GOTV:把视频拿出来
Not only did Senator Barack Obama change his title from Senator to President-Elect on Tuesday, but the night was used to unveil new broadcast tools. 从CNN到Fox再到微软全国有线广播电视公司, new touchscreens and giant on-set monitors were used to trace the history of voting by state and county as results came in.
While the traditional broadcasters had large screens, massive sets (both virtual and real), 还有多个摄像师, the blogosphere and social media sites used armies of one to get out the news of the vote.
Streaming companies also got into the political spirit, offering tools that let the electorate stream content that their friends, 的同胞, and even global viewers could use to experience the moment. One of the new streaming tools rolled out, YouTube视频Your Vote, allowed citizens to post videos in a variety of categories.
Not only was there an early voting category, but also one for perspectives on voting, 投票站的问题(登记), 投票站, or voter issues) and a notable voter designation. Each video showed up on a map of the United States, with a pin in the geographic location of the video, and a color to match it to the particular category.
Over the course of the afternoon and evening the number of pins grew, and by Wednesday morning there were more than 1,200 pins—most of which fell under the perspectives category, but several of which highlighted alleged voter intimidation and polling problems.
Another tool that traditional radio and cable broadcasters used were the behind-the-scenes streams. ”.com had an unfiltered video stream of its newsroom, while a radio station site —Stickam.com—streamed anchor audio feeds for CBS' KNX 1070 新闻radio and KABC Talkradio, 都离开了洛杉矶.
Elections are also a good time to get brand awareness for a socially responsible company or product. Starbucks joined the ranks with its "免费的 Cup of Coffee" promotion designed to provide a free cup of tall coffee to anyone who visited a Starbucks on Election Day and said that they voted.
Not only was the Starbucks commercial shown during 周六夜现场, but it was also shown before and after SNL clips of candidate John McCain and Palin-lookalike Tina Fey that made their rounds on the internet on Sunday and Monday. 不幸的是, election officials in Starbucks’ home state of Washington told the company federal law prohibits payment of money, 货物, 或服务，以换取投票.
"Federal law makes no distinction between cups of coffee or a raffle ticket versus a buy-the-vote kind of thing on the other end of the spectrum,大卫·阿蒙斯说, spokesman for the Washington secretary of state. "We just told Starbucks, essentially, no good deed goes unpunished. We appreciate the gesture, but it's forbidden.''
"What if we all cared enough to vote? 我们的世界会变得更好吗? We think so, too,'' the streaming commercial, teased at the beginning of SNL clips and then played in full at the end of the clip. “11月11日来星巴克吧. 4th, tell us you voted, and we'll proudly give you a tall cup of brewed coffee on us.''
星巴克回应了，本也回应了 & Jerry’s who had a similar promotion, by offering completely free product to anyone who asked, 在一个特定的时间窗口内.
What about those citizens who didn’t have a television? 一个Slashdot.com questioner asked how best to watch the election live.
“几年前, 我们扔掉了有线电视, and don't have much luck getting old-fashioned broadcast where we live,海报上写着. "That's fine — we can download or Netflix almost anything we want to see. 问题是, now I want to watch the election live, 配有说话头, 权威人士, 炫目的图形, 还有其他的, rather than reading about it on a website. So, is there any way to download network TV/CNN/微软全国有线广播电视公司 in real time — I don't mind paying."
A variety of respondents mentioned that CNN, 微软全国有线广播电视公司, and FOX all had live streams of breaking news (McCain's concession, 奥巴马的胜选演说). A few of those sites also kept pertinent streams noted at the top of the banner with a "watch live" tag as the streams were rebroadcast.
Despite the fact that live streams online were simulcast along with traditional broadcasts, one respondent offered practical advice.
"It might be more worthwhile to head to your local sports bar,海报上写着. They'll very likely have the election results on. If your candidate of choice wins, you celebrate; if the other guy wins, you drown away your sorrows . . ."