Fine Gael’s Valentine’s Day app – why? #socialmediacringe #ge11

Albizu Garcia
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:52:07 +0000
Social Media, #ge11, #socialmediacringe, enda kenny, fine gael, general election, Ireland Technology News, valentines day

Fine Gael may have yet again become political adversaries as they continue to advance deeper into the world of social media cringe prior to #ge11 later this month. In a bizarre move, Fine Gael have set up an electronic Valentine’s Day email service on their website (aka, web connection point) that lets users send their love interest an uninspiring valentine’s email, or alternatively, spam some friends.

Screenshot of Fine Gael's terrible Valentine's Day app

I’m confused as to what political motivation exists here? Some Irish boards.ie members have shared their opinion on the service. One member, Frada, states:

“It just looks like a way for Fine Gael to get a load of people’s email addresses to me”.

Another bewildered member, galwayrush, writes:

“Almost all polliticans are, their ability to stay in touch with our reality is inversely proportional to their fat wages”.

Another potential problem with the email app is that it doesn’t verify the sender’s email identity before sending out an e-card, so it’s possible to pretend a message is coming from someone else. The example below shows a fake email of affection sent by Enda Kenny to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin. It’s unclear whether the exchange has been reciprocated.

Fake Valentine's Day email sent by Enda Kenny to Micheál Martin