Politicans want your e-mail
August 31, 2007 by admin
The next presidential election is still well over a year away but online, there’s a fierce battle going on to collect something of tremendous value – your e-mail address. That’s what this week’s NBC-TV report is all about.
Veteran Democratic Political Operative James Carville is using this online video of a mock meeting of the party’s senate election committee aimed at getting everyday people to submit ideas for a bumper sticker to be used in the 2008 campaign. But click the link to submit a slogan and you get a form, soliciting your e-mail address.
Then there’s Hilary and Bill Clinton. They have a YouTube video spoof of the Sopranos finale, seeking votes for a favorite campaign song. You guessed it. The link leads to another effort to grab your e-mail.
Republicans, too, are in on the ploys. All their Web sites seek to lure you in and get your name and info. Why? To qualify you as a supporter, get donations for the campaign and try an entice you to be a volunteer worker.
And all the candidates on both sides are posting videos and personalizing e-mail messages in an attempt to bypass the mainstream media in communicating directly with potential voters. The smoke filled back rooms are have been replaced by online chat rooms and blogs.
Be aware, if you offer up your name and address to these candidates, you’re going to get spammed. A lot.
That’s why you should be using disposable email addresses.
–George.
You’ll get “spammed”? Spam is, by definition, unsolicited e-mail. If you sign up with a candidate, you usually agree to receive e-mail from their campaign, so it hardly qualifies as “spam”.
Yeah, they’ll send you e-mail. In some cases, a lot. But then again…you signed up for it. It’s not “spam”.