Wednesday Webcast Review: The Source: Deval Patrick for Governor

Mr. Patrick's campaign. This is simply a review of a podcast being used by a candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

With that out of the way, we think it’s interesting that a couple of the candidates are attempting to embrace podcasting as a way to mobilize their grassroots campaigns. Deval Patrick is certainly not the first politician to do so, but he seems to be in the vanguard in this respect for this election.

The podcast Bostonist is referring to is The Source: Deval Patrick for Governor. It was started a little more than a month ago and has an interesting mix of content. For starters, it is not just audio content. Within the same feed, he delivers both audio and video content. In addition, the podcast delivers testimonials, sound bytes from speeches delivered by Mr. Patrick, and some short bits of campaigning.

The sound quality is varied as it is sometimes Mr. Patrick calling in (probably on a mobile phone) to leave a short message for supporters, or sometimes is a piece of video shot from a camcorder in the middle of an auditorium. For the most part, the sound is good. And, in all honesty, the fact that Mr. Patrick is a gifted speaker makes it easier on the ears.

As for Boston-centric, let's face it, the Governorship isn't all about Boston, but it should concern 100% of Bostonians. Therefore, we are giving it high marks for being relevant to Bostonians even if Boston is rarely (if ever) mentioned. Now, this isn't a particularly entertaining podcast. But, we can't fault it for not being something it really shouldn't be. This is a pretty informational and educational podcast. So, we will just rate it in that regard. If you are looking to learn everything about Mr. Patrick and his campaign through the podcast alone, you will be sorely disappointed. This is only a supplement to the information a person should be gathering. And, let's not forget that this is material collected by Mr. Patrick's campaign. It should be taken in with a heavy dose of scrutiny. With that said, it is another way to help us get to know a candidate. And, that is a good thing. By the way, another candidate for governor, Christy Mihos, has a podcast as well. It seems the other candidates have yet to jump on this bandwagon.

Wednesday Webcast Review contributed by Colin Rego of Boston Geek.