Transcript of Twinterview with @AdamSmithTimes 2:44 PM

Thanks again to Adam Smith of the St. Pete Times for a fantastic interview this afternoon.  Here is the full transcript:

Raynor: Thank you for being with me for today’s twinterview!

Smith: Glad to join you. A real tweet

Raynor: You recently experienced your own ‘Twittergate’ moment (http://bit.ly/53luJl). Has the incident changed how you use Twitter?

Smith: Not really. Probably a good idea to be slower on the Twitter finger

Raynor: Yes, probably a good lesson for all of us. Do you use Twitter to seek out story leads?

Smith: Not so much, at least not yet. I use it more to keep informed, connected, share news updates

Raynor: @TheRickWilson wants to know how the ability of citizen journalists to fact check stories has affected your job?

Smith: I 'd say it's definitely a good thing. The more fact checkers the better. And fast online journalism means readers can point out typos or any mistake I might make before it appears in the print version      

Raynor: You and your team have built The Buzz blog (http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz) into one of the most read political blogs in FL.  How much traffic does The Buzz generate on average per week?

Smith: fluctuates, depending on the news, but we typically see more than 100,000 visitors weekly

Raynor: What online news sources and web sites do you regularly visit to get news and information?  

Smith: Tons- of different sources from the major media sites to red state to drudge to 538 and lots more

Raynor: Have online news aggregation services such as @SayfieReview and to an extent Twitter done more good or harm for newspapers?

Smith: Anything that drives traffic to our sites is probably a good thing

Raynor: @DJGroup wants to know if you think thoughtful reporting has suffered at the expense of a need for speed via blogs/Twitter?

Smith: Yes, I think probably reporting has suffered some because of the need for speed on blogs/twitter, 24/7 cable

Raynor: Will the St. Petersburg Times have a print edition in 5 years? 10 years?

Smith: I think so. If print was really dead, Times' free tabloid Tbt (geared to younger readers) wouldn't be thriving as it is

Raynor: The press coverage of the FL SEN GOP primary outside of FL has deemed @MarcoRubio a Tea Party candidate yet in-state press hasn’t really bought that label. Have national media outlets gotten this one wrong?

Smith: Yes, somewhat. His support is deeper than tea partiers. Just like Jim Greer...Wasn't tea party that ousted Greer, like a lot of nationl media suggested, but GOP establishment         

Raynor: What is the greatest mistake campaigns make when dealing with reporters/press? 

Smith: Not going first to the St Pete Times.  Seriously, hard question. But honesty (or at least the ability to fake it) goes a long way to establishing cred

Raynor: What one race in FL do you think could shock political insiders on both sides of the aisle in November?

Smith: Hmmm. IA.G. race very unpredictble on both sides. And ag commish race cld be more compet than xpected w scott maddox running

Raynor: Last question - Who do you wish had a Twitter feed but doesn't?

Smith: Stumped. I can't keep up with all the good feeds already out there     

Live Twinterview with Adam Smith 6:04 AM

Today at 2:00 p.m. EST, I will conduct a live interview on Twitter (AKA a "twinterview") with Adam Smith, Political Editor of the St. Petersburg Times.  Political Editor since 2001, Adam was named the best political writer in Florida by washingtonpost.com and one of the country's top 10 political reporters by Columbia Journalism Review.  Adam was the first political reporter in Florida to embrace blogging with the launch of The Buzz blog which has become one of the most widely read political blogs in the State.  Today's twinterview will span an array of topics including the current state and future of the newspaper industry, how reporters are engaging in social media and Florida's top political races.

Here's how it will work. Beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST, I will begin directing questions to Smith via my Twitter account (@JordanRaynor). Smith will then respond to these questions via his Twitter account (@AdamSmithTimes).  If you have a question for Smith, please direct it to @JordanRaynor on Twitter.

How can you follow this live twinterview? Here's 3 simple ways:

1. Follow this Twitter list specifically for the twinterview

2. Follow @JordanRaynor and @AdamSmithTimes on Twitter. This will allow you to follow the twinterview in whichever Twitter client you prefer.

3. search.twitter.com (no Twitter account required)

Transcript of twinterview with @DavidAll 12:00 PM

Big thanks to @DavidAll for participating in today's twinterview and discussing @CongJoeWilson's online efforts following the "You lie" moment of September 9, 2009 - an event All called in the interview the "most significant online event of 2009."

Here is a complete transcript of the twinterview:

Raynor: Thank you for joining me for today’s twinterview!

