Mobilizing Youth

PDF Techpresident

Well, looks like PDF is doing almost exactly what I've been doing here,... but just a lot better: http://techpresident.com/ - guess funding and a staff helps!

Obama's Social Network

What: blog posts about Obama’s new myobama purpose built social network

Links:

http://chimprawk.blogspot.com/2007/02/social-networks-and-political.html
http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2007/02/thats_not_how_y.html
http://www.deepjiveinterests.com/2007/02/10/barack-obama-bigger-web20-evangelist-than-mike-arrington/

When: Feb 12, 07

MV Reading Notes:

Reactions to Obama’s new purpose built social networking tools.

• gets people talking – esp the netarati
• sets a precedent – that will be copied by other candidates
• some tech problems at myobama
• ultimate question is: what is it trying to achieve – writers are not clear on that point
• what advantage does it confer over promoting existing social networking sites
• there will always be more people on the other social networking sites
• candidate website should be clearinghouse of information – a feedaggregator for the candidate: candidate as a lifestyle brand
• external individuals who get social media will harness a lot of eyeballs on behalf of the candidate

MV Thoughts:

Having run a mini purpose built social network for TxtVoter, a lot of these comments hit the mark for me – although I’m not as negative on the concept as Stutzman. In fact, just last week, I was working on our book that discusses various new media technologies/applications and addressed the issue of purpose-built candidate social networks as follows:

Possibilities should be explored further in the context of offering incentives, leveraging existing members to recruit new members, building an ongoing mechanism for involvement, and laying the organizational infrastructure for mobilization. A purpose built social networking environment would go a long way towards achieving the objectives listed above, but may be too much of a resource drain. Spending time on existing social networking sites may adequately fulfill this need.

A purpose built social network may work for very high profile candidates like Obama - there may be enough umph to drive people to sign up and actually use the thing. However, the danger lies in the network becoming lame and underutilized. I’ve seen this happen time and again with great ideas that need a critical mass that never materializes. So, to make this work, Obama’s really got to push it – and has got to offer some mighty good incentives for people to stay active [calls from the candidate, downloadables, inside information].

The reality is that it will consume a lot of resources to make the purpose-built social network work. After all, it’s in competition with MySpace, Facebook, and others for user mindshare and time. These efforts may be better spent courting the existing, incipient, and future groups all around the web. But if there are enough resources to do both, why not…

Ref: 05

YouTube as Political Force

What: article about YouTube as a political force

Where: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/comment/0,,2005785,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=19

When: Mon, Feb 5, 2007

MV Reading Notes:
YouTube becoming a powerful instrument of politics: communication, message, image. Candidates can pick their settings, control message without reporters, cybercool, speak eye to eye with voters. Video=having a conversation.

Also danger in dredging up old video. John Edwards primping expose. These types of videos will be sharper daggers.

Most significantly, citizens will be using web to make their own political content.

MV Thoughts:
Real opportunity here is for candidates to make use of video to engage constituents in a video-based dialog with eachother and with the candidate directly. My prediction is that ’08 will be the YouTube election.

MobileActive Strategy Guide. #2

What: MobileActive Strategy Guide. #2 in the series.
When: Sometime in 2006? Why no pub dates??
Link: http://www.mobileactive.org/guides

Official summary:

This series of Strategy Guides is designed to equip organizations around the world with the know-how to deploy effective mobile campaigns for a variety of types of activism and advocacy. The first guide in this series focuses on using mobile phones in electoral and voter registration campaigns. Other guides in the series will focus on issue advocacy, fundraising, humanitarian and disaster relief, and mobile organizing.

