Lies, pants, polls and fact-checking

I came came across this article on the Politico website this morning. It brings new meaning to the old saying about a lie making it half-way around the world before truth has a chance to put its pants on.

At issue is the accuracy or lack thereof, of political polls. An hour doesn't go by without out poll results about this political race or issue being released with the numbers being breathlessly read on air or posted on the Internet.

They have to be accurate right? I mean it's a POLL! As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend."

One of the most watched races this political primary season was the Democratic primary campaign for Senate in Arkansas. Incumbent Blanche Lincoln was all but written off because polls said she was trailing challenger Bill Halter.

"Halter Surges!"

Turns out the poll data may not only have been bad, but deliberately manipulated. Lincoln of course, ended up winning, "surprising" the very same people who reported/wrote/blogged she was going to lose.

"DEWEY WINS!" 2.0.

As a journalist, I never liked polls. At best they were a momentary snapshot from a sample of a few hundred claiming to represent the views of thousands. There are, to be fair, solid and respected pollsters.

But in this 24-7 news environment and (mis)information spread at the speed of light on the Internet, everyone needs to take a moment, take a deep breath and do a little fact checking.

Before the advent of what we know now as the Internet, my friend, former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson told me, "Show me two people with a mimeograph machine and I'll show you a lobby group." An analog description that works just as well in today's digital world.

It's easy for any group or cause to create an official looking website, post polls or anything else and as long as one person believes it and shares it, truth might as well not even get out of bed.

It worked, almost, in Arkansas.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We get the conversation started about you!"

L*O*S*T. A Social Media Phenom

As I write this, the early ratings are in for the LOST Finale; 9.0, which isn't even close to the finale of one of television's most beloved shows, M*A*S*H.

But as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend."

The difference between how people talked about M*A*S*H and LOST after an episode was the traditional Watercooler vs the "E-Cooler" i.e. the myriad number of podcasts, fan pages etc that evolved during the run of LOST.

My two favorites LOST Podcasts are The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack and The Transmission. Both heavily involve fans of the show itself, plus you can blog, twitter, post comments on Facebook and the list goes on. That conversation will continue for months to come, if not years. The conversation continues!

One of the real challenges of Social Media is how to measure it as compared to traditional television ratings. But one thing for sure is, lovers and yes, haters of LOST are empowered to talk about the show, be involved and you can bet the networks monitor the more successful podcasts and fan pages.

As in my last posting here, viewers controlled the brand far more than ABC ever did. It's the brave new world of social media. It can be overwhelming sometimes, but Social Media can be an effective and powerful communication tool for your association or business. It's a medium where it's not enough to dip your toe into it, you have to jump in. Just make sure you know how deep the "E-Water" is!!

We don't claim to be experts in social media, frankly there aren't any "experts." Just people with a lot of experience with what works and doesn't work. Social media can and must be custom designed to meet your exact needs. One size does not fit all.

So today, people are all over the web chiming in on those final scenes of LOST, just like they did a generation ago around the traditional water cooler about the final scenes from M*A*S*H. But with Social Media, you can be part of a conversation involving millions instead of just a few.

It's what we help you do at Conversation Starters. Check us out.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters LLC