As an online publisher I guess I should be gratified that our national leaders, and wannabes, consider the web is now such an influential media that they (or their staff) seemingly take every available opportunity to raise their internet presence and rewrite content with which they disagree.
And given that for most under 30s the traditional sources of information such as newspapers and television have now been totally usurped by the web, it really should not be surprising to anyone that the pollies are not letting any perceived digital advantage go to waste.
In fact, all political parties have always been highly skilled in using any marketing ploy available to push their policies and candidates in the lead up to election day.
Direct marketers, in particular, have for many years endured the hypocrisy involved when governments of all persuasions have actively legislated against their use of direct (junk) mail and telemarketing for legitimate business purposes only to see the same pollies protect and enshrine their own totally unfettered access to these techniques.
However, the prospect of politicians self-broadcasting without the much debated ‘objective’ role of an intermediary journalist or moderator being involved anywhere in the process raises major concerns for me and goes to the heart of the oft quoted objections to the use of the so-called consumer generated content or the role of citizen journalists.
Of course this type of activity also highlights the well established (but seriously questionable) modus operandi of not revealing personal identity online - the justification of which I must say has always been unconvincing to me.
As it happens I have personally used a pen name in print for many years and to an embarrassingly small audience they wouldn’t recognise my real name (and it’s too late to change now anyway) but online I have always used my own moniker and insisted that all YOC contributors and columnists do likewise.
It is my belief that anyone who wishes to communicate a message online should make their identity known, and when internet based forums, chatrooms and the like are employed, anyone who modifies the content posted should also be identified.
Your Opinion Counts. Click here >
YOC stands for YourOnlineCommunity
YOC (sounds like Yock) just happened. And, no, it isn’t an acronym for Your Opinion Counts.
In fact, although legally registered on 22 February this year, YOC only officially commenced operating as a new entity from 1 July 2007 and effectively replaces Empower Australia The Marketing Group which first set up shop in Wollongong in 1989.
All staff, operations and ph/fax contact numbers remain unchanged and we are still located at Level 2, 67-69 Market Street – we do have new ABN/ACN numbers and banking details.
To be precise our full name is Your Online Community Pty Ltd and YOC together with our daisy logo are our registered trademarks. GET CONNECTED remains our tagline or call to action.
YocTV.com the new video sharing portal is our only online property to incorporate YOC in its name, although increasingly the stylised flower logo will become associated with our other longer established websites such as SmartPages.com.au and SportsLive.com.au.
The need for a new identity was precipitated by several factors including a change in ownership structure, our adoption of a franchise model to roll out online communities throughout Greater Sydney (currently Parramatta and Sutherland Shire) and the realisation that our old name no longer accurately reflected the organisation’s pure online operations.
For more information click here > | 
