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Hello Merge Tag: Where Social Media and Politics Intersect

Latest episodes

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Jan 10, 2025 • 49min

Talking Digital With the DNC Chair Candidates: Nate Snyder

On February 1st, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new chair to replace outgoing party chair Jamie Harrison. The next DNC chair will lead the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. This person will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. I reached out to the DNC Chair candidates and invited them to join me on the pod to discuss the role they envision digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. While not all are able to participate, I’m happy to share conversations with the candidates who accepted my invitation. My first conversation was with Nate Snyder. Nate Snyder is a union organizer, grassroots professional, counter-terrorism expert, professor, voter protection advisor, and crisis manager who served as Chief of Staff for the Office of Partnership & Engagement at the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden/Harris Administration. We talked about dis- and misinformation, extremism, the TikTok ban, the modern-day robber barons and a whole lot more. Find links and more at HelloMergeTag.com.
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Dec 20, 2024 • 1h 8min

Representation in the Digital Age with State Rep Francesca Hong and Nada Elmikashfi

In this episode, I'm joined by Wisconsin State Representative Francesca Hong and her Chief of Staff, Nada Elmikashfi. Full disclosure: I have the pleasure of serving as Rep Hong’s digital director.  But even if I didn’t, I’d be tuned in. They are two of the strongest progressive voices currently active in Wisconsin politics. Rep Hong, along with being a chef and a community organizer, is also the first Asian-American to ever be elected to the Wisconsin legislature. In January, that caucus will grow from 1 to 3. So that’s exciting. But for the last 4 years, it’s just been her. Nada is an activist, a thought leader, an organizer, as well as a first-generation American, born in Sudan.  Together, they have been champions for working people, helped draft the Economic Justice Bill Of Rights, and been unrelenting progressive forces on a long list of issues working their way through the Wisconsin State Capitol.  To say that both of these very strong women stand out in the halls of our government would be quite an understatement. I invited them on the pod to talk about the role — and possibly the responsibility — they feel to be representatives for their communities, both on social media and in real life. Find links to relevant articles, social handles and more at hellomergetag.com.
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Dec 5, 2024 • 43min

Bringing a Field Program to Life on Social Media With Emily Tseffos and State Senator-Elect Sarah Keyeski

Sarah Keyeski is a mental health care provider, a mom and this past cycle, she was a first-time political candidate. She ran for State Senate in Wisconsin against an incumbent who's been an elected official in her community since 1991 — and Sarah won! Emily Tseffos is a former educator, a community advocate and a mom who ran for office in an extremely Republican district. While she didn’t win, she ran a hell of a race and made impressive and significant inroads into a community not used to being organized. Full disclosure: I had the privilege to work with both of these candidates throughout their campaigns.  But I invited Sarah and Emily onto the podcast because they didn’t just run strong races—they also executed inspired digital programs. We dive into how they approached digital strategy, especially as it related to their field programs, what they learned along the way, and their advice for future candidates. In this conversation, we also explored: The power of social media to cut through the noise and build real connectionsHow social media can connect the dots to help explain why things are the way they areThe importance of going beyond the soundbite"The Schitt's Creek Protocol" And so much more Find links to their social channels and more at hellomergetag.com. ----- Big thanks to our sponsor Civic Shout. Learn more about the great work they're doing to help Democratic campaigns and progressive nonprofits build their lists ethically at civicshout.com/partners.
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Oct 11, 2024 • 16min

12 Takeaways From 2 Years On TikTok

I've been posting pretty much daily to TikTok for two years. I've built up a bit of a following in the process. I also write thefyp.news, a weekly pop-up newsletter from FWIW spotlighting the top political content, creators, and trends on TikTok ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election.  After my first year posting, I wrote a blog post. You can find that here. Now that I'm 2 years in, I pulled together 12 takeaways — some new, some less so — of things I've learned about this important, but complicated platform. Listen to all episodes of Hello Merge Tag at hellomergetag.com or wherever you stream podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsor Civic Shout. Learn more about how they're helping Democratic campaigns and progressive nonprofits build their lists ethically at civicshout.com/partners.
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Jul 12, 2024 • 40min

Using AI Not Just To Speak But Also To Listen with Tareq Alani of Chorus AI

Tareq Alani is a product leader who operates at the intersection of media, technology, and civic engagement. He is a Co-Founder at Chorus AI, where he leads product and growth. Chorus AI was designed to transform the way nonprofits and campaigns engage with media and content creation. Before Chorus AI, Tareq co-founded and served as the Chief Product Officer of PushBlack, the largest non-profit media company for Black Americans. While there, he spearheaded reader revenue efforts, generating more than $5M between 2017 and 2022. He also developed PushBlack’s groundbreaking voter engagement program, which in 2020 reached 70% of Black Americans online and generated 230M peer-to-peer voting messages, making it the largest digital voter turnout program of its kind. Throughout the conversation, we covered: How he got into the fieldWhy politics can’t just be transactionalHow Chorus AI is approaching AI as a tool to help progressive campaigns and organizations do moreHow they’re building their tech in a way that’s in line with their valuesWhat sets them apart from the more household names in AIThe important of social listening and how AI can help organizations get more done with lessOther AI tools he’s excited aboutWhat he thinks the future looks like for AI, and tech in generalWhat the media looks like in an AI driven futureAnd so much more! For links and more, head to hellomergetag.com.
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Jun 13, 2024 • 60min

Navigating a Fractured Media Landscape with Hunter Schwarz of YELLO

Hunter Schwarz, founder of YELLO, discusses the unique newsletter covering politics, art, branding, and design. He explores the challenges of reaching voters in a fractured media landscape and shares insights on font choices, campaign rallies, and more.
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May 16, 2024 • 36min

Building Trusted Messengers with Dan Pfeiffer

Dan Pfeiffer, progressive messaging expert, discusses the importance of trusted messengers and involving everyone in the election process. Emphasizes the need to narrow the news chasm between what is happening and the voters. Touches on strategies for empowering local advocates, Democratic brand and media strategy, campaign infrastructure transitions, and launching of Anxiety Relief Fund and Volunteer Recruitment Campaign.
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May 8, 2024 • 45min

How Did Democratic Fundraising Get So Problematic, And Where Do We Go From Here? With Josh Nelson

We checked in with Josh Nelson, CEO of Civic Shout, to talk about the rampant spam and scam currently overtaking Democratic fundraising. We talked about how we got here, and how we can fix things. He walked us through a fascinating timeline of digital fundraising, starting with Howard Dean's presidential campaign and their innovative digital work (which started with Meet Ups!). But which new generations of digital professionals "A/B tested... into some pretty unfortunate tactics." This all of course culminated in the world in which we currently live. You know, where we all want to throw out our phones and delete our email accounts. It was a great and enlightening conversation with a lot of reasons for hope. Hope you enjoy!
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Mar 19, 2024 • 49min

Making Your Content Platform Agnostic with Andy Barr

Delve into the importance of platform agnostic content with Andy Barr, managing director at Uplift. Explore the changing industry landscape, audience segmentation, and the nuances of digital advertising. Discover the significance of data, Scan tool for tracking ad spending, and strategic time management in political campaigns.
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Mar 5, 2024 • 50min

Combating Misinformation On Google During Ohio's Fight for Abortion Rights with Britt Bischoff

In this episode, Britt Bischoff discusses combating misinformation on Google during Ohio's fight for abortion rights. She led a campaign to disrupt pathways to misinformation, prevent harmful content from solidifying, and redirect users to fact-based information. The discussion also explores tactics for countering misinformation through digital campaigns and the impact of YouTube video ad exposure on search behavior.

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