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Never Gonna Give You Up |
So last week I learned about something new (to me, anyway) - Rickrolling. Basically you put a link into a webpage or email message that instead of going where the user thinks it will, it links to the Rick Astley video "Never Gonna Give You Up" on YouTube. According to Wikipedia, this has resulted in over 13 million viewings of "Never Gonna Give You Up". The current number is well over 19 million and counting.
I heard about this in the context of an NPR story about a candidate for state house in Kansas, Sean Tevis, who decided to run for Kansas State Representative. When two weeks of canvassing hadn't yielded the fundraising he needed, he made a website to help raise the money.
And what a website it is! I love the personal tone, the user-friendliness, and of course the comic strip. Yes, the comic strip.
One of the ways Tevis raised the money he needed - $26,000 in less than a week and a half, and $96,000 at the last filing deadline - was by publishing a comic strip on his site. These cartoons do a great job of explaining the campaign process and what goes on behind the scenes to the layperson. (Also, as a BSG fan, I love the Battlestar Galactica reference about halfway through the cartoons.)
Not only is the internet enabling political candidates to raise more money online than ever, I think this is a great example of how creativity and an authentic, personal message can help anyone - be it a political candidate or a nonprofit organization - to connect with people and build a real relationship. Authenticity is the key and it's much-sought these days - it's easy to tell when a message is not genuine.
So it was the mention of Rickrolling that caught my attention, but the rest of the story and checking out Sean Tevis' website for myself was the informative and illuminating part for me. What awesome creativity will we see next from the interwebs?
Also - check out this really cool link.
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Two related links you might want to look at (and I swear on a stack of lolcats or other appropriate internet meme that neither of these is a rickroll): XKCD, the nerd-tastic comic strip Mr. Tevis is aping. A prediction of what will be the greatest rickroll of all time.
URL: http://www.connectioncafe.com
A friend just sent me this hilarious!
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Not a rickroll, but comic strip about a rickroll. Seemed appropriate, given your post.
URL: http://www.baileyworkplay.com
Just when you thought it was safe to open a link, you have to go and get Rickrolling started again. I think it's time for something new...like Hoffrolling starring none other than David Hasselhoff. It'll take the world by storm.
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You're right, I think the authentic message has really worked with this comic. It's not your average talking points that politicians and org's use. And it's been very effective. It has been circulated via e-mail, facebook and gchat with all of my friends and colleagues and I've had friends from all over the country who have contributed to his campaign. (Of course the NPR coverage helped too).
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Ahhh, good old Rickrolling. :) I can't believe it's in a campaign comic. But fun stuff nonetheless. Definitely creative and authentic. Thanks for the post!