Lessons from "Ellie Light"

Just the other week, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) discovered an interesting pattern with letters to the editor. Numerous newspapers from around the country were posting letters with nearly identical language all signed by "Ellie Light." The only real difference was that the author claimed a local address (in West Virgina, Ohio, Maine, California, etc.) each time. The letters were in support of Obama and asked America to be patient while he tries to solve tough issues. Here is The Plain Dealer's original story. After a week of rumors, theories, and some excellent investigation work done by Sabrina Eaton at The Plain Dealer it was discovered that Ellie Light was actually a man named Winston Steward from California. Here is the updated story.

There are still plenty of rumors flying around about Steward. Some think he is actually an operative for the Obama administration trying to plant grassroots support around the country. After all, Steward has gone through several lies to cover his tracks (at one point he claimed his name was Barbara Brooks) so there may yet be more to this story. However, I want to focus on the role technology played in this story and provide a lesson for campaigns.

Some are questioning the newspapers that published the letters for not insuring that the letters to the editors were authentic. Even the paper that broke the story, The Plain Dealer is guilty of this failing. The only reason the reporter at The Plain Dealer investigated Ellie Light's identity was because she happened to have had an old co-worker by the same name and wanted to see if it was the same person. The point I want to focus on is that whether this letter writing campaign is part of a larger conspiracy or not, it was going to be discovered no matter what.

The pattern of Ellie Light's letters was easy to discover. All it took was a quick search on Lexis-Nexis (online database of newspapers) to show the same letter by the same author in different papers across the country. In a matter of a few seconds Ellie Light was busted. Steward came up with all kinds of excuses but at the end of the day credibility was lost and he ended up doing damage to Obama's reputation.

I want to go back to a point I have talked about, especially when it comes to social media: honesty. Letters to the editor are nothing more than a primitive social media tool. Steward chose to send letters to newspapers, but he could have just as easily chose to set up a blog, Twitter, or Facebook account with the name of "Ellie Light." The result would be the same either way. When voters want to engage in a discussion they want to do it openly and honestly. If you are faced with losing your job, struggling with student loans, or just worried about the general welfare of your community and country, the last thing you want is a fictional person telling you what to think. There is a big difference between engaging the community and supporting grass roots organizations, and faking its creation. Technology has opened up opportunities to fake an identity, but it also has created a bunch of tools to catch those schemes. I cannot emphasize this enough: DO NOT TRY IT!

I have no doubt that this type of thing will be tried again. There are probably some cases where the instigator was never uncovered. However, the cost of being caught greatly outweighs any potential benefits. Ellie Light got national attention not because the original letters were well thought out or inspiring, but because the secret plot was discovered. While there is no official connection between Ellie Light and Obama to this date, just think of the real damage that would be done if a connection was confirmed.

The next post will be February 16th.

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.

Why Spend on Graphic Design

Today I have a new logo for Republitech. Rather than having something that I threw together I decided to use a real graphic designer. Like a lot of people, I do not have a graphic design talent. However, I do know the elements that make a good design. I thought today, in honor of my new logo, I would discuss why investing in a good graphic designer is a good idea.

First, it is only a good idea to have a designer that knows what looks good, but one that knows what works well for websites. As I have stated many many times, the Internet is interactive. Your website should be designed with interactiveness in mind. That is, understanding where a user's eyes are drawn, what users imply certain colors mean on the web, how to visually navigate your menu system, how to segment content, etc. I could write long posts on each of the issues mentioned in the previous sentence, but the point I am trying to make is that there is more to design than just what looks pretty. I have seen several good graphic designers struggle with designing for the web. The problem is there are designers out there who were trained and practiced in graphic design before the Internet really took hold. They do awesome print material, but struggle with the interactive nature of the web. Having something that works well on the web also requires a certian organic process. If you have a tracking system set up (I highly recommend Google Analytics) then you can test many minor changes. For example, you can answer questions like "How many more people click on my donate button if I change it's location on the home page?" and "What is the optimal font size for my menu?" My suggestion is to find a designer who has had a lot of online experience and can work with you over the course of the campaign to continue to improve and optimize the user experience. I highly recommend Greg Peterson of L'Atelier Muetpointe located in my home town of Wooster, Ohio.

