The Sharing Network

Technology has change how we gather information. It used to be slow and cumbersome, but now it seems we can just type in a few search terms on Google and get an answer. As easy as that sounds, information gathering may be become even easier - by outsourcing that responsibility to your friends. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle caught my eye discussing how Facebook is becoming a larger referrer than Google. More site traffic is coming from links posted on Facebook, than searches in Google. In other words, sharing is becoming more popular than searching.

Let us take a look at what I mean by sharing a link. On Facebook, this could be a status update, message on someone's wall, or a post on a group/fan page. Yes, it is really that easy. Just by putting a link somewhere in a message you will create interest. Why will you create interest? Simple, by posting a link you are claiming it is interesting and relevant. Voters who are interested in your campaign will then interpret that message as something that needs read. If they like it then they will repost it making a claim to their friends that it is interesting and relevant. This chain reaction can go on to infinity.

This does not mean whatever you post will get read and shared. You must have something that is actually worthwhile. No one likes spam, especially on social networks. You do not annoy your friends offline with constant talk about yourself, so why would you do that online. However, posting your links to you website with your press releases or upcoming events is perfectly acceptable. Furthermore, sharing goes both ways. If one of your constituents shares an interesting link with you, you can go ahead and share it with all your online friends. In that case make sure you give credit.

With a lot of my sites (both political and non-political) this trend seems true. While I would still say Google tends to be the largest traffic generator, Facebook still counts for a high percentage. Facebook is also a lot easier to spread the word. I have noticed spikes in traffic from Facebook and other social media site shortly after a post. However, this spike only lasts a day or two until the message becomes "old". Understanding how sharing works on social networks is a must.

The next post will be March 1st.

How Scott Brown Used the Internet to Change the World of Politics

Tomorrow it will be the one year anniversary of Republitech and thus one year since Obama has been sworn in. It is rather fitting that today is the special election in Massachusetts to replace Senator Ted Kennedy. A Republican named Scott Brown looks like he might beat Democrat Martha Coakley in a state that has not sent a Republican to congress in well over a decade. While we won't know until later tonight who will win, it is an excellent lesson on how Republicans have an opportunity to seize the moment and leverage technology.

We have been hearing a lot about Brown's campaign. However, there are some things his campaign has been doing quite well that have not been highly publicized. The first comes from a CNN article that caught my eye - http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/15/first-on-the-ticker-gop-candidate-saturates-google-with-ads/. It was last month that I talked about the power of pay-per-click ads, specifically Google's tools (See post here). There are two things I want to highlight with Brown's Google ads. First, he started early. It got him name recognition, traffic to his website, and most critically donations in the early stage of his campaign. Second, his campaign clearly has spent time developing a pay-per-click strategy. They have a focused keyword strategy going after those searching for "Martha Coakley." Since Coakley is not buying advertising on Google at all, Brown has had free reign on both his name and his opponents. In other words, you are going to get pro-Brown ads no matter if you are searching for Brown or Coakley.

There is one "mistake" I noticed after doing some quick searches on Google. While the campaign is in Massachusetts, the race has become a national sensation. I could not find any ads on Google for either candidate. This is most likely because Brown has limited his ads to the state of Massachusetts (I am in Ohio). People all over the country have been motivated to lend support (money, phone banking from their house, etc). Why not reach out to them through Google ads? The only thing I found was this:

It is an ad with a link to a form to allow you to donate money to support Coakley (albeit somewhat indirectly through the DSCC). There should be Republican ads popping up.

The second facet of Brown's online strategy I want to discuss is that of social media. I read this interesting blog post just the other day written by Professor William A. Jacobson (Cornell Law School) - http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2010/01/brown-massacres-coakley-online.html. The charts Jacobson provides are quite telling. Brown is a topic that people are finding very interesting and talking about. Some of this is probably due to the recent national attention the race has been given, but there are two candidates in this race. Voters are finding Brown's social media efforts to be engaging, helpful, and motivating. Coakley appears to be uninteresting. Interestingly enough, in the previous CNN article Coakley's campaign's excuse for not running Google ads was to focus on social media. Clearly her campaign has failed. I also want to point out that so many people have taken interest in Brown's social media outlets that he is receiving positive and free grassroots advertising. Take a look at the YouTube videos at the end of the blog post that were created by average citizens mocking Coakley's campaign strategies.

Don't get me wrong, Scott Brown is a great candidate beyond what he has done with technology. He is active, motivated, respected, thoughtful and unlike his opponent, he is gaffe free. Even so, in a state like Massachusetts a Republican is going to have to be way above and beyond their opponent. The lessons from Brown's campaign are clear. Online campaign is not a theory. it is not a fad. It is a communication tool that gets the Republican's message out and it has put Obama in a very awkward spot.

Below are some of Brown's online resources. Please check them out!
Website - http://www.brownforussenate.com/
Twitter - http://twitter.com/scottbrownma
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scott-Brown/178795233167
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/scottbrownma

The next post will be February 2nd.

