Our Chairman, Eric Pickles, has long been praised for his strong web presence, with www.ericpickles.com keeping the people of Brentwood & Ongar up-to-date with everything he’s up to in his role as their MP.
Since he became Chairman of the Party, he’s been dabbling in social media with his War Room Briefings, a series of YouTube videos showing you what’s going on at Conservative HQ, and giving you an exclusive look at our preparations for the upcoming General Election.
His enthusiasm for Twitter has also become famous around Westminster, and he’s been breaking news of candidate selections, unveiling campaign posters and undertaking “twinterviews” on the site since joining up earlier this year.
So it was inevitable that Eric would also be keen to get involved with AudioBoo, which is a great new way of recording quick, easy audio messages using either your phone or computer.
You can listen to the Chairman’s AudioBoo debut (in which he discusses events from the last year, the campaign ahead and the importance of having a good Christmas break) by clicking here.
This service could be a great way for elected (and aspiring) politicians to document their thoughts from the campaign trail in the coming months, and let their personalities shine through using what is a far more intimate medium than just plain old text.
Seen this way, AudioBoo could be YouTube for the spoken word, but without the requirement for extra kit (camera, editing software) that can make the leap into online video a bit too intimidating. And, let’s face it – there are some people who just aren’t suited to it…
All you need is a microphone and a computer (or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, an iPhone or Google Android device) and you can record your own message, in your own voice to distribute to potential voters via your website, e-mail list or by using Facebook or Twitter.
I’m sure we’ll see other Conservatives adopt it with the same keenness as Eric – and I look forward to hearing the results!
