This blog post is about the ever growing power of the concept of YOU.
And this post is about recognizing a moment.
I am not interested in discussing politics right now and I'm not endorsing Barack Obama for President.
What I AM doing is endorsing an exceptionally well conceived viral marketing campaign. I'm giving a brief ovation to an idea that is brilliant on it's face. I'm cheering an important moment on the Internet. It has nothing to do with politics. I've been registered as a republican since I was 18 years old. So if someone on the Republican side had done this, I'd be standing up and applauding them as well.
What Obama has done is construct a social networking site based entirely around his campaign.
He has enlisted easy to use technology - internet videos, blogs, event planners, fundraising widgets - to build a constituency and to make garnering their support remarkably simple. He has made his campaign videos easy to share, download and embed into other websites. He's enabling viral marketing iike no other politician. In less than 48 hours there are already 1422 local and 1018 national groups in the network. In one fell swoop, he has both given his supporters their own voice and provided a platform from which they can use that voice.
And he's not just leaning on his own site. He's doing what anyone who understands how the Internet works would do. He's using other social networks to whip the long tail as hard as he can. I've been unable to verify this information, but according to one source he has over 1,000,000 friends on Facebook, and is ahead of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards on MySpace.
Carole Cohen quoted a comment in The Washington Post a few weeks ago, talking about Hillary Clinton: "Go to 'blog' on her website. It's nothing more than a standard feedback form." The actual blog hasn't been launched yet and the headline still says, "Write Our First Guest Blog Post." The difference is stark and overwhelming.
Political leanings aside, you have to admire the brilliance of what Barak Obama has done. The blogosphere is buzzing. One blogger has labeled this new social networking site "Web 2.Obama." Catchy.
I believe, regardless of whether he succeeds or falls flat on his face, we are all witness to a seminal moment in political history. Traditional media would be advised to watch this one closely. The impact of this experiment is sure to extend far beyond the political arena in which it's being conducted.
And I bet we'll all learn a thing or two as well.
Jeff Turner aka respres
He has been smart in getting a lot of media attention.
I'm not an Obama supporter, but I certainly do enjoy listening to him speak and answer questions. I admire people who are both smart and also possess the ability to articulate themselves and their beliefs in a coherent manner. Many people, especially politicians, have one or the other trait, but can't combine the two effectively. He's refreshing. Regardless of whether I agree with what he says, I enjoy hearing him say it. Well spoken people are so rare anymore. Tony Blair is like that for me also.
It is then no surprise that this guy Obama may actually be as smart as he sounds. Smart people find and surround themselves with even smarter people, and thus perhaps he has listened to someone close and empowered them to create this social network you describe.
If history shows there to be a class of people more slug footed and thick fingered than Realtors when it comes to adopting and exploiting new technology, perhaps Politicians will take the prize. Funny then that from the political landscape there may rise a brilliant endeavor such as Obamas.
Brilliant and better doesn't always win though, or we'd all be typing away on Apple Computers instead of the crash-prone PC's we all use. If Obama's social network facilitates the interest and buzz needed to carry him to the general election, that will be a technological feat indeed.
Steve
The Obama tide reminds me of another election. A young handsome man who looked really good on TV...JFK.
He's using technology to build a base by giving everyone an individual voice. We all want to be heard, it feels good to be listened too.
kk
Randy, yes, very true. His blog claims 70,000 people who have signed up at my.barackobama.com.
Steve... great comment. "Brilliant and better doesn't always win though, or we'd all be typing away on Apple Computers instead of the crash-prone PC's we all use. If Obama's social network facilitates the interest and buzz needed to carry him to the general election, that will be a technological feat indeed." As a Mac user, I am forced to agree with you.
Kristal, I'm sure you're not going to be the last to make that comparison.
Well God Bless the Internet..
Lets get the issues on the table and give America a chance to get to know their candidates. It amazes me during each election how ill-informed (myself included) we are about the issues and our favorite candidates position is on a key political matter.
Perhaps blog marketing will provide us a better format to evaluate our candidates both on National and local elections. Who cares about equal air time on TV, tell me what you stand for and let those around you comment in a public forum.
A free market society deserves a free market candidate evaluation system.
Good pick-up JT.
Thanks
Martin
Why in the name of all that's bloggy haven't the others followed suit. How hard would it be?
Jeff, why don't you call the Hilary camp and offer your services?
That's if they have a phone...maybe they forgot to install that "new fangled" device too.
Rob K. Blake
It concerns me that he will gain votes or being a pioneer in a medium, and likely will escape examination of his politics. Score: Style 1, Substance ?..
Very proper to exclude politics from this thread and forum. Less proper to possibly give a pass to a fresh face because he adapted to technology.
Rob K Blake: Very funny.
Ron Withers: Very funny, too! If Obama starts trying to education on global warming I say it's a pattern and he's just copying Gore.
