Campaign Enters Fourth Dimension

A voter tweeted the candidate a question about cops in schools. The candidate shared his answer on video with people ​“hanging out” via Google. Others watched the exchange on YouTube; some of them emailed more questions.

There was a phone number, too, but that was so last decade. No one called.

It was a new media moment, a possible glimpse of the future of 21st-century campaigning.

The moment happened Tuesday evening during a ​“Public Safety Digital Town Hall” meeting organized by the Justin Elicker’smayoral campaign. The event took place not in a church basement or in a high school cafeteria, but in cyberspace. It existed simultaneously on several media platforms: Tweets, emails, multiple live video feeds, email, and a PowerPoint-style animated presentation. Click the play arrow to watch the hour-long event.

Elicker is running for mayor as an independent against Democratic state Sen. Toni Harp. The election is on Nov. 5.

Tuesday’s cyberspace con-fab was not just a modern multi-modal media mash-up, but an example of the kind of communication and connectivity that Elicker said he hopes to bring to City Hall. Elicker said ​“digital” meetings are one way he’d like to see the city take advantage of new technologies to bring more people into public policy discussions.

Here’s how the digital meeting worked: The centerpiece was a Google Hangout , a form of online video-conferencing, that began at 8 p.m. Elicker, sitting in the home of a campaign supporter, spoke into a computer equipped with a video camera. He was able to see, via live video, and interact with up to 10 other people, who could join the Hangout from their home computers.

Meanwhile, others could watch a live stream of the Hangout on YouTube or through an embedded video feed on the Elicker campaign website. Viewers could join the discussion by tweeting at Elicker, sending him an email, or calling a phone number.

Elicker received about two dozen tweets and a number of emails. But no phone calls, of course.

It’s not, like, 2005 anymore. Come on.

A traditional town hall meeting might start with some ground rules: Please turn off your cell phones; keep your questions brief. Tuesday’s digital town meeting began similarly, except the rules were different: Please mute your computer microphone to avoid feedback, unless you’re asking a question. If you’ve asked your question, please switch over to the YouTube feed to open up a spot in the Google Hangout. 

Elicker started off with a presentation he made with an online, cloud-based PowerPoint-like program called Prezi. He talked about his vision for public safety improvements as he clicked through animated text, images, and graphs. Twice he played YouTube video testimonials from supporters (pictured) within the animated live-streaming video presentation, adding yet another layer of media to the experience.

The subject of the evening was public safety. Elicker praised Chief Dean Esserman’s community policing efforts and his data-driven approach. He talked about making more, smaller policing districts, and trying to collect a greater percentage of traffic fine payments from tickets issued by New Haven cops. (Currently, 90 percent of the fine money goes to the state.) He talked about block watches, walking beats, prison reentry, youth programs, and inter-agency collaboration.

Then he spent about 40 minutes answering questions from Hangout participants, tweeters, and emailers. The Hangout participants were largely people close to the campaign. Elicker supporters Julia Silberman, Rebecca Turcio, and Tim Holahan were logged on.

“There were a number of supporters,” Elicker said later, and “a handful of people I didn’t know.”

At 9 p.m. Elicker wrapped up the event by acknowledging that many people don’t have access to all the social media tools involved. He stressed that digital meetings are just one way the campaign is reaching out to people, a method that the city could take advantage of.

“This is only one way of communicating,” he said. “As a city, I don’t think we try very hard to use as many avenues as possible to engage the public.”

“Thanks so much for participating,” Elicker said. People patched in through Google Hangout raised their hands and waved goodbye, using the oldest form of farewell in the newest media.

Afterward, in an old-fashioned phone call, Elicker reflected on the experience.

“It went well,” he said, before listing several improvements he’d like to make next time. First: Notify people earlier and increase participation. Second: “I need a moderator.” It was hard to keep track of information coming in from so many sources. Third: Make it more interactive next time, more like a conversation and less like a Q&A session.

Elicker said he 75 viewers watched the live stream on YouTube.

“It was really fun,” Elicker said. “I hope that we get some feedback about other ways that we can use it.” Elicker mused about using the format to hold virtual office hours for his aldermanic constituents to video-chat with him. Or it could be a good way to “educate people on a new policy” or do any kind of informational presentation, he said.