Polls business hits the Net

18 Jan

Posted by User Image Rosli M Hanip as business

Did you know that politics could also be a business venture on the Net? The business of US politics is booming on the Internet, as 2008 White House hopefuls rake in donations, organize and get the message out, hoping that online efforts will yield real-world votes.

Campaigns also provide tools to help supporters create do-it-yourself fundraising and mobilization sites, and have set up shop on “social networking” portals where young voters can compare tastes on pop music or politicians.

According to a news report which I read yesterday it is said that based on a recent poll by the non-partisan Pew Research Center that tracks public opinion found that roughly a quarter of the US public regularly turns to the World Wide Web for White House race news - less than television, but still double the number from 2004 and nearly triple 2000 levels.

The number soars to 42% for people under 30 years old (young baby boomers), who are also more likely to use “social networking” sites like MySpace or Facebook to promote a politician as they would a favourite movie or music group. In today’s world, politicians wanna be celebrities on the net just like the rock stars!

Here is an example how a politician do a fundraising campaign on the net. Long-shot Republican White House hopeful Ron Paul grabbed headlines when his web-centred donation drives - known to his supporters as “money bombs” - help scoop up roughly US$20mil in the final months of 2007.

On the other side, Democrats point to presidential candidate Barack Obama’s efforts to use the internet to counter rival Hillary Clinton’s perceived advantage in traditional fundraising and get-out-the-vote operations.

As of January 3, 60% of the 500,000 people giving to Obama did so online, while campaign-provided online tools has fostered the creation of 6,000 active volunteer groups and 20,000 fundraising webpages.