Thinking Digitally Isn't A Separate Job Function For A Campaign Either
from the everyone-should-be-thinking-digitally dept
A year ago, we noted the silliness of companies having a separate "Chief Digital Officer" by noting that thinking digitally isn't a job function -- it's something that everyone at a company needs to take into account. Having a digital strategy isn't something you compartmentalize. It's something that has to be understood across the board. It appears that political campaigns don't quite understand this yet. David Weinberger points to political consultant Zack Exley, who is complaining about campaigns asking him to help them hire an "internet person" for their campaigns. He points out that the internet shouldn't be a separate part of the campaign -- but that the entire campaign staff needs to understand and make use of the internet. So, for all the talk of how digitally aware campaigns are this election season, perhaps the real turning point will be when the internet doesn't have its own separate strategy, but is simply a part of the overall strategy.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Re:
On the other hand they probably arn't thinking of it this way, instead they would think of the way you seem to be taking it: someone to manage the internet part of their campaign.
To sumarise I think that criticising them for hiring an "internet person" is wrong, what should be examined, analised - and perhaps criticised, is the reasoning behind their proposal.
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Misunderstanding of specialization
I do not know what kind of knowledge do the Techdirt bloggers have on Televised political campaigns, but I assure you that a professional is needed to handle those.
Remember that the Internet is still a microscopic platform in terms of political influence, and a dedicated Internet guy would probably be a good idea, while the other staff members handle the more influential platforms.
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I concure with comments 1-3
The most widely used campaign method is the spoken word, usually in the form of speeches throughout the campaign period. It's common knowledge that not all politicians are great speech writers therefore they hire speech writers. The candidates aren't that well versed in writing speeches to they hire someone who specializes in it to assist them.
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Zack's Point Is Valid
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Re: Zack's Point Is Valid
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I think it is too early to expect these older strategists to think to the Internet as part of a cohesive strategy. Give it 10-15 years. But the ones that do see the big picture definitely have the advantage.
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No, the "internet strategy" shouldn't be separate from the main strategy.
Yes, campaigners who don't get it should hire someone who can advise on carrying core messages into this medium.
You're 50% on, Techdirt.
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