Raynor: On September 9, @CongJoeWilson earned fame by yelling “You lie” at the President (VIDEO: http://bit.ly/ukMKy)

Raynor: Was Wilson a client of the @DavidAllGroup prior to the September 9 “You lie” moment?

All: Honored to be here. @CongJoeWilson was not a client prior to Sep. 9 but I've known him/his team for yrs. back from Cap Hill

Raynor: Did Wilson seek you out, or did you reach out to his team?

All: Wilson's team of media guru @BrianFDonahue and his long-time COS made decision to respond and reached out.

Raynor: What was the first action the @DavidAllGroup took for Wilson online?

All: the first thing we did, as always, was to talk with team about end-goal then assess both the situation and available assets

Raynor: How much money did Wilson raise online between September 9 and October 9?

All: total haul was around $2.7M, $2.1M of which was online

Raynor: Where did the majority of those online donations come from? Online ads? Social networks? Videos? Search?

All: a majority of the first-time donations were via the web site which we helped folks find with search and display ads

Raynor: Much has been made about the ad you all took out on the Drudge Report. What kind of CTR did the Wilson campaign get on that ad?

All: Because we used a smart fundraising platform, Piryx.com, we were always able to ensure ROI for our client. [1]

All: Re: Drudge, it was one of best performers. Both for online support and to win back media narrative http://bit.ly/8CTWLD [2]

Raynor: @PhilVangelakos wants to know if Wilson never said a word, how much would he have raised online in the same time period?

All: I don't answer hypothetical questions.

Raynor: fair enough

Raynor: Critics will say that anyone who yells “You lie” to POTUS will raise money; but the fact is that Alan Grayson (D-FL) didn’t raise…

Raynor: …nearly as much after his similar “Die quickly” outburst. What was the difference?

All: Republicans and conservatives throughout the nation see @CongJoeWilson as a voice for them. That is why they support him.

Raynor: Rob Miller (Wilson’s D challenger) has raised ~ $950K via ActBlue. Wilson raised $2.1 million online.

Raynor: Does this event signify that even with @ActBlue, Republicans are beginning to out-raise Democrats online?

All: Rob Miller did nothing online of significance. He kept his mouth shut. @ActBlue proved once again need for infrastructure.

Raynor: LAST QUESTION - What accomplishment are you most proud of for Wilson online?

All: most proud of being on a team - @brianfdonahue @wesleydonehue + rest of Wilson team - that did most sig online event of '09

How to turn "You lie" into $2 million online 7:05 AM

Immediately following Congressman Joe Wilson's now famous "You lie" moment, Wilson turned to David All, President of the David All Group, to defend himself from attacks from the left online.  What transpired was a campaign which utilized YouTube video responses, Twitter and online advertising to raise more than $2 million online in less than 2 weeks.  On Tuesday, December 8 at 11:00 a.m. I will conduct a live twinterview with @DavidAll to ask just how his team pulled off this massive rapid-response campaign.  Find out what your campaign needs to implement online today to be prepared for your own 'You lie' moment.

Here's how the live twinterview will work.  Beginning at 11:00 a.m. EST, I will begin directing questions to David All via my Twitter account (@JordanRaynor).  All will then respond to these questions via his Twitter account (@DavidAll).  If you have any questions you would like me to ask David All during the twinterview, either send me a reply on Twitter or leave your question as a comment beneath this post

Here are 5 simple ways to follow the twinterview live:

1. Follow @JordanRaynor and @DavidAll on Twitter.  This will allow you to follow the twinterview in whichever Twitter client you prefer.
2. Follow this Twitter list specifically for the twinterview (no Twitter account required)
   
3. twitter.com
   
4. search.twitter.com (no Twitter account required)
5. Watch the conversation right here at JordanRaynor.com:

David All bio:

David All is the Internet. And he believes you are too.

The shift of the World Wide Web to a place where real people spend a majority of their time persuaded David to start The David All Group, LLC (davidallgroup.com) in January 2007. At DAG, David works with a team to achieve measurable results through its campaign-style approach to modern grassroots communications. DAG's valued clients include blue chip companies, trade associations, non-profits and political entities.

He is the co-founder of Slatecard.com, called a "Facebook for Republican candidates" by Wired which is a utility to empower grassroots activists. In 2007, he started TechRepublican.com, a group blog focusing like a laser on the intersection of Republican politics and technology which in April 2009 was awarded the Golden Dot Award for the Best Blog in National Politics.