The Wayne County Young Republican Website

One of the many organizations I am part of is the Wayne County Young Republicans. WCYR was formed early in 2009 in response to the high level of Democratic youth votes in the county. My role is the Marketing Chairman which means my challenge is to find young Republicans in the county and get them to join a new organization. My first task was to put together a website and online strategy for the organization. We recently completed the first phase of the website at http://www.WayneCountyYRs.com and I wanted to share a few key elements of the website.

First, take a look at the home page. We have a large image that shows something the organization has done. Right off the bat, the organization looks active. Then, we have two columns on the top right: Events and the Twitter Feed. Visitors can keep up to date on what the organization is doing and are invited to follow the organization's events and Twitter feed. To further reinforce the concept of staying connected, just below that area is a form to sign up for the email newsletter and a cluster of links to all the WCYR's social media.

On the topic of social media, we can now look at the organizations strategy for social media. We have included a number of social media elements including YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, blogging, and Twitter. These are all possible points of contact with the community which mean possible points of recruitment. They also each serve a different function. Facebook events have been a great way for WCYR to organize and advertise events. Flickr will be the main repository for pictures of events. This will help show how active and involved members are in events. The blog helps focus on the ideals of the organization. I could go into much more detail on each element but the point is we are providing multiple ways for members to find us and interact with the organization.

Another important part of the site is the Committees link. This page has a list of all the current executive committee members and information about each. The idea was to try to break down the "stranger" factor with joining a new organization. If there was a young Republican who wanted to join, they could become familiar with some of the officers. Not only would they know what they look like from the pictures, but also certain information about the person. This makes the officers more relatable and approachable. Just think about how much easier it will be at the first meeting you attend to start up a conversation with Doug Deeken when you know he is the guy who is not only an engineer, but also is a stay at home dad in Doylestown who often calls into the Matt Patrick show to talk about issues Doug brings up on his YouTube channel.

There will be more to this site in the future. More connections to local campaigns, more information on events, both past and up-coming, and new features. The site is to the point where we can advertise it heavily and it provides a good resource to members. Hopefully, some of the ideas and tactics that went into building this site can be easily transferred to other political organizations.

The next post will be Nov. 24th

The Power of the Mobile Phone

Last Saturday there was a Tea Party in my home town, Wooster, Ohio. The problem was that I was on the other side of the state in Oxford. While I was disappointed I was not able to attend personally I was still able to see a lot of the afternoon's events. How? With Facebook and many mobile phones.

While I will admit that it is better to actually be at an event in person, logistics tend to get in the way. The next best alternative is to use social media to be connected. During the Tea Party, many of my friends, family, and co-workers took pictures on their mobile phones and submitted them to Facebook during the event. It was moving seeing downtown Wooster filled with people sharing a common belief in limited government along with all their witty signs. There was even the occasional Twitter update sent via the phone.

The point is, anyone in the world had access to experiencing the Wooster Tea Party in pretty close to real time. I did not have to wait until a newspaper report was made. In fact the next day when our local paper reported on the Tea Party, http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4696290, it did not capture the event's atmosphere (although they did include a nice slide show) as did all the first hand accounts I saw during the Tea Party.

Mobile phones with a camera and Internet capabilities are quickly becoming a standard. Moreover, individuals are utilizing these resources more and more for personal and political reasons. This means that the connection I had to a distant Tea Party is going to become common place. We should not only be aware of the fact that at political events there will be people taking pictures, videos, and texting (Twitting, Facebooking, or otherwise), but encourage it. Thousands of people got to hear the message of the Wooster Tea Party loud and clear even though they were not in attendance. We are seeing a shift of importance from the number of people at the event to the number of people that can see the event. I am by no means saying we should not work on bringing more people to political events, my point is simply that you can make a big splash with a little event.

I would also like to make an important differentiation in the posting of material on social networks. I did not look at anything the organizers of the Tea Party posted (I hope they did though). All of my information came from people I trust: friends, family, and co-workers. I can relate better and place a higher value on the campaign when my Facebook friend news feed is stuffed with people posting comments and pictures about the event. It is the same concept of seeing a campaign sign in your friend's yard versus a total stranger. Republicans need to realize that web 2.0 is not just about what websites can do, it also means what mobile phones can do.

The next post will be November 10th.

Jim Renacci and Ohio's 16th Congressional District

Earlier last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Hutson, the campaign manager for Jim Renacci. We had a good discussion on the direction politics is taking in terms of technology. But before I get to those details let me introduce Jim Renacci first.

