Another Kind of Election-Related Analysis

The political satire site 23/6 has been watching the campaign carefully — so carefully they’ve discovered the presidential debates have a lot of repetition.

While you may have thought you recognized familiar phrases, you can’t beat the evidence shown in this side-by-side-by-side edit from the broadcasts.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

The video seems to support the notion that the debates were stump speeches that revealed little original and on-the-spot thought from either candidate. It’s disturbing to think our election process amounts to an overly long opportunity to sling mud and drum slogans into our heads.

(Link crossposted on Twitter)

Can Following ‘The Cluetrain Manifesto’ Power Reader Engagement?

Almost 10 years ago, four guys watching the way business was being done on the Web posted a 95-point proclamation of what worked and didn’t online. They called it “The Cluetrain Manifesto.” Its key tenets: Conversation is essential for business to thrive. Silence kills.

Conversation by eye2eye on Flickr

In the least year or so, I’ve heard more marketers like Ian Schafer of Deep Focus and Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research refer to it.

As news organizations scramble to engage its readers, it may be time to study the manifesto once more. And this time, it may pay off to read how market researchers are changing their engagement strategies. A good place to start is Cluetrain at 10.

For those who like slideshows, here are the 95 theses of the original Cluetrain Manifesto:

Cluetrain Review
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: web 2.0 cluetrain)

Photo by eye2eye/Flickr

Who Won the McCain-Obama Debate?

By most reported accounts, Barack Obama won Wednesday’s faceoff by not losing to John McCain.

The unfortunate thing about these televised events it that they sounded a lot like stump speeches and talking points, rather than any real discussion of plans and intentions.

Impressions are all the voting public is left with, so I thought I’d publish a poll:

Breaking Conventions in Video Journalism

When it comes to video journalism, most news organizations have a rule: Do not use any sound or music that didn’t occur while you were filming the story. Audio holds powerful sway over our emotion and therefore, can distort our perception of facts and events. If you’re skeptical, check out the trailer for “Sleepless in Seattle” and this remix.

But what about when you’re not filming something on the scene? What about using video to tell a text and infographics story in a different way?

One of my favorite sources for this storytelling style is Good magazine, which I’ve subscribed to since its inception.

Have a look at the video below and see what you think. The camera motion and music draw you in, while the text and graphics give you a better grasp of how and why certain countries excel at certain Olympic sports.


Good: “Lords of the Rings” @ Yahoo! Video

Election Gets Serious, Bored Audiences Want Fun. What to Do? Check This Roundup

There are lots and lots of ways to keep up with tonight’s town hall between John McCain and Barack Obama.

You could watch on TV, of course, but what fun is that? Here are a few suggestions to make your viewing experience more engaging:

Even if you can’t be at Belmont University, you can still be part of the action. Enjoy!

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