I always forget how rural my home state of Maine is until I venture back and try to log onto the internet. Wireless is just starting to get big there, internet cafes are few and far between, and DSL lines are still being added in the state's biggest cities. Nevertheless, Maine's two candidates for the U.S. Senate are following national trends by looking to YouTube to target voters. Lewiston's Sunjournal recently covered the issue.
Both campaigns have uploaded more than 50 videos each. So far, the spots vary in seriousness. Susan Collins has posted campaign ads and scenes from the trail, but her campaign has also added some of her more humorous moments occurring over the last year. Tom Allen, too, has used humor to refute rumors that he is the most boring man alive.
Viewers are not flocking to the videos quite yet, as both campaigns report only between 0-2000 hits for each YouTube spot. However, the move raises a few interesting questions: 1) What demographic do campaigns target with YouTube videos? 2) What kinds of factors limit the success of campaigning through YouTube? Is it worth the effort in rural states?
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