Dissecting the craft of online politics, advocacy and political marketing

“Epolitics.com, a one-stop shop for tools and tactics of online campaigning”
The Washington Post, June 9, 2007

“In politics, an absurdity is not a handicap”
Napoleon Bonaparte

“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro”
Hunter S. Thompson

Lots of websites talk about politics — talk and talk and talk — but only a handful discuss anything other than a particular point of view. Relatively few discuss online advocacy and online politics broadly and as a craft, focusing on what methods work and when, and without selling a particular product or consultancy.

What follows is my attempt to fill that gap with a solid introduction to the world of doing politics and advocacy online. I’m not interested in glittering generalities about the potential of digital networks in the political sphere but rather in the nuts and bolts of actually using the web, email and related technologies to try to change the world.

e.politics can’t cover everything you might use, and it certainly can’t cover all options in the kind of depth they deserve, but I hope it WILL give you an overview of the tools and methods that can help you spread your ideas around the world and mobilize other people to help. Along the way, you might just figure out how to get elected or start a movement. How you use the information is up to you.

As you experiment, I hope you’ll come back and let everyone else know how it went — much of the value of this site is going to come from your comments on articles.

Who’s Behind This Thing?

Colin Delany The great thing about running a website is that you get to appoint yourself an expert. So, poof! I’m an expert.

But I do have a little experience working in the political world in general and in online politics in particular. After an early-’90s stint in the Texas Capitol (a place where politics is generally considered a contact sport), in 1995 I helped to start the original e.politics, which was an email-based legislative and regulatory alert service that unfortunately never quite worked as advertised. In 1999, I helped to start politicalinformation.com, a targeted search engine for politics and policy (now preserved by an online museum!), and served as its editor, public face and chief business development/P.R. guy.

After both companies went the way of all well-intentioned but inadequately capitalized ideas, I worked for several years as a graphic designer and communications consultant, helping a wide variety of advocacy groups build an online presence. From 2003 to 2007, I worked full-time at the National Environmental Trust as their online communications manager. In that role, I tried everything I could to help spread the word about our issues and mobilize supporters. Along the way, I’ve given most of the methods described on e.politics a shot. Particularly the cheap ones. Since the beginning of 2008, I’ve gone back to consulting — if you need some help, drop me a note and let’s chat.

Some caveats: I’ve never run a political candidate’s campaign and I don’t have much direct experience with local political organizing, so for this site, I’ve had to supplement my own experience with that of others who know more than I do. Also, with ANY of these methods, Your Mileage May Vary — give them a try, but none is a panacea.

A final note about my own politics: as you can guess from my client list, I’m a lefty, though hardly an orthodox one. My own political opinions may creep into e.politics occasionally, but the site is really about how people are using the internet for politics, not about which side I wish would win.

Colin Delany
July, 2006
(updated May, 2008)
cpd@epolitics.com

Official Bio:

Colin Delany is founder and chief editor of epolitics.com, a site that focuses on the tools and tactics of Internet politics and online political advocacy. Epolitics.com received the Golden Dot Award as “Best Blog - National Politics” at the 2007 Politics Online Conference.

Delany cut his political teeth in the early ’90s in the Texas Capitol (where politics is considered a contact sport) and began working in the online political world in 1995. In 1999, he helped to start a targeted search engine for politics and policy, which he rode into inevitable oblivion during that first Internet boom and bust. Since then, Delany has worked as a consultant to help dozens of advocacy campaigns promote themselves in the digital world, and between 2003 and 2007 was the Online Communications Manager at the National Environmental Trust. He also plays bass in a rock and roll band.

Colin has recently spoken at:

Delany has recently been interviewed on or participated in discussions on Minnesota Public Radio, XM Radio’s POTUS ‘08 channel, KOMO News Radio (Seattle) and Radio Singapore International. He has been cited as a source by publications and news outlets including The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, Mother Jones, Campaigns and Elections magazine, National Journal’s Technology Daily and The Hotline, Slate.com, Online Media Daily, the Associated Press and the North Jersey Record. Besides his own e-book, “Online Politics 101: The Tools and Tactics of Online Advocacy,” which can be downloaded at epolitics.com, Colin has also contributed articles to the following publications and websites:

He was also cited extensively as a source in the 2007 book The New Rules of Marketing and PR. Delany lives in a secluded bunker in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, DC.



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