Technology aids Obama's outreach drive

[sniffa]

COLUMBUS, Ohio - When George Goodburn of Upper Arlington got an e-mail 12 days ago announcing an organizational meeting for Barack Obama's presidential campaign the next night in nearby Columbus, he was fired up and ready to go.
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Arriving at a plumbers' union hall to meet campaign officials, however, Goodburn was stunned. "Five hundred people showed up on 24 hours' notice," he said. "It was incredible."

More than any previous presidential campaign, Obama's effort is transforming politics with its use of technology. The astounding fund-raising figures are well documented - the campaign keeps a running tally on its website as it closes in on 1 million donors. But Obama's team has taken the use of the Internet to another level by allowing masses of volunteers to self-organize over the past year and communicate through their own social networking site, my.barackobama.com.

Created with help from Chris Hughes, one of three Harvard roommates who invented Facebook four years ago, MyBO, as campaign staffers call it, has about 500,000 members nationwide, a network of groups and individuals that the campaign ultimately harnesses for the old-fashioned nuts-and-bolts of electioneering - identifying supporters and getting them to vote in primaries and caucuses.

Still growing, the network helps explain why the Illinois Democrat's campaign easily bested Hillary Clinton in so many tightly organized caucus states and can produce rally turnouts of 15,000 in Democratic backwaters like Boise, Idaho.

The extent of Obama's online network is evident in Ohio. When the campaign began setting up its ground operation early this month in anticipation of the March 4 primary, a standing army was already awaiting its marching orders.

Clinton's campaign, relying more on traditional resources such as labor unions and elected officials, is also cobbling together an Ohio organization. Using its own e-mail list, the Clinton team recently received about 1,000 online replies statewide from people willing to help. The campaign was pleased with the response. The Obama camp, in contrast, drew 500 people from the Columbus area alone to the union hall of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 189 on a Wednesday night in the middle of winter.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/24/technology_aids_obamas_outreach_drive/

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This is a fascinating read, and I wonder if any DUers are mentioned in the article. :hi:

[NC_Nurse]

1. Here in NC there's several big groups already that post meetings on

his site. I went and met several people just in my little town. The Triangle for Obama
group I found out has over 400 members and our primary isn't until May and probably won't even matter.
He's already got a list of volunteers before they even have to open an office here. Amazing.