As explained on the Google Blog, Google has created a Google Australia election website to track the candidates and results of the forthcoming Australian national election. The site involves use of Google Maps, iGoogle and YouTube. It’s something of a mix of public service and self-service (in the sense of smart marketing for Google’s applications and sites).

Of course, Google has a similar U.S. initiative (as do Yahoo and others) on the 2008 election. And Yahoo has just introduced a candidate video mashup site with the Huffington Post, which is part education and part entertainment.

As Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in his YouTube channel statement:

This medium is not some sort of gimmick . . . The Internet is a powerful medium for people to communicate and be informed.

Related Topics: Google: Marketing | Google: YouTube & Video

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling