Silly title aside, the Tories' new 'Webcameron' website is a clever step forward in the world of video webcampaigning.
It's fully compliant with all the latest fashions in internet design - known to the dot-cognoscenti as 'Web 2.0'. There are easy-to-play videos, just like YouTube. There are shortcuts to the trendy social bookmark service del.icio.us. (We have them too - see the column on the right). There's even a MySpace-style 'friends' section, called the Guest Blog, though there's only one friend so far - US senator John McCain.
But though the site is a slick professional bit of work, the videos are amateurish efforts, apparently shot on wobbly handheld cameras in two minutes flat.
And that's the beauty of them. As one of the Lib Dems behind the Ming Campbell conference vidcasts explained, one of the best things about video podcasts is that they only take five minutes of the candidate's time to do. The aide points a camera, the candidate talks for a couple of minutes, then gets back to work - or in the case of the first episode of Webcameron, the washing up.
It's even quicker than a blog to do (though the minions still have to spend hours posting them). And they give a quick, unmediated glimpse into what the candidate is like as a person, without a reporter shoving a microphone up his nose.
They aren't, perhaps, the ideal forum for exploring the minutiae of fiscal policy. But they could be just the way to present the candidate as a honest, decent, dishwashing sort of chap. You know, the kind of guy you could vote for.
Such is the theory - but will the public buy it? Will those elusive swing voters and non-voters tune in for these neatly presented slices of backstage political life? Who out there really wants to watch videos of the Conservative leader up to his arms in ecological soap suds?
If they don't, here's one sure way to get the YouTube generation to tune in - film politicians mixing mentos and diet pepsi. The results would be explosive.
"complaint with all the latest fashions in internet design"
Errr no it's not - it doesn't even have an RSS feed (yet?), and the comments are a complete mess - censored (with no moderation policy) and not linked to individual posts. Even Boris (boris-johnson.com) has managed the comments linked to posts concept - its not as if Cameron's got to do anything novel or as if he's breaking new ground.
If he was really going to join the YouTube generation he'd have released his videos into the public domain - or under an open licence letting other sites and bloggers confidently repost and discuss his ramblings.
"They aren't, perhaps, the ideal forum for exploring the minutiae of fiscal policy."
No, a video Blog isn't, but the web tools to use are out there to involve everyone in Cameron's revoloution - if he was serious about using them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6DQkYNzvF4
"dishwashing sort of chap. "
Did we see him actually wash any dishes?
Posted by: webcamronator | Sunday, 01 October 2006 at 06:45 PM
RSS isn't a fashion, it's an essential. So it's interesting that it's not there...
Posted by: Ben King | Monday, 02 October 2006 at 09:09 AM