Secondly, in politics it is always a good idea to develop a "brand." Companies do it all the time with colors and images. Developing a clean look that conveys your message is critical. Let us take a look at Obama's logo.


The colors used are red, white, and blue. These are common colors used in American politics and blue and white are Obama's colors. The logo is also rounded yet sharp. This conveys a sense of modernity, or as many others saw it a change from the old way of politics to the new. The logo itself looks like a sun raising over farmland, like a new day over the heartland of America. This implies "change" and gives a sense of "hope" for a symbol of America: farming. I would say Obama's logo is the most brilliant piece of graphic design work I have ever seen. I could go on and one about how brilliant the rest of his graphic design work (from websites to posters) but I think you get the point.

The biggest challenge for a campaign and graphic design is expense. I am not going to lie, good graphic design is not cheap. Expect to pay hundreds of dollars at minimum just for a good logo. This is a decision that has to be made by you. However, I strongly advise campaigns to seriously consider the benefits. For a small campaign with a well known local candidate graphic design will not be on top of their list. However, good graphic design may make the difference in a tight House race. I am by no means suggesting that simply because your site looks awesome people will vote for you. What I am saying is that good graphic design will help consistences relate to you, understand who you are, and feel at ease using the resources you provide them with online. Those are legitimate reasons that will make you better at your job.

The Database

Today's post is going to build off of the ideas of virtual networking from the last post. However, rather then using pre-existing websites, I am going to explain the power of building your own custom internal database. The pre-existing systems such as Twitter and Facebook are cheap and easily assessable to both the politician and the voter. However, they have their limits and are dependent on decisions made by external third parties (namely the developers) whose goals and objectives may not align with your campaigns. Creating your own database gives you total control of the information which can be used for benefit a political career in both the short and long term.

First, I want to clarify one thing. I am not suggesting in any way that you must choose between pre-built external systems and having your own custom internal databases. Both strategies should be employed given that a campaign has the resources. Furthermore, I am not suggesting building your own social networking site. While your own site may have social networking features, you should not create something that rivals pre-existing sites like Facebook and MySpace. If you want to use something like Facebook, use Facebook. Your constituents are already using Facebook so there is little cost to them to connect to you. If you have the resources to use both external pre-existing and internal custom systems, do so, but use them in a way that takes advantage of each in their own unique ways rather then creating unnecessary and costly redundancies.

So what exactly do I mean by a custom internal database? The simple explanation is that it is a list of voters and information related to each voter. The more complex explanation is creating a set of interrelated tables linked by relational elements that contains information about various groups of voter data sets. These data sets can be subjected to programmatic equations and expressions to create a report that interprets the raw data as facts and trends. I am not trying to show off with how complicated I can make it sound, but I want to emphasize that creating a useful database is not something you can do in an afternoon. To have your own system be helpful it should lean more on the complex side. It will pay off in the long run to hire someone who understands relational databases really well rather then have someone on staff figure it out. The point of this post to explain the application of such systems, not their interworkings, so my first definition of a database being a list of voters and information related to each of those voters will be the most useful.

A well designed database can give you extremely useful information. Most obvious is streamlining communication such as emailing, phone banking, door-to-door, and even old fashion mailings. Creating a list of voters and their addresses should be as simple as a click. Each report can be custom tailored which can have criteria such as party affiliation or geographic location. Rather then compiling a new report for every event, a few search terms and a click can get you there. Even more exciting is that your internal database can use public data such as voting trends in particular areas during primary season and combine it with on the ground experience your volunteers have with phone banking or going door-to-door. Have your volunteers keep track of how receptive the voter is to your candidacy. Later, assuming your database has been designed well, you can mine your own database to discover trends. You may need to target your message more to a certain area or demographic, or perhaps a certain city is donating more then others. I could go on and on about all the different types of analysis, but right now I just want to demonstrate how vast the possibilities are.

Let us take a look at the most famous internal database, the one Obama built for his Presidential Campaign. Take a look at a few of the facts regarding his database. According to NPR, his database has over 13 million email address. This includes those who volunteered on his campaign, attended his rallies, donated, or just signed up for his newsletters. With a simple click of a button, Obama could send out an email to each address to keep the votes focused on his message and ask loyal followers for donations.

