http://cache.wonkette.com/assets/resources/2007/06/mitty.jpgThat is how Sunny on Pickled Politics describes the old school way of using the web for politics. I actually tend to agree. With the creation of Web 2.0 features, politics online are more than just a website that acts like a virtual brochure. It has become a vehicle for interaction between the campaign and its supporters. She mentions how with Facebook, supporters can give donations and volunteer hours. This has revolutionized the way campaigns communicate with its supporters.
Being a political wonk myself that has worked on many campaigns, I can not agree more about how much social networks / Web 2.0 have changed politics. Much of what I did for the Romney campaign was grassroots mobilization on college campuses nationwide. I once helped set up a nationwide grassroots effort of phonebanking during the day and celebrating with a live webcast with the Governor at night. I was the Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic and Southern States. Without the ability to communicate with volunteers throughout the nation via facebook, there was no way for me to effective and efficiently perform my job. In the end, the nationwide event was a huge success and our efforts made a huge difference going into the primaries.
1 comment:
Social networks have really been utilized int his election. Until we see the results at the booths however, it's hard to say what kind of real impact they will have had. Just because theres millions of people in the "Save Darfur" group that doesn't mean those people are donating any time/money.
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