Posted on 01/24/2010 9:51:28 AM PST by Steelfish
How Republicans won the Internet
By Mindy Finn and Patrick Ruffini Sunday, January 24, 2010
Scott Brown's supporters became fans of the candidate on Facebook, where they commented on his status updates and uploaded their own photos. The Republican Senate hopeful took to Twitter, using the #masen hashtag to let his followers know how the race was going. His campaign powered its field operation through targeted online ads and Web-based spreadsheets, and raised $12 million from 157,000 individual donations in the last two weeks of the race. After he won last week, his team live-streamed the election-night party in Boston online.
Democratic candidates don't have a monopoly on online organizing anymore. Brown and his campaign staffers deserve the credit for proving this, but it's a reason to celebrate for us and our new-media colleagues, too -- we've been working to get the GOP into the Web era for the past decade. We've been laughed out of high-level campaign meetings, told that online budgets are the first thing to go and informed that having a Facebook page is "unpresidential." And it wasn't until recently that people stopped asking us to fix their computers.
But we've always had faith that the rightroots could organize for victory, as the netroots had on the left. It just needed some nurturing. And now that it's launched Sen.-elect Brown in Massachusetts, the online-organizing playing field is more even than it's ever been in the past 10 years of American politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The RNC may only be starting to figure out this inter-tubes thing but Conservatives have been at it since before 1998 to much success.
If more Republicans were Conservatives, they could have ridden that wave with us.
If they think that a couple of web-geeks are going to help them parlay the Tea-Party protests into support for RINO campaigns, they better save their money for TV.
there is no way i’ll ever go on facebook or twitter!!!!!
I’m on Facebook with old high school friends from 25 years ago. Also some other friends and co-workers picked up over the years.
I find the opportunity to be subversive with compelling news items and debate a great asset. Light hearted debate though. These are my friends of various stripes so no flame wars.
I have no reason to be in contact with anyone I went to high school with 55 years ago.
As far as current friends they will either be seen in person or by VOICE contact by phone.
No text, we have our phones blocked so we can’t receive them!!!!
Agreed....but if the Tea Parties think they're better off going third party than supporting conservative Republican candidates in as many districts as we can field them in, then the Tea Parties can piss off, AFAIAC.
Sen. Brown, congrats, and May I suggest you set a new hash - #fullcourtpres
It's that people who require the centralized control of information who have utterly lost.
I feel the same way, but then I never thought I would use Text Messaging, but now I am. I had to learn to help my son get around at a debate event, and now I use it regularly.
My husband is on Facebook, and keeps up with his family and the friends he's re-connected with from high school. I write letters to my family and friends.
heh heh, now you're talking, n00b!
;-)
Huh. You got any particular place in mind? Like THIS ONE?
We still do it better and we always did.
I’m actually surprised that more older people don’t use text messaging. Too many concerts and manufacturing plants over the years means that my hearing isn’t the best, especially when there is background noise. Texting also allows a conversation to occur in the “background” without either party losing track.
On the other hand, there’s a definite breakpoint at approximately age 50 vis a vis technology comfort. The reason is pretty simple: video games.
If anyone wants to get ahold of me they had better expect to TALK to me.
If I don’t answer they can leave a VOICE mail!
I don’t know anyone personally that uses text messaging, of course I don’t make a habit of being around people that are baby boomers or younger.
I have no interest in making contact with anyone I went to school with.
Just out of curiosity I went to my 50th high school reunion and haven’t made contact with any of the 260 that showed up since.
Other than that I did happen to meet up with one person from high school in 1958 in Acapulco when I was down there to race the Corvette in the Guadalahara State Fair. He was broke and buming money to get home.
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