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Technology for Pres '08

April 2, 2008 - 5:36pm — Karen

Many of the groups we work with are mobilizing around the upcoming  US presidential election.  Following  is a brief overview of some of the most important technologies for advocates to have on their radar this election season...

During the 2000 presidential election, 48% of Americans got candidate information from local TV news. By 2008, that number had fallen to 40%. And while only 9% of Americans listed the internet as an information source in 2000, by 2008 that number had jumped to 24%. (Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and Pew Internet & American Life Project, January 2008)

Local news is still the main source of candidate information. But consider the increasing prominence of the internet, jumping from being the 13th most popular source to the fifth.

This isn’t a surprise for most of us working around the ‘08 elections. While an advocate might have gotten away with not really understanding the online space in the past, most would interpret a lack of understanding of blogs and Facebook – and other tools like them – a liability this time around.

So where’s an advocate to start? How do you take advantage of this new space? Some tips on how to be sure your voice is heard, clustered by primary strategic use:

Find supporters. In his new book “Here Comes Everybody”, Clay Shirky notes that whereas we once found supporters then shared information with them, we can now share information as a way to find supporters. Individuals increasingly select into their interests, an when they do so online you can find them pretty easily. A small suite of online tools enable this process, including:

  • Facebook and MySpace. Yes, these are social tools. But they also enable users to easily cluster into interests and groups. Need to promote your work on emissions standards to likely allies? How about circulating a report or event details to the alumni group from your environmental science program through Facebook? Trying to protect green space in your neighborhood? Where are the dogwalkers, ultimate Frisbee players, and parents in these online communities? These are likely prime constituencies, and you can find them more easily than ever before using these and similar tools. Learn how to get started with social networking sites on the Netcentric Campaigns website. (www.netcentriccampaigns.org/training_center)


Develop your content. Collaborative information and strategy development can be easy, instant and free using wikis or Google Docs. Try one the next time you’re developing a joint press release. 

Engage in new ways. Long gone are the days of talking at people. Candidates and advocates must seize the great new opportunities to enrich and deepen engagement through online conversations. Some tools that can help:

  • Blogs can informalize and push out more frequent content. They can also facilitate conversation through ‘comments’.
  • Video and screencasts using sites like YouTube and Jing facilitate easy sharing of information in new and engaging ways. Here’s one of our recent favorite videos, on the importance of bike safety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RVJMSdIYaQ.
  • Photo sharing sites like Flickr enable community sharing of photos related to an event or issue. Ask your supporters to upload photos from your recent rally tagged with a particular keyword. Feed those photos onto your organizational website. Suddenly the discussion is richer and more personal, and with almost no expense to you.


Expose and report.  We have more access to information than ever before, and candidates (and non-profits) should expect and embrace this new transparency. Some related tools:


Finally, know where conversations around new technologies and campaigning are taking place. One of my favorite resources is Tech President. The site (and listserv) discusses candidate use of the online space, with a great focus on what’s new and what’s working.  Also check out a recent post by Todd Ziegler on Technologies that will Impact the 2008 Elections.