Here's a tip to all you fans of videos that feature young people singing and chanting praises to Barack Obama: Download them to your computer before they go viral because the videos will disappear as soon as the inevitable wave of ridicule in the blogosphere hits a fever pitch.

Two cases of such viral embarrassment have happened in less than a week.

The first episode occurred soon after The Drudge Report linked to a video called "Sing For Change," which featured elementary-aged children singing about hope, change and all things Obama. The video was broadly condemned. Even the nonpartisan blog PrezVid criticized the "creepy California parents" who made their kids sing words they couldn't possibly understand in political context.

Apparently stung by the criticism, the creator of the video, Obama supporter Kathy Sawada, made it "private" on YouTube. When YouTube users began attacking her in the comments, she deleted most of the comments but made the clip public again. That didn't last long, though. Now it's private again. (I downloaded the original and posted excerpts at Eyeblast.tv just in case.)

A few days later, another video called "Obama Youth" went viral. It features young black men from the Urban Community Leadership Academy in Kansas City, Mo., marching as they chant "Alpha, Omega," a phrase with messianic meaning. The youngsters also rotely recite Obama's "Yes We Can" motto and presidential plans, and they give him premature credit for who they hope to become.

That video began to spread online last week and hit its viral stride over the weekend. Today, the YouTube user who uploaded the video, presumably an Obama critic based on the video description, pulled it without explanation. (I have a copy of that one, too.)

The good news is that once someone pushes the publish button online, it's impossible to put the video genie back in the offline bottle. You can still watch complete versions of both "Sing For Change" and "Obama Youth" on YouTube, and "Sing For Change" already is the subject of parody after parody.

Obama's online October surprise will continue from now until Election Day and beyond.

The last panel I sat in on at RightOnline today was “Shaping the Future: Youth Politics and New Media.” Getting teens and twenty-somethings involved in politics is a challenge. But getting teens and twenty-somethings interested (and involved) in Republican politics and activism often seems to be a nearly impossible task. So, in other words, good luck to the panelists.

My kudos for best points go to Ethan Eilon, College Republicans executive director, and Soren Dayton, modern media and political consultant. Ethan explained how 18- to 25-year-olds have largely been untapped by campaigns because they’re tough to reach. Few in that age group (if any) have landlines and most don’t have the same address for more than six months. Without a phone number or address, these people are “invisible” to a campaign. But with the advent of the internet—and young people moving their lives online—there is finally an “efficient and consistent” way to reach them.

Soren continued on a message that I heard in several Friday panels: modern media (i.e. the web) has not changed the fundamentals of politics, just the medium. The internet is not the “silver bullet” to end problems with voter outreach—especially youth voter outreach. The rules of politics are still the same. You go out, you meet people, you talk to people, and hopefully you convince people to agree with you.

So what does that mean for the Republican battle to win back the youth vote?

The trick is not coding a killer Facebook app or producing a phenomenal YouTube video. Those things are necessary, but not sufficient to create a real youth movement. The real challenge is instead (1) to identify the issues most important to youth voters; (2) to craft a Republican message to respond to those issues and concerns; (3) to deliver that message in such a way it feels authentic and real--the trick to being successful online as David Almacy explained yesterday; and (4) to pass the finished product along to youth voters through the right online portals (social networks, blogs, etc.).

And if that doesn't help the Right "win online" then I don't know what else will.

Cross-posted to Real World Republicans.

So tonight, for the first time, I used LinkedIn's Q&A feature. Naturally, my question revolved around how the GOP could work to win back the youth vote. Here's the note I sent to about 200 of my connections:

Today's article in the Politico.com [h/t Second Cup] brings more attention to a disturbing trend for those of us concerned about the longevity and continuity of the Republican Party: We are losing the under-30 vote (a.k.a. Gen Next/Millennial) like never before.

I've tried YouTube before to see if anyone would answer the question of how we reverse the trend.

My question to President Bush - unanswered.

My question to Mitt Romney - unanswered.

My question to the YouTube Republican debate - didn't make the editorial cut.

So I've decided to ask the question here - at our LinkedIn community.

I understand the "hip" and "cool" challenge that Barack brings to the debate for any of his opponents. However, I think we could at least try and off-set his popularity by doing a better job of communicating the reasons why we all found the Party in the first place.

So I want your thoughts and input on this thread.

How can we work to ensure that John McCain wins the Gen Next vote?

Thanks to Gen X, there are a lot of misconceptions about young voters.

If you're in your twenties, you've undoubtedly heard the mantra, "But young people don't vote" from strategists and pundits. Those of us under 30 know that this isn't true, but anecdotal stories from our own trips to the polls aren't that helpful.

Rock the Vote, which recently teamed up with Young Voter Strategies, released a helpful fact sheet on the voting trends of those under 29.

