Dear political campaigns – don’t hire me. Honestly, sometimes I skim through the archives and cringe a little.
In general I understand the instinct to incorporate bloggers into political campaigns. After all, few people understand a new media better than the new medianauts themselves. That said, in many cases it probably is not the greatest idea. As much fun as blogging can be and as eager as campaigns often are to tap into the latest communication medium, blogging tech exists at a weird juncture between immediacy and permanence. We constantly communicate in first drafts, with all the attendant messiness that rushed communication implies, but our words stay out there forever, archived and easily accessed by Google.
In fact I doubt that many of us would withstand scrutiny of an oppo research firm with millions to spend and quick access to the noise machine. To me it just seems inherently perilous to seek out a blogger who is at the same time popular, ideologically reliable (e.g., won’t undercut the campaign when you violate his/her internal principles or pet issue) and whose past won’t embarrass you in some way. Maybe I will incur the wrath of the blogging triumphalists for this, but it might be a better idea overall if high-profile campaigns hired experienced, low-profile IT professionals to handle their online operations. One prominent personality seems like enough for most political campaigns to manage.
Consider this an open thread.
*** Update by John ***
That goes double for me. Plus, if you hire me, I can’t savage you. What fun is that?