e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics

Obama Gets a New Grassroots ‘Dashboard,’ I Get a Quote in the Wall Street Journal

May 23rd, 2012

Some of us in the online politics space have wondered what Obama 2012 would roll out to replace 2008′s MyBarackObama.com, and now we know: the Wall Street Journal has the scoop on the campaign’s new “Dashboard” grassroots organizing tool. The article’s behind the Journal’s paywall, but a little bird sent over a Google link that takes you to a “free sample” version. Toward the end, after tPrez’s Micah Sifry and a couple of skeptical Republicans, I get a quick quote:

The Dashboard aims to give supporters information about local efforts and let people see how their efforts compare with those of other volunteers.

The Dashboard’s appearance borrows a bit from Facebook’s white-and-blue layout. On the left, volunteers see recent local activities, including people who updated their profiles or joined a volunteer team such as “Women for Obama.” From the home page, users can get phone numbers of would-be voters. Staffers can use the program to organize and track volunteers’ progress.

“If you’re going to build an online grass-roots campaign, you need to make it as easy as possible for people to help out,” said Colin Delany, editor of ePolitics.com, a website devoted to online campaigning.

A true fact indeed: it’s dumb to make volunteers jump through hoops to get involved, a rule that’s broken ridiculously often online. And is that mention of seeing “how their efforts compare” a hint of gamification in form of competition among activists? Interesting…. Thanks go out to the Journal’s Amy Schatz for dropping me a line and asking for comments.

– cpd