Jim Renacci is a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 16th Congressional District (Canton, Media, Wooster, and Ashland areas). He has an impressive resume as Mayor of Wadsworth, accomplishing 100% of his goals and left office with a budget surplus. He is a CPA who started his first company when he was 24 years old. Renacci has owned and managed a wide array of businesses from car dealerships, to nursing homes, to arena football teams. This is a man who knows how to add value to an economy and create jobs. I have met Renacci a couple of times and continue to be impressed with his openness and honest concern for his constituency. Renacci has a deep commitment to serving the American people with a long line of successes in business and politics to pull insights from. Coming from a simple coal mining town in Pennsylvania, Renacci epitomizes the American spirit while remaining humble. I can think of no other trait that a candidate for Ohio's 16th district needs to have. Jim Renacci is the best man for the job hands down.

After a conversation with the campaign manager Matt Hutson, I have become convinced that this is one campaign that at least understands the fundamental shift in communication that has occurred due to the Internet. Mr. Hutson loves using social media to build a following of Renacci supporters. He points out that social media is less intrusive then more traditional campaigning methods. Some times voters get annoyed with phone calls and knocks on the door. With social media, it is easy to send out multiple campaign updates that simply show up in voters Facebook and Twitter feeds. Every night Renacci personally updates Twitter and Facebook on the status of his campaign including events he goes to a people he sees. It is a great way to show activity and remind voters that he is working hard to represent his constituency.

Mr. Hutson also describes the personal nature of the Internet. Whenever an individual signs up to the Facebook group, Mr. Hutson replies with a personal email with some suggestions as to how to have a positive impact on the campaign. He suggests that each of the recommendations (there are four if I remember correctly) will take under a minute. The reason they take less than a minute is that, for the most part, they focus on inviting other friends to join the group. The thinking behind this tactic is that people are more likely to respond positively to a friends suggestion than someone they do not know as well. Mr. Hutson is looking for individuals on Facebook to help promote Renacci as it is more meaningful to other voters.

Renacci understands that his voters are his boss. He also realizes that it is a challenge to effective communicate with every singly constituent. As Mr. Hutson put it you "must figure out how to reach your bosses" and he sees social media as just that. Renacci has a commitment to being open and approachable. His campaign has built up these social media communication channels not just to promote his campaign, but to listen. Too many candidates use the Internet purely for self promotion. This turns potential voters off and leads to "defriending." Renacci wants to sincerely engage his constituents and wants them to know they have a voice. Using social media ensures that he is reachable through as many methods as possible.

To ensure engagement, Mr. Hutson frequently encourages individuals to blog and/or post comments on either the campaign's material or what other voters have said. He wants voters to be involved and to be engaged because to the campaign it matters. He checks blogs daily to follow what the local opinion is. He wants to engage the local community for ideas, thoughts, and discussion. Renacci has been a resident of the district for well over 25 years and is interested in a campaign for Ohio's 16th, by Ohio's 16th, and of Ohio's 16th. Residents of the 16th may notice this as a different approach.

Finally, Mr. Hutson discussed how he sees the campaign's online resources shifting in purpose if Renacci were to be elected. He points out that not much will change. Renacci will still use social media to reach out, engage, and listen. Mr. Hutson really emphasized the word "hear." Renacci wants to know what voters' issues are. Renacci would ensure that he could get discussion and opinions on bills being proposed in the House. Mr. Hutson claims that this type of communication aids in accountability. He believes that there is too little accountability of representatives at any level of government and that the Internet provides a reasonable solution. He also suggested that it could be a platform to help sway other representatives. For example, if there was a close vote with a few representatives on the fence, he could post their names and office numbers to encourage voters to call in and voice their opinion.

Jim Renacci's campaign to be the Representative from Ohio's 16th Congressional District should be exciting to watch. Renacci has hired a top notch campaign manager who has a good grasp of how to leverage the Internet to be a more competitive campaign and a more responsive legislator. I again thank Matt Hutson for taking the time to share his insights with me. Below are links to some Renacci online resources.

The campaign's home page:
http://www.renacciforcongress.com/

Renacci's Wikipedia page which I helped get off the ground:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Renacci

Renacci's Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=113705578897

Renacci on why he is running:
Part I - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWnMlZIN4Rs&feature=youtube_gdata
Part II - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQn3zecpGhY&feature=related

Renacci on health care:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y17Hm7RX5ls&feature=related

The next post will be October 27th.

Republicans and New Media

About a month ago the Ohio Erie County GOP Chairman Mathew Old asked be to put together a document with my ideas on how Republicans can leverage new media. My hope is that this document can help campaigns begin to think about new media and ask important questions. Below is the link to the document and the summary.

Republicans and New Media (pdf)

Many will argue that "traditional" media has evolved over time. In many ways, it has. From the written word, to the radio, to the television it seems the dynamic of media is on a continuous and steady march. However, in the past few years there has been a fundamental revolution in media. It is the advent of the Internet. Traditional media is all one way communication; the advertiser has all the power, controlling the information while the public is at the mercy of billboards and commercials. The majority of the public does not have the resources to broadcast their thoughts and opinions to millions of people. With the arrival of the Internet, individuals have just as much power as the advertiser. They can write a post on a blog that will reach just as many people, if not more, than a TV ad. They can tweet and Facebook their friends about their positive or negative opinions. Many organizations fail to understand the multidirectional nature of communication on the Internet. They are stuck in the traditional media mentality and end up annoying customers with spam and failing to address complaints that are instantly shared with millions of fellow users.

