Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, told Republican governors yesterday at the internet was going to play a big role in politics. More importantly, Schmidt gave some examples of cool ways the internet was already changing politics. One example from overseas:
Schmidt said the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain got a taste in the run-up to its elections last weekend, when someone used the Google Earth satellite mapping feature to photograph the ruling family's lavish houses, and posted them on line, juxtaposed next to the homes of ordinary citizens.
The government tried to censor the photos, which instantly boosted their popularity, he said.
He also said that Google was taking steps to limit the effectiveness of 'Google-bombing' - a tactic of manipulating search results to promote a specific topic. Some bloggers used this tactic to help promote flattering news about Democratic candidates and unflattering news about their Republican opponents during this past Election cycle.
You can read the full article here.
On a related note, Mindshare (where I work) released a white paper last week about the impact that technology had on this past election cycle and how candidates should use interactive techniques in the future to win elections. I hope you will download and read it.