MV Reading Notes:

Discusses:

• mobile phones in advocacy campaigns: the greenpeace argentina 2005 example – “mobileactivistas”
• IFAW’s UK stop the seal hunt campaign – use of sms in newspaper ads
• Oxfam sms organized rallies
• RNC txtmobbing
• Fahamu petition, Africa
• SEIU – immigrant rally contact gathering

Talks about costs of an advocacy campaign:

• mobile platform
• message fees
• fundraising fees
• staff time
• custom mobile platform

Steps for a successful mobile advocacy campaign:

• set goals and paln
• identify a vendor
• develop a marketing plan
• craft mechanics of campaign
• get mobile data integrated with your primary data center
• decide on closure and evaluation activities

MV Thoughts:

Eventually (very soon), this kind of advocacy stuff is not going to be news. It’s like saying “So and so ran a newspaper ad campaign.” The key to all of these campaigns is not the use of mobile, but creativity, targeting, and putting together a strategy that addresses the audience correctly. There is a lot of focus on mobile, b/c it’s new, but it’s a red herring. All of the old techniques for managing and evaluating a campaign remain –

Ref: 03

Mobile Active Strategy Guide #1

What: MobileActive Strategy Guide for using cell phones for civic engagement: Study #1.
When: Sometime in 2006? I can’t find a date on this thing.
Link: http://www.mobileactive.org/guides

Official summary:

This series of Strategy Guides is designed to equip organizations around the world with the know-how to deploy effective mobile campaigns for a variety of types of activism and advocacy. The first guide in this series focuses on using mobile phones in electoral and voter registration campaigns. Other guides in the series will focus on issue advocacy, fundraising, humanitarian and disaster relief, and mobile organizing.

MV Reading Notes:

Mobile phones used all across the world to register voters, educate, track, raise money. Highly personal. Limited rural coverage. Security concerns in countries with oppressive governments. Discusses case studies:

• Election monitoring and participation
• Discusses the Philippines example: ringtones, txtpower
• Voter reg: talks about rockthevote & mobile voter
• Candidate * political party support

Data that a campaign should track

• target audience demographics
• audience contact
• marking effectiveness
• initial mobile opt in rate
• secondary mobile conversion rate
• follow up conversion rate
• forward to a friend rate

Lessons:

• set goals
• understand audience
• create budget
• get permission
• have clear call to action
• get creative
• think big
• tell a friend
• integrate outreach

MV Thoughts:

Having done mobile work for 2 years, this info seems like old hat – but is a great primer for the newbie. Good list of data that campaign should track. Big section on Mobile Voter – yea! Note that we’ll be revising the benchmark data provided in this document.

Ref: 02

Will Obama put on the makeup? - Zack Exley

Great blog post re: obama getting in touch with the netroots - and doing it in a more meaningful way. And great idea to have him say he'll only get in the race if 1million people sign up for his list.

http://zackexley.com/2007/02/04/will-obama-put-on-the-make-up/

Congressional Dems Open Shop in Second Life

What: News from Reuters
When: Jan 2 2007
Link: http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/01/02/congressional-democrats-agenda-gets-sl-stage/

MV Reading Notes:

In world discussion with Rep. George Miller in SL as the 110^th congress convenes. $60K budget for the project. Other politicians interviewed in SL. Washington monument built in SL.

MV Thoughts:

Nothing too interesting here, other than the fact that politics is happening in SL and that money is being spent to do it. Seems like more buzz than meat.

Virtual World Reference

I'll continuously update this post with links to virtual world news&other sources:

Second Life stats compendium: http://www.secretlair.com/index.php?/clickableculture/entry/second_life_stats_expanded_early_2006/

Reuters Second Life News Center: http://secondlife.reuters.com

There.com: a virtual world - less complex than second life. http://www.there.com/

Second Life official news page: http://secondlife.com/news/

Second Life offical blog: http://blog.secondlife.com

Second Life Herald: http://www.secondlifeherald.com/

Second Life News Network: http://www.slnn.com

New World Notes (second life): http://nwn.blogs.com/

Virtual Laguna Beach: http://content.vlb.mtv.com/laguna_central/
MTV's virtual send up of their TV show of the same name

Anshe Chung: first SL millionaire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anshe_Chung

Second Life Insider: http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/

Second Life scripting portal: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/LSL_Portal