This is particularly relevant to Republicans since many of the tight elections in 2006 were won by Democrats, who ran young voter outreach programs. According to Rock the Vote:

• Montana: Tester defeated Burns by 3,562 votes; 18-29 turnout was up by 39,106 votes over 2002.
• Virginia: Webb defeated Allen by 9,329 votes; 18-29 turnout was up by 110,453 votes over 2002.
• Missouri: McCaskill defeated Talent by 48,314 votes, 18-29 turnout was up by 108,269 votes.
• CT-02: Joe Courtney won by 83 votes; turnout at the UConn polling place was up nearly 10x that.

A new generation is now voting, and they're very different from Boomers and Xers. They're willing to vote and work, especially in tight elections. However, Millennials need to be asked and invited. We're the generation that grew up with targeted marketing. Shouldn't politics be targeted towards us as well?

As Mark mentioned yesterday, MTV and MySpace have teamed up to present real-time "Presidential Dialogues."

This is a critical group for the GOP to reach. Young voters are increasingly turning out to the polls and voting for Democrats. The Republicans need to take every opportunity to reach them. It's good to see that all of them have agreed to participate.

Anastasia Goodstein, youth marketing guru, offers a few reminders for campaigns targeting youth:

What I don't understand is why the youth voter message either relies on celebrities to tell young people voting is cool or the candidates showing how hip they are. Where are the issues? Why isn't there messaging or a campaign that's focused on issues young people care about? The cost of college is sky high and only getting higher. Most of the people serving in the Iraq war are in this demographic. The cost of buying a home or apartment in a major city is not affordable for most young people. Will there be social security when this generation retires? With this generation, context is key. We have to show them why their vote matters and how specifically it can affect change and have a direct impact on their lives. I think that the messaging has to be less about how it's cool to vote or how cool the candidates are and more about why young people should give a damn.

I echo her sentiments. Millenials are a tough group. They want to be reached through certain mediums, but only with their issues. With our glee to see the candidates use social media, it's easy to forget that young voters also care about the issues. Facebook friends are great, but does the profile or web site mention positions that matter to them? What's more important--that celebrity endorsement or the candidates' views on college costs?

This generation has been told from birth that they are special, and they're looking for a candidate who realizes this and reaches out to them. It's a challenge, but Millenials can provide the edge needed to win a close race. All they're asking for is substance wrapped up in the 2.0 package.

Last week Patrick Ruffini wrote about benefits of using the web to mobilize grassroots and reach opinion leaders and early adopters. Young Voter Strategies at George Washington University recently released a new study that shows e-campaigns aren't just added bonuses, but crucial to winning tight elections.

Something changed in 2004 and again in 2006. Suddenly, voters aged 18-29 started turning up at the polls. Millenials, those born between 1977 and 1997, cast 4.3 million more votes in 2004 than 2000 with 49% of the age group voting. In 2006, Millenials increased their votes by 2 million from the 2002 mid-term election. If this trend continues, our youngest voters will be the deciding factor in many elections.

The bad news is that Millenials largely favor Democrats. In 2006, 60% of 18-29 year-olds voters cast ballots for Democratic candidates. The picture gets a little more scary when factoring in research that voting is habit forming, and once an individual supports a particular party for three elections, they are likely to form a life-long loyalty to that party. However, not all is bleak for the Republicans.

According to YVS,

Today's young Republicans are very loyal Republicans--but they need to be targeted and turned out. ...young Republicans are more loyal and more intensely Republican than older Republicans. 60% believe the country is headed in the right direction. President Bush has a favorable rating of 76%, and the Republican Party has a favorable rating of 85%.

Young supporters of the Republican Party are out there and excited about being a Republican, but they won't show up on their own. They need to be asked, and the best way to reach them isn't through more paid advertising.

E-campaigns are crucial for reaching these eager, young voters. If asked, not only will they turn up at the polls, but they'll volunteer and work long hours to help out. The key here is reaching out to them on their terms. Millenials are more tech and media savvy than any other generation. Broadcast campaigns won't reach them. If tight races mean turning out every potential vote, campaigns must invest resources in the web.

This requires creating a strategy that goes beyond candidate blogs. Social networking is the hub that Millenials' lives revolve around. A Harvard Institute of Politics study in 2006 found that 97% of all college students logged onto Facebook at least once a month and that population is quickly entering the workforce. According to Facebook numbers, average users log onto the site at least 10-12 times a day.

While Facebook may seem like the silver bullet of the youth vote, it takes personal interaction to reach these voters. The tactics aren't expensive but are labor intensive. The key to recruiting new Republicans is developing one-on-one relationships. Facebook works to recruit, identify and gather these supporters. It's up to the campaigns to invest the manpower to reach them.

YVS sums it up pretty well:

For Republicans, the past two elections should spur them to devote resources to stemming the flow of today's youth to the Democratic Party. Not all young adults vote Democratic, and plenty of those who did in 2006 are not yet wed to the party. In 2008 and beyond, Republicans should develop a strategy to win back many of those young voters and build their party for the future.