Jeff: This is a great post.
What you're showing here is that the face of politics, like everything else, is in a state of great change. Nothing stays the same. Obama may not be so innovative as other political candidates take notice and tweak their campaigns.
Mike- he better adapt to technology- are you saying they should not be given any credit for being tech savy ?
Politics aside, he is atleast aware that the net is a powerful medium used to communicate. I think this election will take 110% leap toward internet visability and power..isnt that what you and I do when we blog, set up websites etc.. Market ourselves. Thanks for this post Jeff, I will go play on the site and see what it covers...after a few cups of coffee!
Good for you Obama- you recognize th ere are "votes" in having good web presence. I am not saying he has my vote, I am saying he has a smart campaign underway. We will see where this takes him...I think the others will step it up.
Politicians are still politicians.
It may make a voter feel special posting to a politician's blog, but don't expect Barack Hussein Obama or any other politician to sit around and chat with you in real time.
Every word spoken in public by a politican is already extremely guarded.
In fact, most of the words spoken in public by a politician are written by someone else and simply regurgitated.
However, what we CAN expect is an increase in lawsuits such as slander, libel, defamation, censorship, etc.
Jeff: Great post... you are right on the money! Howard Dean was the first to use the internet and raised a lot of money last time around.. Obama is smart enough to have taken the idea and run with it.. He is young enough to have a better handle on technology then others in the group.. I suspect that whether he not he wins he may change the future of political races by using the internet in the same way( as noted by KK earlier) JFK did television..If the rest of the group doesn't figure out the power of the internet soon they will regret it later... Oh... the times they are a changin'
K
Thanks for your post, Jeff. Yes, he is impressive in a number of ways, and his campaign, as you describe, is as well. Will be interesting to see how other candidates respond, either in kind or not. Campaigning these days is certainly taking on a different feel than before. KK's comment is right on target, but we'll see, won't we?
Jeff
All... yes, the political questions around him as the potential leader of the free world will shake themselves out over time. Having a good web developer on your staff doesn't qualify you for a role as president of these great United States Of America. Right now, that's not the point. The point is that others have used the Internet, but not embraced it the way his site does right this second. It's a massive leap forward.
That said, I went to his site to sign up for a blog, to test it out. One potential fly in the ointment, in my opinion, is there was no verification of my email address. I was able to sign up for a blog and begin posting immediately. That strikes me as not only odd, but a potential opening for serious abuse.
Gregory, see my comment above. I think you are right about the potential for law suits, especially in light of the absence of email verification.
I find it all very intriguing.
Holy smokes. That stuff is COOL. Wonder if it's going to turn into actual votes, though, since his target audience online doesn't have the best track record in the world for actually showing up at the polls?
I don't trust the guy, but have to give him credit for taking technology to task and making it do some legwork for him.
I'm with Mike Jacquish, though-it's easy to avoid having substance if you have style. KK's reference to JFK is very true. And as unpopular a statement as this is (and i'm not even flaming, i believe this)-we're probably all alive today because of Lee Harvey Oswald-JFK was dangerous in his lack of attention-i.e. lack of substance.
"and is ahead of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards on MySpace. " The race is on!
Jeff I have to say it's amusing to see it put in these terms. A political popularity contest played out on friends lists.
Caleb, yes it makes me crack up as well, but it is telling. I think about tipping points a great deal and you have to wonder if the apathy of a generation of voters can be swayed by this. Time will tell.
Leigh, "Wonder if it's going to turn into actual votes, though." That is what will be interesting to watch. Does this embracing of social networking produce results? It's easy to see the implications for business in the political analogy.
John Edwards fired his Blog writer today according to the news this morning. She was connected to remarks unfavorable for his campaign ( one being Catholic related I believe).
Michelle,
Yes, John Edwards cleaned a little house. Well, they "quit." That's one thing about internet campaigning, a mis-spoken word is there for a very long time.
RE your earlier question: I think it is great that we are able to get information this way. I'm willing to give a ton of credit for good use of a medium, and for good marketing. But that credit is not equivalent to a perception of a qualification that will weigh in on my vote for President, and I promise you that is a 100% apolitical statement. ;=)
I mean, I bet both of Mr. Edwards former Bloggers are at least as tech savvy as I am, and likely much more so. And they are done already.
Hmmmmm ....smells like politics in here...
Removing or editing comments on a blog by politicians may discourage controversial postings. Where is free speech in all this?
I promised to campaign with a certain longtime political acquaintance should the current events occur ~ the call should come any day now.
I like to try to avoid politics, but you are absolutely right, BO (unfortunate initials for a politician) has recognized the power of the internet and viral marketing. Imagine how rich he would be if he was selling Amway!
