6/14/2007
Senator Clinton’s campaign has launched a new site, HillaryHub.com with a Drudge Report-like format in that it does not produce original content but instead simply aggregates content. The key here is that Senator Clinton’s campaign can aggregate the material they choose to highlight, which is a particular advantage.
On the face of it, it is a very good idea. Media companies have, for years now, pointed out how influential DrudgeReport.com has become in breaking stories that otherwise might have received little or no attention. He breaks new stories and he adds momentum to stories that are just breaking in a way that few if any other sites can.
Matt Drudge, of course, is a news aggregator but he picks and chooses which stories to headline, and Drudge’s instincts for stories, in my opinion, seems somewhat akin to the instincts of a George Soros or a Warren Buffet in terms of their ability to both anticipate the market and move the market.
Those are the instincts that Drudge possesses when it comes to his ability to both anticipate the media and move it as well.
So, the question is, can Senator Clinton’s team do the same? Even if they cannot, HillaryHub may still prove both a great strength and a strategic campaign advantage. In terms of giving campaign supporters the best possible take on their candidate, this site is ideal. That said, most campaign sites do some of this already, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on this move to determine the overall strategic value of HillaryHub.com.
At the same time, if the Clinton Campaign seeks to truly aggregate everything, they should have a section or a column for direct campaign releases and information. An aggregator should gather everything, both internal and external to the Senator’s campaign. It should not try to carefully couch campaign information as “other” content.
So, for example, while it is okay to link up with an article written in response to a campaign news release, Clinton’s campaign should not try to show their own news releases on this site ONLY by linking to other media sources. I just think it would make the site look to contrived and less natural, which is something that Senator Clinton should avoid at all costs.
My two cents on that issue.
So, will this prove a winner for Senator Clinton? Will others follow her lead?
I think it will be helpful, though I’m not sure at this point how much. And, definitely, others will follow her lead. They’ll do it in one of two ways. Either they’ll tweak their current campaign sites to aggregate other information HillaryHub-style, or they’ll create a similar type of aggregator site.
The last question in my mind is whether or not this was the right time for Senator Clinton to launch this site so early. Will this give her rivals — Democrats and Republicans — time to copy her efforts and eliminate any strategic advantage?
I guess, on this issue, we’ll have to stay tuned.
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