Corporations are just now realizing that the Internet has given their consumers more power than their own PR departments. For the most part, political campaigns are even farther behind. The 2008 election gave rise to one political organization that clearly understands and respects the complex and powerful nature of the Internet: the Obama team. Obama’s new media campaign demonstrated that these technologies are relevant but no single organization can control the discussion. To be successful, a candidate must participate in the discussion, not lead it. They must use the opportunity to listen, not shout. They must sincerely engage voters, not spam them. A candidate must genuinely understand the paradigm shift, rather than simply jumping on the band wagon without understanding where the band wagon is going.

Republicans and New Media (pdf)

The next post will be Oct 13th.

Conversations from the Wayne County Fair

This past weekend I returned home to attend the Wayne County Fair. I spent a significant amount of the time at the Republican's booth discussing politics and technology. While I could write a post on each of my conversations I am going to give a broad overview of some of the things I discussed that I think are relevant to share in this blog.

The first candidate I ran into was Craig Sanders who is running for Wooster City Council At-Large. His concern was that his website,http://www.craigsanders.net/ , still advertised he was running for Ward 1, which he did in the past. The problem was his campaign had no way of directly changing content. They had to call up their provider and ask that they change it, who were not very responsive. I checked today and it looks like they managed to change what is advertised on the site. However, the title tag still says "Ward 1." While no organization should tolerate this kind of dysfunction, the demands of a political campaign require responsiveness. This is why campaigns need to be very careful about how they set up their site. If Sanders was using a content management system (CMS) he could change it himself without worrying about time delays and contacting a programmer. All the intricacies like the title tag would be fixed instantly and automatically.

The next candidate I talked to was Ron Amstutz. He is currently the chair of the budget committee in the Ohio State House of Representatives and is from Wayne County. Amstutz seems to always be experimenting with technology. Here is what he tried and had lots of success. First, Amstutz created a short survey about state issues designed to be released around the time of the fair. Then he got on Facebook and created a list of all of his constituents. Finally, he invited all of his Facebook friends on that list to take his survey online. He also had paper version at the Republican booth at the fair. Just in the first few days he got a ton of feed back and there are still three more days left for the fair.

Now that you know what Amstutz did, let me walk you through why it was awesome. First, Amstutz reached out to his constituents through an online survey. He is able to ask his roughly 110,000 constituents to directly participate with him on state wide issues. Voters will take note of that kind of interaction and will feel more valued by the candidate. Furthermore, Amstutz leveraged social media by reaching out to his Facebook friends. He didn't just send them a message, he invited them to a week long event (the fair survey). He also did not send it to everyone. He targeted his own constituency using Facebook's list feature. With a different project he may want to target a different group, such as his Facebook friends in Columbus. This use of the list allows him to only get the group he wants and cuts down on spam. Too much spam and messages about things that do not apply to the individual will always result in "defriending."

Finally, I had a short conversation about Internet tools with Jim Renacci's campaign manager Matt Hutson. Jim Renacci is running for the Ohio 16th District for US House of Representatives. This is the same district that State Senator Kirk Schuring ran in last year. His website is http://www.renacciforcongress.com/.Even though I had a short discussion with Matt, I feel pretty confident that this campaign understands that they have to use all these new and exciting online tools. First, he recognized the importance of having YouTube videos show up under certain search terms. In this case, they managed to have a positive video of Renacci as the top result when you search "Boccieri" (Boccieri is his Democrat rival). He was also very interested in integrating social media into their new website. Right now Renacci's Facebook and Twitter accounts have a long way to grow, but the campaign is putting effort forth 14 months before the election. Finally, Matt recognized the value of bloggers. He pointed out a positive post that was written just the other day and is excited about connecting Renacci (not a campaign staff member) directly with other bloggers.

There are a lot more to discuss on each of these candidates. The basic point however, is that there is a lot going on in the world of political technology. Candidates are realizing there are problems and opportunities associated with the Internet. This is a topic of discussion that we must always engage.

The next post will be September 29th.

The Public versus Private Solution

Recently, Audra Shay got into a bit of trouble leading up to the National Young Republican elections. Shay was running for the chairman's position and was favored to win. However, a few days before the election, a leftist blogger allegedly discovered what was described as racist comments on Shay's Facebook page. You will not find any of the comments on Shay's profile. The leftist blogger claims she cleaned her profile up after the contents became public. Whether or not Shay's Facebook comments were as "ignorant and racist" as the blogger claimed, there is still a lesson to be learned: the Internet, specifically social media like Facebook, is public.