His campaign reminds me a bit of the internet-driven campaign that a certain former Governor of Vermont used to launch his campaign, before shooting himself in the foot with a scream. He "moved on" to become the DNC Chairman...If BO's campaign fall short of the nomination, you can bet that his job prospects will remain wide open.
Jeff,
When does class begin? You can blog about anything. Only YOU, KK, & BB could blog about something political, and not make it political. Totally creative!
Jeff,
Thanks for the post. Warp speed ahead, marketing has taken on a whole new dimension. I'm going to visit these sites and watch for the developments!
Jeff,
I am sometimes amazed where such wonderful ideas come from. I too have been a Republican all my life, but I do like Obama. He is fresh, educated, young enough to still be idealistic and want to change what's wrong with this country. I will be keeping an eye on him. If I were to change from Republican he might be the one that could convince me. If he can come up with the strategy for using the internet in such and innovating way, select using the colleges as his forum and step out as he has with confidence (with little experience) I'm going to listen.
As usual, this was an excellent blog. I so enjoy your topics and writing style.
Jeff,
It looks like e is appealing to the younger generation. Maybe he will come out with podcasts next.
Steven,
I for one would be very suspicious of anything like that which I received given the political climate during election fervor. I for one cannot see what a man's or woman's religious leanings have to do with how he or she would run the country. There was a time when the idea prevailed that no one would vote for a catholic. But we did. JFK. I think we would do better to study the man and try to understand what he stands for in light of where we stand at this moment in our history.
I thought this was a tech-oriented thread, not a political thread.
Send it to JibJab...
Steven your post was removed for it's violation of fair housing laws which many members of this network are responsible for abiding by. In addition it violates ActiveRain's guidelines specifically related to spreading hateful messages.
Mike, Roberta and Caleb... I was not watching this thread closely today, so I missed Steven's comment. I think I'm glad I did.
Yes, this is a tech-oriented threard. I've made that as clear as I can make it. My opinion of Barack, the man, is not what I care to focus on. I find his use of technology to be of extreme interest and particular relevance to the ActiveRain community. I've spent a lot of time looking at what is happening at his site, specifically in terms of viral impact. Of potential interest is the rate of growth the site experiences over time. For example, in the last two days, the number of national groups in his "vertical social network" have grown by more than 20%. They have not updated any numbers around individual blogs.
Jeff, Obama is certainly very shrewd and it is a lesson in marketing for all of us.He is getting the most for his buck and these days it looks like to run for president you need $100 millions and he is finding a way to promote his campaign without spending huge amounts.This is the beauty of high tech Internet networking or "viral marketing".He will need some big bucks though for his TV adds, and he is saving a lot here.
Wouldn't it be very cool if we had a tech savvy guy for President? That would be differnt.
Fantastic Original Post...the "wiki" format of generating visibility through group popularity traffic is the is a fascinating swell surging. How you are able to convert your popularity into something of tangible value is the challenge. There is nothing gained if you are unable to motivate your relationships to action.
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Christopher, you're 100% correct. The technology only takes you so far, the trick is creating a true relationship as a result. The same holds true for a real estate blog.
Ardell, it will be interesting to see if this represents a technological tipping point in American Politics. Time will tell.
Brian S,
Gee I'm sorry, you'll just have to get the news out sooner next time. :) LOL
I am an Illinois resident and also a Realtor in Illinois without Health Insurance. I went to Barack Obama's website about 3 months ago and asked what he was thinking or planning to do about Health Care reform for Realtors or self employed individuals.
Regardless of my opinion on his politics, I was very pleased to actually receive a personalized and well responded note back from his website. I'm not an idiot, I realize someone wrote me back for him under his name, but it was a very personalized note explaining his thoughts on a certain bill, why he didn't support it, and how he plans to try another approach instead. It was a two page email response.
So just to tie this in with this discussion, that availability he makes for people to comment and contribute to him, to me was very valuable. I felt as if I had almost received a completely personal note back from him, himself.
Anyway, yes, with stuff like this, and his use of web platforms it sure made a huge impression on my to feel like I could contact my senator, and get a response to the quality I did.
Brian, you point out an important point. One of the keys to his success with this is the conversation. You felt like you were engaged in a conversation with "him." Whether or not it really was him is beside the point. For a social network to work, their must be dialog. The communication can't flow one way.
Harriet, Tom is a people pleaser. He appears to want to be everyone's friend. I find it sad. ;)
Jeff-
I absolutely agree with you. My initial question to him was fully answered, elaborated on, and absolutely directly provided a response, and his alternative ideas. I know he has a staff and people to do this response for him, and obviously I didn't believe he was typing away an email to me. But just like you highlighted Jeff, there were a couple times I read it and seriously wondered if it was from him.
To drive back off the politics angle, and stay on course, Jeff summed it up. A dialogue. He didn't just answer my question, he expanded on it.
