Nancy Scola 06/30/2008 - 8:45am

We ask the question that has been bumping around ever since Republican presidential candidate John McCain described himself as computer "illiterate" -- In 2008, does a U.S. need to personally understand how to use email, search engines, and other basic online tools and platforms on order to be an effective leader? Take the poll and then let's hash it out in the comments.

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Tracy Russo 06/17/2008 - 12:40pm

John McCain isn't ready to acquiesce the tech vote, claiming in an interview that he understands technology because he has young children, but that just isn't enough.

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Liza Sabater 04/24/2008 - 11:38am

Yesterday I wrote about getting Lost In Hillaryland while driving down to Philadelphia to volunteer for the Obama campaign. In that post at Kenneth Cole’s Awearness Blog, I write about how after the mini-adventure of the day, my oldest came to the same conclusion as Joe Trippi : that Obama was going to lose.

My son’s observation was the most interesting part of the whole trip because it lent credit to my recent thinking of “politics as interface”.

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the editors 12/06/2007 - 11:15amWe studied the candidates' websites and statements, hunting for signs that they understand the importance of the internet and new technology for America's future. The Republican field, with the exceptions of Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, barely escaped flunking. 10 comments | Read more ...

David All 09/13/2007 - 9:04am

If you’re like me, you’re probably saying to yourself, “I don’t live in New Hampshire. I don’t live in Iowa, South Carolina, Florida or Michigan either. By the time I get to vote in the Primary election, our nominee will likely be selected by people I don’t know and the mainstream media.”

In the modern, flat world of the Internet, it’s silly to think that our participation in democracy and Party politics is limited by the state we live in. But it is.

For some in those select states and the media, the process works well. After all, it’s easy to direct resources and attention to only a handful of states. But, is this system modern, appropriate and effective? Are we, as respective partisans, ensuring that our “best” nominee is in fact that nominee?

For me, a Republican, I know that I’m going to be spending a better part of 2008 doing everything in my power to ensure that a Republican wins the November election. That’s just the kind of Republican I am.

But what can I do now to ensure that my choice for that nominee counts? What can I do legally and without uprooting my life to another state to participate in my Party’s Primary process?

Find out after the jump...

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Patrick Ruffini 07/05/2007 - 9:57am

How do you bridge the divide between reaching the energized core on the Internet and the masses through traditional voter contact? Don't expect Web 2.0 to do it on its own. You've got to build hooks between the new and the old, and a number of tools are emerging for doing that effectively. I call these technology hybrids.

What are some examples of technology hybrids? Something I did earlier today, sending my first TwitterGram, certainly qualifies. I recorded a voicemail previewing this post that was then instantaneously sent to my Twitter account. How useful is this? It probably isn't for me. Who wants to hear my voice? But if you're a candidate, it can be tons more authentic than "texting" in your message. Zack Exley has famously urged candidates to write their own emails, but even if they did, would people believe it was them? That's why candidates shouldn't Twitter; they should TwitterGram. They shouldn't blog; they should videoblog. That solves the authenticity dilemma of campaign websites -- we'll know for sure it's them, in video or voice, delivering a message many times more compelling than plain text.

This got me connecting the experience to some ongoing thoughts about the most effective uses of technology in campaigns. Twitter's API may have saved the product from laughingstock status, but it's nowhere close to mainstream yet. But the idea of connecting to supporters via voice rather than SMS and email is as old as the auto-dialer in politics. Imagine if a candidate could send a phone message to its entire supporter list through a simple Web-based interface, a sort of opt-in robocall. Then imagine it was free. That's exactly what SayNow is doing in the entertainment community; artists can sign up to send messages to their fan community. Fans can send voicemails to them. Fans can also be alerted via SMS when a new message comes in.

How would such an integrated campaign have worked in the fundraising quarter that just ended? Say the campaign sends an email appeal out to supporters. A few hours later, the campaign auto-dials its online supporter list with a personalized message from the candidate reminding them of the email (he or she will have recorded the 500 most common first names on the email list, to add that personal touch). At the end, it's Press 1 to be connected to an operator to donate, Press 2 to volunteer, and Press 3 to enter your cell number for SMS alerts. That's similar to what John Edwards did by connecting supporters to donate over the phone, except instead of SMS the initial delivery vehicle was email reinforced by a phone call -- mainstream technology that nearly all voters are comfortable with.

What are some other examples of cool technology retrofits candidates are trying in 2008 -- or should be?

• Mitt Romney's tele-townhalls in Iowa and South Carolina -- an effective way to reach your entire universe cheaply and get the candidate in front of thousands of voters at once.
• Obama's low-dollar donor "kickoffs" in major cities, and his requiring email to attend rallies. Some say this is the special sauce behind his fundraising numbers. At the end of the day this is not high-tech at all, just 10,000 pieces of paper -- turned into 10,000 email addresses. Simple -- and smart.

• Embeddable click-to-call (Jajah is an interesting product) -- good for online phone banks, potentially conducted via mobile.
• Along these lines, ONE did something very cool a few weeks back. Instead of facing the typical response rate dropoff of asking people to call into a conference, they called anyone who RSVP'd.
• Edwards sending 70,000 DVDs to Iowa voters. Imagine if these contained a slimmed down version of his site, with the ability to donate or volunteer. That could connect you with some older, less avid Web users.

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