2008 | Permalink
The McCain campaign is offering prizes to supporters that spread official campaign talking points around the blogosphere - in other words, rewards for spammers. WaPo describes the practice:
Activists and political operatives have used volunteers or paid staff to seed radio call-in shows or letters-to-the-editor pages for years, typically without disclosing the caller or letter writer’s connection to a candidate or cause. Like the fake grass for which the practice is named, such AstroTurf messages look as though they come from the grass roots but are ersatz.
McCain’s campaign has taken the same idea and given it an Internet-era twist. It also has taken the concept one step further. (by offering incentives)
The program has a few problems. In the article, a professional in the field of marketing political-organizing software discussed two issues: 1) the lack of disclosure from commenters, given that they are simply repeating a campaign talking point and 2) the potential lack of relevance between the comment and the post to which the comment is being placed on. I think there are additional problems with this. First, the McCain campaign is spending time and resources managing a program that is largely fruitless and will just be annoying to members of the various communities that will receive this comment spam. Secondly, this entire program operates under the assumption that people read comments. On balance, they usually don’t and if someone is reading a comment, they are generally going to skip over the one that looks like spam.
I would also add that targeting sites such as MyDD and DailyKos is just a silly waste of time. If McCain wants to make any headway within those communities, he needs to engage them directly and not push them further away with shady astroturft techniques.
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How can you say this about McCain? He was a POW for five years, you know!
The most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the commander in chief - is to “preserve and protect” American citizens. John McCain has the necessary vision and unrivaled experience to command the United States armed forces and adapt our nation’s defenses to the demands of a changing and dangerous world.
The most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the commander in chief - is to “preserve and protect” American citizens. John McCain has the necessary vision and unrivaled experience to command the United States armed forces and adapt our nation’s defenses to the demands of a changing and dangerous world.
The most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the commander in chief - is to “preserve and protect” American citizens. John McCain has the necessary vision and unrivaled experience to command the United States armed forces and adapt our nation’s defenses to the demands of a changing and dangerous world.
The most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the commander in chief - is to “preserve and protect” American citizens. John McCain has the necessary vision and unrivaled experience to command the United States armed forces and adapt our nation’s defenses to the demands of a changing and dangerous world.
/damnit, I want my farking hat John. You promised me a hat!!