Rep. Miller Breaks New 'Web 2.0' Ground
Cross-posted at Beltway Blogroll
Rep. George Miller is getting some bipartisan blog love for a new interactive campaign against the Iraq war that is engaging voters via blogs, online social networks, podcasts and Web video.
Both Republican new media strategist David All and self-avowed "lefty" Colin Delany of e.politics mentioned the effort, as did the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet.
Technology Daily is on top of the story, too, thanks to our e-government/Web 2.0 expert, Aliya Sternstein. You can read her story from yesterday PM Edition in the extended entry.
Rep. Miller Starts Interactive Web Campaign On Iraq
By Aliya Sternstein
Online social networks have become virtual mouthpieces for candidates this year but have rarely been used by elected officials to follow through on promises once elected -- that is until now.
The technology shop at the House currently lets all members use Facebook, a social network popular among young voters, for official work. Californian George Miller, who is chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, recently received permission from the office of the House chief administrative officer to start an Internet "campaign" against the Iraq war using Facebook, video-sharing Web sites, blogs and a video podcast, among other new media platforms.
The "Ask George" initiative, which officially began Wednesday, is a multi-network, multi-platform, virtual town hall. Miller's office is collecting all questions submitted to the so-called Web 2.0 sites that are tagged with the subject "askgeorge." The keyword lets staffers easily retrieve questions from across the Web universe with one search query.
Miller, who also chairs the Education and Labor Committee, plans to respond weekly, through his video podcast "MillerTV," to questions and comments about what actions the Democrats are taking to end the war.
Separately, Miller's office has designed a video player for Facebook that the site's members can add to their profiles and share with friends. The "MillerTV" player will carry the latest "AskGeorge" videos.
Before Ask George went live, Miller's staff and the CAO ensured that all aspects of Miller's Web onslaught would comply with House requirements for Web use.
The House's main Web dictum is "security and availability," CAO Communications Director Jeff Ventura said. "All we ask is that we're allowed to evaluate any software that is interfaced with our architecture to determine that it poses no security threat and has scalability."
The office wants all members to be able to partake in the benefits of innovations created by other members, he said. "It really is equal opportunity computing."
That said, "Creating a really sexy Web site's difficult for them," Ventura said. "It's our estimation that less than 3 percent of members' offices are doing things as robust as what Miller's team is trying to do."
Leslie Harris, the Center for Democracy and Technology's executive director, said she hopes other members, committees and Congress as a whole will follow in Miller's footprints online to create more transparency. "You are encouraging civic dialogue," she said. "I think that's critically important as well."
Miller Chief of Staff Daniel Weiss said some people already have responded by e-mail to address policy issues besides Iraq. "And some people have responded to say they disagree with the congressman's position on Iraq," he added.
Steven Clift, chairman of E-Democracy.org, said: "Any candidate for Congress that wins using interactive tools must represent using those tools. Today, most politicians turn off real online interactivity the moment they gain power. That must change or they will be changed."
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E-Government
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