Buy Those URLs Before You Promote Them! (Or, Punking the Kochs in Jersey)

Here’s a fun (and fundamental) mistake to avoid: don’t promote a web address for your campaign until you’re sure you’ve actually bought it….

You see, the New Jersey branch of Americans for Prosperity recently launched a judicial elections initiative, promoted via a press release that also touted the website “NJDisrobed.com” as a source for “information about decisions and implications on the electorate.” One minor problem: no one had actually bothered to buy the URL yet, a situation that was quickly “rectified” by a liberal activist, who in turn pointed it at the Sourcewatch entry on Americans for Progress. Which of course lovingly details the group’s funding by the conservative Koch Brothers and its work on behalf of union-busters and the tobacco industry.

Besides being a true joy to tell you about, this particular screw-up is worse than the oopsie that led to that excellent Jane Corwin parody campaign site a couple of months ago, since at least Corwin’s staff had bought her OWN domain. Hey kids! Be sure to click on your link before you put it in a press release. Ah, sweet amateurs — without them, who would keep pros like us in business?

– cpd