InsightBlog

MySpace for President

So I'm re-blogging this story about MySpace's program, "independent" which will allow people on MySpace to "run" for "President" using MySpace's subscriber base as a voting audience. It will brilliantly demonstrate the power of social media - an area all our clients should be taking another look at.

You may have noticed there are widely varying reports out on the the numbers referencing MySpace's user base. It could be the world's 5th most popular website, boasting 50 million registered users, or it could have over 100 million users. Either way, the point is, it's big, and it's growing everyday.

The "independence" idea - running an everyday Joe for President - isn't an entirely new notion: my friend Jim Taylor made a film, "Run Some Idiot" about his runs for the Presidency in the last two elections. But having to distribute the "tapes" made it hard to think about reaching even 1 million people, let alone 50-100 million, depending on whose stats you like best.

MySpace is doing a cool thing with the winner, too: they'll be awarded $1 million that they're required to either donate to charity or use for a bona-fide political run in the future. It's a great way to encourage participation in the political process.

Labels: Jim Taylor, MySpace, political process