Prior to DAG, he served as communications director for Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA), the vice-chairman of the House Republican Conference. There he helped position Kingston as the "king of the blogosphere" on Capitol Hill; Kingston won the 2007 Golden Dot People's Choice Award for being the 2006 Online Politician of the Year. He has also been a speechwriter for a U.S. Senator, a communications director for a Senate race, a campaign manager for a heated Congressional race, and a lifeguard.

(more here)

Transcript of Twinterview with @PatrickRuffini 12:15 PM

Thank you to @PatrickRuffini for participating in my first ever Twinterview! Stay tuned for the announcement of my next Twinterview guest!

Here is a complete transcript of the Twinterview:

@JordanRaynor: We are LIVE with @PatrickRuffini, Partner @engagedc and most recently a Senior Online Strategist for @BobMcDonnell. Thanks for joining us!

@JordanRaynor: @PatrickRuffini Thank you for sitting down with me. The @engagedc team ran an incredible online campaign for @BobMcDonnell in VA.

@PatrickRuffini: Great to be here, Jordan!

@JordanRaynor: How many new organic email sign-ups did the McDonnell campaign accumulate? Where did the majority come from? Online ads?

@PatrickRuffini: The campaign had 187,000 e-mail addresses. Search marketing & banner ads on sites like Drudge were a strong component of this

@JordanRaynor: The McDonnell campaign raised $1.25 million online. Approximately what % of that came directly from email solicitation?

@PatrickRuffini: About a third. Walk-in donations to the site were surprisingly strong, esp. after the thesis attacks. Thank you WaPo.

@JordanRaynor: Thank you indeed. What do you think is an effective non-fundraising email to direct fundraising pitch email ratio?

@PatrickRuffini: About 1 in 3 or 4, moving to 1 in 2 in the critical weeks before the election when it matters most.

@JordanRaynor: Much has been made of how the McDonnell campaign went mobile. What was the most successful aspect of your mobile strategy?

@PatrickRuffini: We experimented a lot with mobile. We were able to get very granular with it so I got updates from the Alexandria field office

@PatrickRuffini: I would say this local targeting was a highlight. We also experimented with assigning GOTV phone calls through SMS, also a win

@JordanRaynor: Interesting. I love the Redskins ticket give away you all implemented in exchange for cell #s. Was that effective?

@PatrickRuffini: Yes, it grew the list considerably. Also use at live events was key, particularly the GOP convention

@JordanRaynor: @IsCool wants to know how successful fundraising via SMS was for the campaign?

@PatrickRuffini: Candidly, that is one area that's still emerging. Mobile better for message distro and field than fundraising, at least now

@JordanRaynor: Good to know. Let's talk online advertising.

@JordanRaynor: McDonnell spent 7.5% of ad budget online. What % of a campaign’s advertising budget should be spent on online ads in 2010?

@PatrickRuffini: 7.5% is a start. Big brands moving to 10-15%. 10% of TV ads being skipped over. More than 10% of media consumption is online.

@JordanRaynor: The McDonnell campaign launched a Google advertising network "surge" in the last 12 hours of the campaign…

@JordanRaynor: …Would you recommend a “Google Surge” for candidates at the presidential, state-wide, congressional and local level?

@PatrickRuffini: Yes -- exposure it gets you for the $ is far better than TV. Blogs buzz about the full court press effect, sure sign it works.

@JordanRaynor: Was the “Deeds On the Ropes On Taxes” video (http://bit.ly/4Fsv5) the biggest moment for the McDonnell campaign online?

@PatrickRuffini: It was huge. Our grassroots' response to the WaPo thesis attacks was also huge. (cont)

@PatrickRuffini: But if you had to pinpoint a turning point where Deeds effectively disqualified himself, that was it

@JordanRaynor: Let's talk social networks. Why did the campaign decide to create a custom social network (McDonnell Action) with Ning?

@PatrickRuffini: We needed a way to connect our super-volunteers and roll them into the organization immediately (cont)

@PatrickRuffini: Before McDonnell Action, phone trees used to mobilize volunteers. After a mix of groups/events on the site & email.

@JordanRaynor: Which social network provided the greatest value to the campaign? Facebook, Twitter or your custom McDonnell Action (Ning)?

@PatrickRuffini: That's a tough one. Facebook was biggest with over 30K fans. But we could do more with McDonnell Action volunteers.

@JordanRaynor: How many Facebook statuses were “donated” to the campaign for GOTV efforts on Election Day?