It was an interesting and sincere response, personally directed towards me. I still have it if anyone would me to forward the example to them. But it's a great example of how he fully engaged someone, and left me with the feeling it was a personalized note, not a template letter that gets sent when people ask about that topic.
Now if he was a Realtor, and my simple question was responded to in a similiar manner as he responded to mine, there would be absolutely no question that he would be the person I use as a Realtor. (That is assuming I take myself as a Realtor out of my equation).
Brian and Jeff, et al,
I just picked up this thread this morning and nearly choked on my cereal. First, Jeff, this is an excellent post about a topic I was only tangentially aware. I think I'll be doing some more research and monitor how this social networking plays in both the campaign and the final election. Obama is one of our Illinois politicians, I think voters will be reminded of his policies and politics as the campaign chugs along. Obama is nothing new, just younger.
Second, Brian, if you are refering to the weak response both Obama and Durbin sent to Realtors on the health care bill, then I will have to do a post dissecting their response. His response was slick, I'll give you that. But it also contained some major falsehoods. The short answer for Obama for the Realtor health care bill was that Durbin told him to vote against it and Obama knows that the senior Senator from Illinois could damage his political career.
I hate to inject some hard core Realtor politics into what has been, until now a peaceful discussion. But I think Realtors need to know when a politician is playing them on one of their most important issues.
Jeff,
Like some of the commenter's I too like to listen to Obama speak. I like the way he can speak by the seat of his pants and make perfect sense. I like the way he looks on the media. I like that he is forward thinking. Like you I have been Republican all of my life which is considerable. Would I vote for a person that wasn't of that party? If I thought them more capable, you bet your life. I am more interested in the plight of this country than the health of the party. That having been said; could we as Realtors do the same thing for our business? I am trying to learn all I can about tags,SEO's, blog sites and all of the other things it takes. I was born of a generation that thought the telephone private line was up and coming. LOL. I very much want to progress my business and I am of a mind to think that the farming by foot has gone by the wayside. I know there are others that disagree, that's my humble opinion.
How would you tell a Realtor to do the same thing that Obama is doing?
Great post, thanks:)
Hey Jeff,
I found you from your pretty sweet wife. Please correct if I'm wrong but I think I have this right. Anyway the message must be to all of us and this states it so well, "Use your resources well and use all of them."
The percentage of buyers who started online is getting up to 80% isn't it? Of course this is probably "talking to the choir" since we are all here on AR. (Not trying to add religion to the mix.) hehehe
But I love the article you wrote, so I had to comment.
I'm pretending to be John Stewart, "NAILED IT."
You must be Carnac the Magnificent!!
Like most people, I'm in AWE of Obamah's internet spirit. He knew exactly how to start and finish the 'game' that he played with us. I'm a UK resident, but was sucked into this campaign almost against my will. Especially as I'd rather the election had ended differently. (US says JUMP!. We say "How High?")
Twitter seemed to have a decent-sized role here as well. Or should I say that the election 'weeded' out Twitter downlines? The problem now is, that as Obamah has witnessed himself the raw POWER of social networks, will he bring in powers to control it? If it works so well FOR him, it could easily work just as well AGAINST him.
I think we should all be very worried. Or at least, on our guard inow, and look for the alterior motives to any changes 'enforced' on us in the future.
Enjoyed this blog.
Pete Moring.
Pete, I wasn't when I wrote this and I am not now interested in making this a conversation about politics, so I'm responding to your comment in the context of your concern that someone, anyone, would place controls over the open nature of social media. I think that horse is out of the barn, frankly. So, in my opinion, if controls are coming, they are not likely to come from governmental forces, but from financial forces. So many of he models that allow for this free exchange, like Twitter, have no publically recognizable monetization strategy.
This election took place at a time when anyone could, without cost, join in the discussion and have an impact and BarackObama.com took advantage of that with and aggressive early and open presence on sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter and actively engaged people to join a conversation. The campaign used the tools intelligently and made it readily available for others to use them as well. From the start, with the website talked about here, to the end, with things like the Obama '08 iPhone application, the approach was consistent - enable the masses to communicate simply and easily.
I don't care what your politics are or whether you're happy or sad that Barack Obama is now President Elect. I felt at the time and I still feel now, "The impact of this experiment is sure to extend far beyond the political arena in which it's being conducted."
Hi Jeff, A masterfully constructed post Jeff and the message is resonating clearly. The effect of this campaign has transformed politics ( and everything else in life) as we know it and validates beyond anyones imagination that web 2.0 has indeed changed the world.
As a practical matter, those that might have participated in web 2.0 in a half hearted way will be pushed aside as the new voices begin to fully seize control.
The more things change, the more they change. It's interesting how we now have the ability to push the message out faster, yet the campaigns were the longest in history. Amazing.
This was an excellent post, Jeff.