Ellee Seymour

Could Hillary Clinton’s bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination hinge on how cyber savvy she is in the face of “web insurgents”?

That is the claim made in today’s Times by Joe Trippi, the strategic guru who helped to drive Howard Dean to the brink of the Democratic nomination in 2004. He predicts that Barack Obama or another candidate will ride an even bigger wave across cyberspace and, perhaps, into the White House.

 â€śClinton is running a scripted by-the-numbers campaign. Her problem is that because she is so strong, she will not take risks and that will encourage other candidates to be bolder and more open with the internet.â€?

There is even a  social networking site devoted to signing up 1 million supporters for Obama by 12 March – and Trippi is confident it will succeed, a staggering 250,000 signed up in three weeks.

Hillary Clinton, by contrast, has been operating through carefully screened web “chatsâ€? and has signed up more than 100,000 supporters in the first 48 hours after her site went live.

John Edwards, who most believe is third in the race for the Democratic nomination, has been the most active on the internet, with his website featuring chatty blogs from him, his wife, Elizabeth, and their daughter, Cate.

I am fascinated to see how American politicians are actively using social media for their political campaigning. However, can Hillary Clinton break her carefully crafted mould to embrace a more open and interactive style? Would it suit her personality? The lesser known Obama could find it the perfect way to reach out to new supporters who decide they like what they see in cyberspace.

Share on Facebook

For the second week running I am privileged to be mentioned in PR Week, the latest is today’s special feature on blogging. Unfortunately, a profile about me is peppered with inaccuracies.

Mostly they are quite minor, for example the reference to how Dell replaced my faulty laptop with a new model after reading the complaint on my blog when in fact the company simply repaired it. But it was still brilliant service.

They are mistaken in describing me as the 9th most influential political blogger out of 400 listed in Iain Dale’s Guide to Political Blogging, as flattering as this is. The truth is that I am ranked at 9th out of 100 Tory bloggers and 38th out of 400 overall.

And the reference to a blogger suggesting I was a “blog bore” is totally wrong too and includes inaccurate quotes. I told PR Week how I responded to a post by Jeremy Jacobs about what had made last year memorable and I wrote a comment describing the impact that blogging had had on my life, how my family did not share my enthusiasm and called me a “blog bore” – only in a teasing way, of course. I was very amused when Jeremy followed it up with a special post declaring that this was far from the case.

Unfortunately, the article also includes the wrong url for my blog, pointing readers to my old site. What a pity that the writer did not show me the text in advance to proof read which he told me he would.

On the whole, it is a very useful feature, interesting to read how The Guardian is accessing so many stories via blogosphere, streets ahead of its rivals. It also exposes blog myths, one conclusion is that PR professionals cannot afford to dismiss bloggers as “ranting lunatics”, that those who are influential can wield extensive power. PR professionals are also urged not to treat bloggers as journalists – but to “approach with caution.” It is certainly not a good idea to get on the wrong side on an influential blogger.

It would have made sense to see a list of highly regarded PR blog sites included among the recommended reads, such as Richard Bailey, Heather Yaxley, Simon Collister and Stuart Bruce, to name but a few.

Anyway, do your spouses find you a “blog bore” too? I made the same comment during my BBC interview as well. I admit I do get carried away with my enthusiasm on this subject. When out socially, I now restrain myself and wait for others to bring up the subject first.

Share on Facebook