Our society has faced difficult issues between the Internet and privacy. Politicians have also struggled with the public's right to know and privacy. By campaigning online, those two struggles have combined to create a tangled mess of ethical and moral issues. That is, is Facebook a private communication channel? But, if so, does the public have a right to see the contents of a public figure's Facebook? This post is not about what should be public realm and what should not, it is about risk management with your online resources. After all, an answer to the debate of politicians' rights to privacy and the public's right to knowledge has been waging long before the invention of the word "politics."

So what is a good risk management strategy? In my view it is actually pretty simple. If you are a politician, assume everything online is public. If you work for a politician, assume everything online is public. If you are related to a politician, assume everything online is public, et cetera. Traditionally, family was considered off limits and this was generally respected by opponents and most media outlets. However, bloggers are a different story. They are individuals who can say whatever they want. In the week leading up to the Young Republican elections, one of the top results on Google for "Young Republicans" was a blog post entitled "Young Republican Leader Audra Shay Is Crazy, Illiterate, Racist." Even the left wing media would not be so bold in naming their articles.

This problem also relates to a post of mine not to long ago about search engines, Be Seen With SEO. These blog posts were everywhere and a lot of them made it to the top search results for "Young Republicans." Even if what Shay was accused of was not true, it is still embarrassing to the organization and to the Republican Party. It is true that after a while most of these posts will lose their position in Google searches, but some will still linger. For example, The Huffington Post has enough traffic and enough weight for Google to continue ranking it's anti-Young Republican post about Shay pretty high.

Really you should consider the Internet and public speech the same thing. This goes for all forms of online resources: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and even email. Just as a private written letter can be leaked, so can an email. In some ways the Internet is even more dangerous then the other forms of communication as it automatically creates a record of every little thing you do. The point is: pay attention to what you and those around you say and do online!

This post should not discourage you from using the Internet. If you have considered your risk management strategy for the Internet, it should be no more harmful then when you give a speech. I have stated before that the Internet is a wonderful thing for politics. It helps you engage and interact with thousands of people you would have otherwise never met on the campaign trail. You just have to be responsible online.

True Grassroots

The growth in online social networks have created what could be described as true grassroots movements. The recent examples are the Tea Party protests that have been occurring the past couple of months (concentrated on or around Tax Day) across the country. There protests were not coordinated by a political party, organization, or by one single individual. They were started and organized by the local population.

Traditionally to hold events like this across the country, all with significant turn out, you would need an organization and a lot of resources. Communication would be slow and one way (top down). There would be a few individuals as the leaders and spokespersons which all the ideas and direction would come from. However, as the Tea Parties demonstrated, social networking tools enable a network to be created over night by ordinary people. The tools that were used were Facebook, blogs, text-messaging, chat forums, and the like. This has allowed the movement to be truly reflective of what citizens want. No established organization is giving them mission statements or talking points. It is just people expressing their opinions. Although the Tea Parties had common themes and messages, each demonstration was uniquely organized and independently run.

The Republican Party should approach this true grassroots movements with caution but optimism. On the caution side, these types of movements can be directed against a party itself, including the Republican Party. Economic conservatives do not hold a monopoly on true grassroots movements. Their cause and the emergence of technology simply aligned at the right time to make them one of the first major users. Republican leaders need to recognize that this is a movement lead by citizens, not elected officials. The Wall Street Journal reported on a few Tea Party demonstration including the one in Chicago. RNC Chairman Michael Steele asked if he could speak at the event. Organizers politely turned him down saying "With regards to stage time, we respectfully must inform Chairman Steele that RNC officials are welcome to participate in the rally itself, but we prefer to limit stage time to those who are not elected officials, both in Government as well as political parties. This is an opportunity for Americans to speak, and elected officials to listen, not the other way around." A true grassroots movement should be spoken by the people and listened to by elected officials.

But this is where the optimism for the GOP can come in. Republican leaders and elected officials should listen and really listen to the true grassroots movements within their constituency. Michael Steele was asked not to speak, but he was invited to listen. Republican officials should always accept opportunities to listen. With awareness to new technologies this should be easy. Keep an eye on blogs within your community, stay active on sites like Facebook, and always have an eye out for new and creative ways your constituents come up with to use technology to organize. With true grassroots movements, leaders should be able to be more responsive and better address the concerns of their constituencies. By no means am I suggested elected leaders should stick their finger into the wind of grassroots movements to make the decisions. But an elected official is a representative of his/her constituency. The Tea Parties were about excessive government spending and fortunately the Republican Party is listening and looking for solutions while the Democrats did not hear anything.

The next post will be May 12th.

References:

The Wall Street Journal Article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123975867505519363.html

Small Campaigns can Think Big

Much attention has been focused on what the major campaigns are doing. For example, we see thousands of dollars and whole technical teams dedicated to the technology aspect of campaigns for President. But what about the smaller campaigns? If Republicans truly want to revolutionize how they campaign with technology, every campaign from the bottom on up needs to take a moment to look at their options.

First, let us take a look at what a small campaign may have. Money is probably not one of them, but that does not preclude an Internet strategy for that campaign. Small campaigns also have smaller constituencies (geographically and population). Small campaigns need to look at technology somewhat differently because of these two facts.

