On Thursday, Obama turned to the web for a town hall meeting with America. He bypassed the traditional news media in favor of engaging Americans directly. He is using this unfiltered online network to speak directly to Americans. People were encouraged to send in questions to the White House for Obama to answer. Over 100,000 questions were sent to the White House website. Most of the questions focused on the economic recession and job creation. Obama also touched on education reform, universal health care, and homeownership. He joked about the number of questions submitted by people online about legalizing marijuana and if it would help stimulate the economy. His response "I don't know what this says about the online audience" before responding that legalizing illicit drugs would not be the best choice in stimulating the economy.
This is one of many ways Obama is trying to reach out to the American public. It's a good way to get his message accross to a wide audience. He is definately using the internet to his advantage. He built a strong grassroots campaign with the help of cyberspace and now he's touting his new plans directly to the people. This question-and-answer type of online town-hall meeting would garner much more support for Obama because it offers people a chance to ask the questions instead of the questions asked by skeptical reporters.
Incorporating the internet in Obama's press plan is a smart way to reach the widest range of people. Practically everyone is attached to the web in one way or another. Expect to see more of Obama using alternative forms of media to tout his new economic policy.
No comments:
Post a Comment