The Nazz
30-09-2006, 03:22
Katherine Harris, in her quixotic bid to become Florida's next Senator (a bid that will only come to fruition if the rumors about electronic voting machines are accurate) has apparently resorted to some extreme tactics to get some electoral traction.
It's come out lately in some other races that campaigns are posting comments on their opponents' websites trying to convince other visitors that their attempts are fruitless, but doing so in such a way that it comes off as concern that their efforts might be better spent in other races. They've been labeled concern trolls, and I really have to wonder how effective they'd be, seeing as most commenters on a campaign website would be considered the most engaged.
But Harris's campaign has taken concern trolling to a whole new level (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2006/09/katherine_harri.html).
Does Katherine Harris have a fan in India?
A series of blog-site postings this month suggests someone is responding to negative comments about the Republican Senate candidate and refuting them with short blasts of pro-Harris material.
The messages bear different e-mail addresses, but they share the same internet protocol address, the 11-digit string that identifies the computer or network creating the message. And that address seems to located in western India.
"It's strange," said Josh Hallett, a Winter Haven-based blogger and internet consultant who's received some of the messages. "Why would anyone in India be doing this?"
They might not.
The messages could be originating in the U.S., but a tech-savvy sender could make it appear as if they were coming from overseas.
"It's very easy for someone to hide their identity," said Cliff Zou, an assistant professor of computer science at University of Central Florida. "That happens a lot."
The pro-Harris messages surfaced early this month on Hallett's blog. They appeared within five minutes of each other and each said something nice about Harris, who faces Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in the November general election.
"Kathy showed great victory by winning the primary," one said. "Great show Kathy."
Soon, similar messages popped up on blogs based in Kansas and Georgia. In some cases, the messages were responding to blog items that had been drifting in cyberspace for more than a year.
Hallett's item – which critiqued Harris' Congressional blog – was posted in March 2005. It drew little response until the three mysterious messages appeared on Sept. 8.
Two defended Harris' Congressional website, and the third sounded as if it could have come from Harris' campaign.
"Katherine Harris is tested by fire," it said. "She is strong and determined and will not back down in the face of adversity."
Actually, that did come from the Harris camp. Months ago, it was posted on her campaign website as one of the Top10 Reasons Katherine Harris Will Beat Bill Nelson.
In Wichita, Kan., blogger Steven Day began getting the pro-Harris e-mails about items he had written that were several weeks old.
"That's like a million years in blogging," he said. "It was very unusual."
Day said he assumed it was "some guy running a Katherine Harris spam operation." Hallett said he figured it was a Harris staffer. But when the internet protocol address tracked back to India, another thought crossed his mind.
"I wondered if she was outsourcing campaign support to India," he said. "It was so bizarre."
The wording of the messages also raised questions. The comments sound stilted, as if English wasn't the first language of the writer.
"Guys let us come out of this blue eye shadow," one says. "Let us not discuss such irrelevant details."
Another says, "At the end of the day what matters is her ability to lead the masses. Which I think she is quite good at." A third calls Bill Nelson, "Bill Henson."
The author of the comments remains unknown and the Harris campaign did not respond to questions about the blog postings. Using blogs as a political tool, however, is becoming common.
It's come out lately in some other races that campaigns are posting comments on their opponents' websites trying to convince other visitors that their attempts are fruitless, but doing so in such a way that it comes off as concern that their efforts might be better spent in other races. They've been labeled concern trolls, and I really have to wonder how effective they'd be, seeing as most commenters on a campaign website would be considered the most engaged.
But Harris's campaign has taken concern trolling to a whole new level (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2006/09/katherine_harri.html).
Does Katherine Harris have a fan in India?
A series of blog-site postings this month suggests someone is responding to negative comments about the Republican Senate candidate and refuting them with short blasts of pro-Harris material.
The messages bear different e-mail addresses, but they share the same internet protocol address, the 11-digit string that identifies the computer or network creating the message. And that address seems to located in western India.
"It's strange," said Josh Hallett, a Winter Haven-based blogger and internet consultant who's received some of the messages. "Why would anyone in India be doing this?"
They might not.
The messages could be originating in the U.S., but a tech-savvy sender could make it appear as if they were coming from overseas.
"It's very easy for someone to hide their identity," said Cliff Zou, an assistant professor of computer science at University of Central Florida. "That happens a lot."
The pro-Harris messages surfaced early this month on Hallett's blog. They appeared within five minutes of each other and each said something nice about Harris, who faces Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in the November general election.
"Kathy showed great victory by winning the primary," one said. "Great show Kathy."
Soon, similar messages popped up on blogs based in Kansas and Georgia. In some cases, the messages were responding to blog items that had been drifting in cyberspace for more than a year.
Hallett's item – which critiqued Harris' Congressional blog – was posted in March 2005. It drew little response until the three mysterious messages appeared on Sept. 8.
Two defended Harris' Congressional website, and the third sounded as if it could have come from Harris' campaign.
"Katherine Harris is tested by fire," it said. "She is strong and determined and will not back down in the face of adversity."
Actually, that did come from the Harris camp. Months ago, it was posted on her campaign website as one of the Top10 Reasons Katherine Harris Will Beat Bill Nelson.
In Wichita, Kan., blogger Steven Day began getting the pro-Harris e-mails about items he had written that were several weeks old.
"That's like a million years in blogging," he said. "It was very unusual."
Day said he assumed it was "some guy running a Katherine Harris spam operation." Hallett said he figured it was a Harris staffer. But when the internet protocol address tracked back to India, another thought crossed his mind.
"I wondered if she was outsourcing campaign support to India," he said. "It was so bizarre."
The wording of the messages also raised questions. The comments sound stilted, as if English wasn't the first language of the writer.
"Guys let us come out of this blue eye shadow," one says. "Let us not discuss such irrelevant details."
Another says, "At the end of the day what matters is her ability to lead the masses. Which I think she is quite good at." A third calls Bill Nelson, "Bill Henson."
The author of the comments remains unknown and the Harris campaign did not respond to questions about the blog postings. Using blogs as a political tool, however, is becoming common.