So how does a small campaign leverage what it has to create a meaningful campaign online? Due to limited resources, they should focus their purpose. Larger campaigns have the luxury of being able to pursue multiple strategies and directions on the Internet simultaneously. Smaller campaigns probably will not have the money to invest in server space, custom programming, and high end database software. My recommendation for small campaigns would be to focus on a communication strategy on the Internet. That is, focusing on informing rather then networking. You should still have a social networking strategy, Facebook and LinkedIn are both free, but do not invest a lot of time and efforts in those areas. While communication can be done outside the Internet, things such as electronic newsletters, blogs, and articles on your website make informing your constituency far easier.

The reason I say that you should focus on communicating rather then networking is, since you have a small constituency, you can do a lot of networking in person. Shaking a person's hand leaves a bigger impression then Facebook "friending" them. The Internet should be used as a supplement to networking. People can forgive Obama and McCain for only reaching out to them in cyberspace because it is difficult for a Presidential candidate to meet all 350 million Americans. Social networks help big campaigns connect individuals with their communication channels. They do not state their positions on current issues, but they do show links to their web sites, blogs, and video that does explain. However, for a local campaign, people expect the individual to be seen in the community. You already have a way for you constituency to find your communication channels, the physical world. Social networking online can be done for smaller campaigns, but, depending on your constituency, you may not get a lot of excitement or support. I do not want to discourage you from creating a Facebook profile (you should have one to begin with) but I also do not want the Internet to sound like a cure all in politics.

Focusing on communication will strengthen your constituency's loyalty. Hometown offices deal with hometown issues. These issues have a bigger impact (or at least a more tangible impact) than national ones. Sure, people care about diplomatic relations with the European Union, but more likely individuals will have a stronger opinion about local zoning laws with that new factory coming into town. Communicating on a regular basis with the community will strength you relationship with local citizens. It will show you are engaged, and that you intend to engage and involve them on these issues.

Smaller campaigns not only lack the funding, but also are limited to a small number of part time volunteers. Now, I do not want to downplay the role of volunteers in a political campaign. They are the heart and soul of the campaign. The problem I am pointing out is that for someone running for a position like city council member of a small town, the likelihood that one of the volunteers understand programming or social networking is small, not to mention one who has enough free time to get meaningful projects turned around in a reasonable time. But, being a small campaign you may have a way of finding some volunteers. Use you personal network to see if you can find anyone to help you out. A lot of times you might find a high school or college student who is willing to help for free. That is how I first got involved in online political campaigning. I volunteered to do some web work for free for a couple of local campaigns. If you have a little extra money, it may pay to hire a graphic designer to make you sites a little sleeker.

Finally, a small campaign should think in the long term, especially if you are early in your political career. If you build a website, the domain name should not be tied to the particular campaign you are in. What I mean is rather then picking "www.smithforcitycouncil.com" you should pick something like "www.votesmith.com." That way when you move along your political career you save money and the hassle of switch names. Also, voters will be familiar with the site already and wont have to go digging around for your new URL. This is one place where online social networking might be more worth the time. You will have a prebuilt network every time you run. Even if the network is small compared to the size of your constituency, starting with a network will make it easier to expand then if you were starting from scratch.

Whether you take my advice or not, the important thing for Republicans is that the discussion on technology takes place at every level of the party. Smaller campaigns may need to prioritize, but campaign strategies involving the Internet should still be included as options.

The next post will be April 28th.

The Power of Social Networking Sites

The other day I was browsing around on Facebook when I thought it would be fun to see what State Senator Kirk Schuring was doing with the Facebook network and tools I had built up for his run for Congress. The fact that his fan page no longer existed did not surprise me. The fan page was for his run for his Congressional campaign and not him personally. Since the election was several month ago and he lost it seemed appropriate that it was removed. The thing that did shock me was the fact that Kirk Schuring's Facebook profile was also gone. If I did not know better, the assumption would be Sen. Schuring is leaving politics all together.

As of writing this I have not heard back from my former contact close to Schuring on the topic. However, I feel that this is a very important topic that needs discussing. I do not mean just Sen. Schuring's Facebook page, but all politicians and all social networking sites. "Networking," the meeting and greeting a wide variety of people who typically hold important positions, has been a keystone to a political career since the beginning of time. Pessimists often call this "knowing the right people." However, I want to point out getting to know people in your constituency personally not only helps one get elected, it is also responsible governance. Our political leaders should have a well established communication line with business, labor, and other organizations who are all stake holders of government in a democracy. Not too long ago this meant picking and choosing who to talk to on a regular basis to form specific points of contact within a constituency. The realities of time and resources limited politicians to just communicating frequently with those in key positions like business executives, union leaders, and other politicians. When you are competing for a constituency as large as say a U.S. House of Representatives' seat, it does not make sense to ask hundreds of thousands of people "What do you expect from your government?" You would get more meaningful and useful information by talking to those who represent various interesting within your constituency.

