Track the '08 US Presidential Campaign with Particls

Note: All these versions of Particls just install over each other. You don't lose your current settings - they just add more subscriptions and watch words to your profile as you go!

'08 US Presidential Race
I have created a 08' Presidential Campaign edition of Particls because I am personally addicted to US politics. It even has its own cool skin.

Check it out here.

Social Media Analysis
Also I made one based on Nathan Gilliatt's OPML file of Social Media Analysts (even though he didn't include theMedia 2.0 Workgroup in his list!).

You can get it here.

Media 2.0 Workgroup
Incidentally, the Media 2.0 Workgroup has it's own version of Particls. It also has a cool skin. Get it here.

Got your own?
Let me know if you create your own Particls 'Topic Radar' using inTouch and I will post them here.

Follow up: 08 Conversations continued...

Marian Richmond has made a fantastic post on the subject of the 08 Campaign Conversation on the new blog Campaign08Blog.com (a must read for political junkies and social media observers).

In the post 'Conversation according to Hillary and Barack' she quotes a number of bloggers (including me) questioning the authenticity of the call for conversation citing a number of (false) actions that are speaking louder than the words.

Here's a quote:

"They are not talking to us in the sense that the words that come out of their mouths are written and produced by third parties. They the candidates are not we the people as it relates to social media conversation… which means that the we, those having the conversations on blogs and other social media, are people talking directly to other people. Personal pronouns, we, they, us, are stand -ins for people."

Read the full post here.

Let's start a conversation for 08

Hillary Clinton launches a White House bid declaring 'I'm In'. Watching her video though (as well as a number of videos from Barack and Edwards - thanks to Scoble), I am struck by something that seems to be a recurring theme.

They seem to be focused on the idea of a 'conversation'. Are they speaking to us? You and me? The participants of the social media? Of course they are. They are announcing things online and trying to use the right lingo.

This is an amazing time to be a part of all this. I would, however, like to highlight a problem.

While they are announcing online and talking about conversations (giving the illusion of transparency) they are not actually being transparent. Each of them have been coy about their bid to run for President right up to the last minute. Hillary, even as of a few days ago, was still playing it cool.

Yes I know that's the way it's been done for years - but that's no excuse. Is this a transparent, online conversation or is it not. Stop being coy. Stop pretending like we don't already know the answer. Stop treating us like fools. We are not dumb.

Maybe it's asking a bit much for all of this to happen immediately. They need to learn how this transparency thing works. Maybe it will improve over time and they will actually open up comments, trackbacks and even make direct responses to the blog-o-sphere (feel free to comment here Senators) and maybe as a result... just maybe... they will begin representing the interest of their citizens more fully.

Until then I guess I will just be happy that they are trying to use the right lingo. That must mean they recognize the power of what is lurking here.

It strikes me that perhaps the latest round of Democratizing Information will once again force political democracy (in name) to be democratic (in form and function).

Maybe, eventually, it will create world peace. Just joking.