Comments on: Is the Real Electronic Politics Taking Place Behind the Scenes? http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/ dissecting the craft of online politics and online advocacy Fri, 16 May 2008 02:09:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: IPDI » Blog Archive » The importance of the unglamorous http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-103130 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:32:12 +0000 http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-103130 [...] Colin Delaney emphatically agrees. Alan Rosenblatt made a similar point here. As Colin puts it, there is a “gee whiz” narrative in the media that is clouding the unglamorous but more critical political technology tools. Colin, Patrick, and Alan are giving us some solid perspective. [...] […] Colin Delaney emphatically agrees. Alan Rosenblatt made a similar point here. As Colin puts it, there is a “gee whiz” narrative in the media that is clouding the unglamorous but more critical political technology tools. Colin, Patrick, and Alan are giving us some solid perspective. […]

]]> by: David Geilhufe http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-1843 Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:10:44 +0000 http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-1843 Maybe its not thinking like a business marketer, but thinking in terms of data and sharing of data. Small progressive grassroots groups can collect far more useful information about their constituencies that massive commercial databases. They just need the tools, the training and the support. And there needs to be a way to aggregate that data come election time. What if that data were avaliable during election time and maintained by the grassroots between elections? That is where open source tools like CiviCRM and CivicSpace (which includes CiviCRM) can be helpful. There is also a place for tools like Democracy In Action (DIA), as well as vendor tools. Use social media to mobilize, but collect the data and use the data. IMHO cocial media alone can't win elections, but combined with a mature, grassroots-centric data strategy, it becomes quite powerful. Maybe its not thinking like a business marketer, but thinking in terms of data and sharing of data. Small progressive grassroots groups can collect far more useful information about their constituencies that massive commercial databases. They just need the tools, the training and the support. And there needs to be a way to aggregate that data come election time.

What if that data were avaliable during election time and maintained by the grassroots between elections? That is where open source tools like CiviCRM and CivicSpace (which includes CiviCRM) can be helpful. There is also a place for tools like Democracy In Action (DIA), as well as vendor tools.

Use social media to mobilize, but collect the data and use the data. IMHO cocial media alone can’t win elections, but combined with a mature, grassroots-centric data strategy, it becomes quite powerful.

]]> by: IPDI » Blog Archive » All about the Data http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-195 Fri, 25 Aug 2006 21:08:32 +0000 http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-195 [...] Perhaps the real magic in online politicking occurs behind the scenes. E.Politics tells us why: Where electronic politics seems to be making a real difference is behind the scenes, in the decisions campaigns are making about which voters to contact and how to reach them. [...] […] Perhaps the real magic in online politicking occurs behind the scenes. E.Politics tells us why: Where electronic politics seems to be making a real difference is behind the scenes, in the decisions campaigns are making about which voters to contact and how to reach them. […]

]]> by: Kathy Mitchell http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-186 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 23:04:39 +0000 http://www.epolitics.com/2006/08/24/is-the-real-electronic-politics-taking-place-behind-the-scenes/#comment-186 Thanks for this frank post! Its absolutely true that identifying our people and then giving them something worth doing is a fundamental precept of organizing (even if you are just trying to pass a bill and not getting a candidate elected), and we often fail on the identification front. I think many progressives, including some candidates, find this level of targeting creepy and somehow unethical, but then we are trying to win with our hands tied behind our backs. I noticed this week that MoveOn is now fundraising specifically to pay for microtargeting, and they seem to be reaching their fundraising goal. I hope as they move forward they give us all some feedback on their outcomes. Thanks for this frank post! Its absolutely true that identifying our people and then giving them something worth doing is a fundamental precept of organizing (even if you are just trying to pass a bill and not getting a candidate elected), and we often fail on the identification front. I think many progressives, including some candidates, find this level of targeting creepy and somehow unethical, but then we are trying to win with our hands tied behind our backs.

I noticed this week that MoveOn is now fundraising specifically to pay for microtargeting, and they seem to be reaching their fundraising goal. I hope as they move forward they give us all some feedback on their outcomes.

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