Within the past few years, the very definition of networking has changed. Of course talking and getting to know those traditional points of contacts are still important. The Internet, however, has allowed the politician to make everyone a meaningful point of contact. Again, this is not just a great way to get elected, but a responsible step for a politician to take to better represent his constituency. Take Facebook for an example. As described before, Facebook allows an individual running for office to reach out to anyone else with a Facebook profile. Multiple individuals can describe to you very quickly and efficiently what is on their mind and how they feel towards certain policies. You can also send out information on your campaign, activities you are currently engaged in, or what ever position you currently hold. It gets everyone in your constituency involved.

Now, I understand that there is a concern with the perceived generational divide. The younger generation uses the Internet and does not vote, while the older generation votes but does not use the Internet. Let me briefly touch on that issue. The fact that the younger generation uses the Internet but does not vote should be viewed as an opportunity. Think of them as a massive group of undecided voters. If you want to bring them in, why not reach out using a medium of communication they enjoy using? Spark an interest in politics, and you may have a life long follower of your future campaigns and the Republican party itself. The second problem, of the older generation voting but not using the Internet, probably deserves more credit then the first problem. The Schuring for Congress campaign did have individuals complain that too much was being done via the Internet and not traditional mailings. Stories like these motivate campaigns to dismiss bold new ideas with technology, especially ones that have very limited resources and man power. Why not do what has worked for them in the past. To just say times have changed would be unfair, even if true. I have seen the older generation begin to give in to these new technologies, especially those on the Internet. To give anecdotal evidence, last week while in a hotel an older gentleman asked if I could help him with the computer set aside for guests to use. His problem was that the screen's resolution was set way to low. It was an easy fix for someone who frequently uses computers, and understandably confusing for someone who does not. When he began to use the computer, I could not help but notice he did not know how to type. It was very obvious that this man has rarely used computers (or typewriters) in his life. However, after all this, the older man's only goal that evening was to check his Facebook page.

So, now that we have a good cause for a social network online, how do we go about creating one? First, do not use just one online medium. I talk a lot about Facebook, but that should only be the foundation. Facebook is a great way to draw people in and organize your supporters (typically you search Facebook for an individual before you do on other sites) but you should do more. Try branching out. Create a YouTube page and post videos of speeches, events you have been to, or just a homemade video to help voters get to know you better. Set up a Flickr account to host photo galleries to show just how active in the community you really are. Start Twittering (see February 17th, 2009 post) to show how much time and thought you put toward governing. There are so many options, there is no way I could list them all in one post. Make sure that all your social network resources are tied together. That is, advertise your Facebook account on your Twitter, and vise versa. You want people to have reason to be engaged with your campaign, spend time at your sites, and most importantly, have a reason to keep coming back to revisit.

Another thing you absolutely need to do is start early and commit early. In the race between State Sen. Kirk Schuring (R) and State Sen. John Boccieri (D), one man started early and the other did not. Sen. Boccieri (now Rep. Boccieri) had his Facebook page built up before most Republican candidates even announced they were running in the primary. The Schuring campaign was just starting to dabble in Internet campaigning when I started working for them in the early part of that summer. There was never any excitement in the Schuring campaign about the Internet. Even the website was frequently neglected. Very rarely were the online resources used in conjunction with what was going happening on the ground. Every week I asked that the Internet sites, especially Facebook, be mentioned in the email newsletter. I wanted to advertise in many locations as possible to help build up a community of Schuring supporters. But every week, the newsletter lacked that information and frequently encouraged people to go to events that had already happened. The Internet was just too low of a priority for anything useful to get off the ground. On the other side, Boccieri's sites always seemed to be buzzing with activity. There were links to things such as the YouTube video of Ohio Governor Ted Strickland endorsing him and photos of his tour in Iraq. He had many "friends" on Facebook and frequently interacted with them. There were reasons to visit Boccieri online. His followers were with him from the day he announced his run all the way to when he won the election. His resources are still online as of writing this post.

Once the election is over, the next thing to do is continue to build the network. As a responsible leader, you can use the network to get opinions on issues facing your constituency. It helps you stay connected to the average person within your constituency. You should continue to meet and greet leaders in the community personally, but you should never forget who you work for, everyone. Even if you lost and do not hold an office, it is still important to hold on to that network. Those people believed in you once and will probably believe in you again. The next time you run, you will have already had a base built up that you can activate with a click of a button. These networks are great sources of donations and volunteers, not to mention, again, helping you better relate and lead your constituency. We should think twice before throwing a whole network away.

The next post will be on March 31st.