@PatrickRuffini: Close to 1,000 -- which we estimate reached about 80,000 Virginia voters

@JordanRaynor: Interesting. Did the campaign have any relative success fundraising directly from Twitter and Facebook?

@PatrickRuffini: Decent success around deadlines. But main sources were 1) walk-in traffic to site, 2) email, 3) Google AdWords

@JordanRaynor: What new technology would you like to see a political campaign experiment with in the 2010 cycle?

@PatrickRuffini: 1) iPhone apps with GPS geolocation & voter ID, 2) Hyperlocal Twitter activity by field offices

@JordanRaynor: Twitter rock-star @nansen wants to know what are the top 3 online items campaigns must have/do?

@PatrickRuffini: In no particular order, 1) robust web platform that scales and captures enthusiasm, 2) video, video, video 3) email strategy

@JordanRaynor: Moving away from McDonnell for two questions...

@JordanRaynor: Thanks for reading Plouffe’s book for the rest of us. What’s the biggest online lesson you learned from the book?

@PatrickRuffini: Bottom line: Actually believe your grassroots can do it. Don't underestimate them. Make them a key part of the team.

@JordanRaynor: What’s your biggest criticism of Obama’s online campaign?

@PatrickRuffini: It was metrics-based to the point of being paint-by-numbers. They once didn't change their homepage for 3 weeks b/c it worked

@JordanRaynor: Lastly, what single accomplishment are you most proud of with McDonnell’s online campaign?

@PatrickRuffini: Lesson: No one silver bullet. Consistent execution across the board was the hallmark of Obama '08 and McDonnell '09

Live Twinterview with @PatrickRuffini 7:41 PM

Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. EST, I will conduct my first-ever live Twinterview (Twitter interview) with Patrick Ruffini - Senior Online Strategist for Bob McDonnell's victorious campaign for Governor of Virginia.  Ruffini and his team led an incredible online effort for Bob McDonnell's gubernatorial campaign that is being looked at as a model for state-wide campaigns moving forward to 2010.  In Ruffini's first Twinterview since McDonnell's landslide victory, I will ask how exactly the McDonnell online team pulled it off and what secrets they have for online campaign teams in 2010.

Here's how it will work.  Beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST, I will begin directing questions to Ruffini via my Twitter account (@JordanRaynor).  Ruffini will then respond to these questions via his Twitter account (@PatrickRuffini).  After I have finished asking my prepared questions, Ruffini will take a few additional questions from other participants on Twitter.  If you have a question for Ruffini, please direct them to @JordanRaynor or @PatrickRuffini on Twitter.

How can you follow this live Twinterview?  Here's 5 simple ways:

1. Follow @JordanRaynor and @PatrickRuffini on Twitter.  This will allow you to follow the Twinterview in whichever Twitter client you prefer.
2. Follow this Twitter list specifically for the Twinterview
   
3. twitter.com
   
4. search.twitter.com (no Twitter account required)
5. Watch the conversation right here at JordanRaynor.com:

Patrick Ruffini bio:

Patrick Ruffini is a political strategist whose work has helped define the convergence of new media and politics for more than a decade.

Ruffini is currently a partner at Engage, a political media firm he founded in 2007. In this role, he helps political and public affairs clients navigate the seismic shifts in today’s media landscape from the top-down broadcast model to an open and participatory online ecosystem. Shortly after founding the firm, Ruffini was recognized by Campaigns and Elections’ Politics magazine as a Rising Star in American politics in 2008.

From 2005 to 2007, Ruffini served as eCampaign Director at the Republican National Committee. As part of the RNC Chairman’s leadership team, Ruffini worked to maximize adoption of new media throughout the Republican Party, producing record online fundraising, architecting best-in-class online organizing tools, and spearheading the party’s blog and social media strategy. Under Ruffini’s leadership, the RNC’s Web traffic led that of the Democratic National Committee for 11 out of 12 months in an otherwise challenging 2006 election year according to Nielsen//NetRatings.

In the 2004 election, Ruffini served as webmaster for Bush-Cheney ‘04, managing day-to-day operations on the campaign’s Web site and helping oversee development of the grassroots tools that mobilized an army of 1.4 million campaign volunteers. Having come to the campaign with experience as an early political blogger, Ruffini launched and ran the campaign’s blog — the first ever affiliated with an incumbent President — and led rapid response outreach to the then-burgeoning political blogosphere.

(more here)