And what has happened to Obama's database? Mike Allen of Politico.com recently explained "The database...will now be used as a unique tool for governing, with former canvassers now being enlisted to mobilize support for the president’s legislative agenda." He is now using his network to help him lead the nation as President. One could make the argument that this is responsible governance. He is using his campaign network to help the nation, not just himself. To a certain extent you must give him credit for a creative approach. However, this will only reinforce the Democrats agenda and will limit the extent of the debate. We should be on the look out for it turning into a government funded propaganda machine. In any case, this new use of the database will help Obama come November 2012. His followers from 2008 will continuously receive information and invitations to participate in government. This will make those voters feel respected by Obama and they will be more likely to turn out with the same amount of energy as they did for him the first time. They will also be constantly told how great Obama's plans are. Obama is not going to use his own database to be critical of himself.

Even though an internal custom database sounds like something only major campaigns use, it could be applied to smaller campaigns. The idea should be very appealing to up and coming politicians looking at establishing relationships with constituents for the long run. This election cycle you are running for city council, next you may be running for state senate. Having your database by your side will give you research about your constituency and access to contact information to those who have and will continue to support you. Moreover, any campaign that has a constituency spanning multiple geographic or demographic groups can benefit from the information that can be generated from voter data. It will help you run a more focused and engaging campaign.

What ever you may do, I have two points that you should consider before embarking on a project of this scale. First, pay attention to election and privacy laws when it comes to saving voter information past election day. Second, this should not be considered a do-it-yourself or simple job. The design of the database is extremely important and generating truly useful reports will require someone with a background in coding. You will quickly be frustrated with a poorly designed database.

The next post will be on April 14th.

References:

NPR article on Obama's database -
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97722217

Mike Allen's Politico.com article on Obama's database -
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20007.html

Why Do We Need Technology?

Today President-Elect Barack Obama becomes President Barack Obama. In Congress and in state chambers across the country, Democrats now dominate. There are many social, political, and economic reasons for a wave from the left, but I am only going to focus on one. It is one that is disconnected from political tides and economic booms and busts. It is the application of technology.

The political reality was always a blue tide. However, Republicans did not have to lose so badly. In the last election, the Democrats used the Internet to their advantage. They built networks through Facebook and kept their constituents informed through Twitter. And when I say they I mean at every level, not just Obama. Certainly Obama's network was the biggest and most effective out of all the races that I have seen. But these networks had synergies between local and national elections. If you got a feed from your Senator, then he/she probably mentioned other candidates and their networks. Moreover, if all you signed up for was Obama emails then on voting day you probably voted down the ticket for all Democrats.

One of the campaigns that I worked on was the Schuring campaign for Ohio's 16th Congressional District. I have nothing but good to say about State Senator Kirk Schuring. He works hard, he is local, his heart is in the right place, and he is a great guy in general. However, Sen. Schuring lost big to his Democratic opponent State Senator John Boccieri. The last time a Democrat won that seat was in 1948. Anyone who knows that district, especially my home county of Wayne, knows that being a Republican, even in at a time like now, is not a crippling handicap. In fact Wayne County went for most of the Republican candidates from President to county commissioner, except for Sen. Schuring. Sen. Boccieri had a large, well established Internet presence where Sen. Schuring had virtually none. This will be a race I will get into more details later.

One thing we must remember is that the Democrats were not doing anything tricky by using websites, blogs, e-newsletters, etc. Granted, just like in traditional forms of campaigning, the content may be misleading or exaggerated, but the technological tools themselves were not a ploy. We cannot write off these methods as unfair. In fact, I would argue that the Democrats, by using the Internet, did a better job of fulfilling their duty to the people. These technologies are communication tools. They let the community know where the candidate stands on important issues, keep them up to date on political developments, and invite the voter to participate in their government. In other words, the Democrats were being better civil servants then the Republicans because they used the Internet.

The best example, and the most appropriate for today, is that of change.gov. Obama had already won the election, but put time and energy towards this website. Why? Change.gov essentially was for the transition. It kept people informed about what Obama was doing to get ready for the first day in office. You could sign up on their mailing list and have updates emailed to you. Videos and articles were put together as events unfolded. Technically he wasn't campaigning, he was communicating and listening to what people would submit through the site. He was staying in touch with the people. This is going to help him push his agenda, future elections (for all Democrats), and collect information. In one of his videos Tom Daschle cites stories he read that were submitted through change.gov.

Republicans need to start paying attention to these tactics.