References:

Facebook -
http://www.facebook.com

Boccieri for Congress Facebook page -
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/John-Boccieri/8919181490?v=info&viewas=7725102

Twitter -
http://www.twitter.com

YouTube -
http://www.youtube.com

Flickr -
http://www.flickr.com

Rob Portman's Electronic Campaign

I met Rob Portman for the first time on the day before the election in 2008. He was giving a speech to College Republicans at Miami University. At the time he was not running for any office but he was the chairman of Ohio's Future PAC. The remarkable thing about Rob Portman, from this blogs stand point, is that he is a Republican who understands how to use the internet. In fact, after talking to him for a while about my concerns with the Democrats' plans affecting small businesses in a negative way, he introduced me to the two assistants he had brought along with him. Both of them do web work for Portman at various levels. Not only did Rob Portman hire assistants who have an understanding of the Internet, but he thought them valuable enough to bring with him!

So why all the fuss about Portman now? He has ran in the past representing the Cincinnati area for 12 years in the U.S. House and was eventually appointed as Bush's trade representative and budge director. Rob Portman has now announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate to replace the retiring Sen. George Voinovich (R). The interesting thing is that Portman is starting off strong with the web side of his campaign. Take a look at his campaign site: http://www.robportman.com/. As of right now there is not much content (it is after all two years before the election and he did just announce), but look at what the site has. Right under the Rob Portman for U.S. Senate we see a form for "Join Rob's Team."


This allows voters to sign up for Portman's newsletter. His newsletter comes in the form of an email and the service is provided by Constant Contact. This is a common provider. In the last election I saw it being used by several organizations and candidates running at various levels of government.

Next we see three boxes, "Meet Rob," "Volunteer," and "Contribute."


The "Meet Rob" is a page that contains information regarding Portman. The "Volunteer" page allows individuals to sign up to help out the campaign. This is a very important page. I know politicians have told me time and time again that one of their biggest obstacles is getting people to volunteer. It is not that there are no voters who are interested, it is that when you are having so many events (especially the week or two before election time) coordinating volunteers can become a logistical nightmare. How do you find supporters to turn out to a rally planned with short notice when you have people going door to door and walking in a parade on the same day? Having a volunteer database makes the situation much more manageable. You can do a quick query of the database and in less then a second you should have a list of phone numbers to call of people in the area who are interested in helping out at rallies. This makes it easier for voters to volunteer (they just submit a simple online form and only sign up for things they are comfortable doing) and easier for the campaign staff (more names of people genuinely interested in helping with contact information). And finally, every campaign needs funding. The "Contribute" button is perhaps one of the oldest and most common features on a campaign website. Supporters can easily donate to the candidate they believe in.

What has been mentioned so far is nothing that revolutionary. It is the bottom row on Portman's website that is really exciting. It is "Connect with Rob on:" with links to Facebook and Flickr. Portman has both a Facebook and Flickr account.


His Facebook account contains both a page and a profile. A profile in Facebook is, well, a profile. It contains personal information and allows users to communicate with each other through various means. You can personalize your profile with many features such as posting photos and links. When you "Friend" someone you are connecting to another person's profile by granting them access to see yours. A page is more of an informational section for entities that are not a person. Portman's page is for his campaign. Individuals can sign up to connect to a page by becoming a "Fan." This may be confusing to the non-Facebook user, but the basic point is that lots of information is being transferred on Facebook which is a social networking website. This means that the people sharing information tend to have very high levels of trust and credibility with each other since a lot of "Friends" are real life friends. And the most important point is that Portman is not new to Facebook. I was "Friends" with him before he announced his run for the Senate. In fact it was Facebook that first told me he was running through a posting.


Portman's Flickr account is also an unusual thing for a Republican to have. Although, Facebook allows users to create online photo albums, Flickr focuses on this task. It allows for really professional and dynamic albums with nice captions and organization.

In my opinion Rob Portman has the right understanding of these emerging Internet technologies. Even before running for the Senate his PAC had a very informative and modern website with a presences on Facebook. He is starting in the beginning of his campaign to find supporters and to spread his message. His is also a proponent of using the Internet more in campaigns. When the Dallas Morning News asked shortly after the Republican's sound defeat in the 2008 election what Republican's must do in the future, Portman responded in an op-ed. He cited Reagan's success in two points: the message and the delivery. The message focused on classic conservative policies and the delivery focused on the ability to relate to the voters. The former are time tested values, but the later is ever evolving. Portman pointed out that in order to better relate to the voters "...we must put more effort and resources into communicating our policies. This includes better use of modern technologies, an area where the Obama campaign broke new ground." As of the time of writing this post, Portman had no announced opponents, Democrat or Republican, but I can guarantee you his opponents will find they will have an uphill battle with this kind of digital infrastructure already in place.

References:

Ohio's Future PAC -
http://www.ohiosfuture.com/

Portman for U.S. Senate -
http://www.robportman.com/

Portman's Facebook page -
http://www.facebook.com/robportman/

Portman's Flickr account -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robportman/

Portman's op-ed in the Dallas Morning News (you have to scroll a little) -
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-GOP_09edi.State.Edition1.3043cfd.html

Link to Constant Contact e-newsletter service -
http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp