Posted on 08/15/2007 4:14:31 AM PDT by kristinn
Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry of Personal Democracy Forum tell us (once again) that Democrats are superior to Republican online. (Oh, by the way, the sun rose in the east today.) Their piece appears in Politico and quotes extensively from a Patrick Ruffini blog post that I linked last week. Here’s an excerpt from Rasiej and Sifry’s op-ed:
What all this means is it’s highly unlikely Republicans are going to turn the tide online – not until they wean themselves off their top-down habits and start using the Web more to foster community and collaboration.
Right now, we don’t see much sign of this happening (except among supporters of Ron Paul) – but we know plenty of Republicans who are watching how well the Democrats are doing this cycle, taking notes and making plans.
Rasiej and Sifry are partially correct. We are taking notes and making plans, but we’re certainly not just “watching how well the Democrats are doing.” We are doing something about it, as David All puts it on TechRepublican.
We’re actively talking about it on sites such as TechRepublican, where my friend Allen Roth has a great piece today about how to build the movement. Sites like Big Red Tent, Slatecard and Rightroots are nearing launch in what should provide a major boost in online fundraising and acvitism. Let’s also not discount our blogs, which are undergoing transformations to adapt to changing times. The megasite Townhall just added video and RedState is preparing for a major relaunch in a few months.
I’m sorry to report that Rasiej and Sifry fail to mention any of this, but then again, I wouldn’t expect them to know since they don’t travel in our circles. Their op-ed, nonetheless, has inspired liberal blogger Chris Bowers of Open Left to declare himself a blog genius. Here’s what Bowers wrote today:
Generally speaking, what we are seeing here are online Democrats taking more action on behalf of Democratic candidates than online Republicans taking action on behalf of Republican candidates. To put it another way, even though studies show that Republicans use the Internet at rates equal to Democrats, Republicans are less politically active online than Democrats. This basically confirms what I predicted more than two years ago in an article titled Aristocratic Right-Wing Blogosphere Stagnating.
There’s no question that liberals are more politically active online. However, I find Bowers’ assertion that Huffington Post and Daily Kos have excelled because they are driven by a community to be somewhat misleading. Free Republic invented the concept of an online community, and according to Compete, it still tops both in terms of eyeballs. (Ruffini, by the way, recommends Compete or Quantcast over the inferior Alexa for judging traffic.)
What does this all mean? Exactly what Ruffini said about Free Republic: “What a waste. Imagine how the history of the rightroots could have been different if Free Republic wasn’t still stuck in 1996?” Despite all of its success generating traffic and building a community, could Free Republic actually be considered a failure? That’s not a question I can answer. Its community functions very differently from Huffington Post and Daily Kos. But if and when someone figures out how to crack the code, it could be a goldmine. As it stands now, Free Republic has decided not to evolve. That doesn’t mean we don’t have the eyeballs. We simply haven’t figured out how to activate the community.
Keep complaining desk set. We'll keep pushing forward.
Sorry to post and run, but I'm off to work on our latest pro-victory rally: The Gathering of Eagles on Sept. 15 in D.C.
This community has jobs and families - and prioritizes them ahead of “activism”
Liberals are great about promoting each other’s efforts. That’s why Code Pink and the Daily Kos, Radio America and the Huffington Post are well known beyond their communities and influence. Conservatives, with the exception of Freepers who publicize all sorts of conservative groups, do not do that.
When they talk about online success they’re talking about one thing and one thing only. Raising money.
Defined by chronic delusion, and malignant narcissism
A search for other FReepers by zip code distance, or other criteria like hobbies/interests would be nice. Voluntary, of course, if you want to remain unknown, you wouldn’t have to submit your info.
Yeah yeah, I know, this isn’t myspace. But you have to admit, it would create more of a community for organization/ activism/ cooperation.
look at the nutbag site essembly.com for a bad example of how it might be done.
Republicans are much more based on self sufficiency and family. In other words, they have a job, work hard and family obligations...
“..how well the Democrats are doing this cycle”
Are they doing that well?
The thing that sets FR apart from - and above - the leftist sites is that we *are* a true community - with a wide diversity of views and opinions within the general framework of ‘Conservative’ thought.
I pray that we don’t evolve into the kind of rabid lockstep that’s the defining character of the ‘activist’ sites.
(My $0.00002) (adjusted for inflation)
I am convinced that FR has impact far beyond the # of direct eyeballs.
A lot of talk radio, both syndicated and local, use it to find stories to talk about.
I have seen op-eds a day after a story is posted on FR that say what some posts do nearly verbatim.
The RNC watches. I’m not saying they listen... but they watch.
I would like to see us working more actively, harder, earlier to defeat
her unroyal lowness, her hideous heinous SHRILLERY KLINTOON.
I still think people underestimate the puppet masters abilities to put her in power.
But, prayer is still the best activism we can effect.
But I still think we must put lots of legs and fingers to our prayers.
THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO.
More radical billionnaires fund hard left websites. The MSM likes to trumpet hard-left initiatives (remember the launch of AirAmerikka). The radical left has an advantage in free money and free nationwide promotion.
“I pray that we don’t evolve into the kind of rabid lockstep that’s the defining character of the ‘activist’ sites.”
I am guessing that you haven’t been to the Daily Dose thread, where the denizens fawn over pictures of W meeting with Chicom undignitaries etc.
Sometimes if you listen to Rush while on Free Republic, you can notice a similarity to recent posts and a topic Rush brings up. I wonder if FreeRepublic is part of his “crack research staff.”
Ask the unimpeachable President Clinton. Ask President Gore. Ask President Kerry. Ask citizen former gov Bush. Ask the famous CBS news anchor, uh, what's his name? Oh yeah, Dan Blather.
They have a strange way of measuring success. Success on the internet is measured by longevity. A lot of these places have come and gone. This forum is still the best breaking news site on the internet.
The Grassroots effort is growing. But as stated above, we are working Americans. The effort will continue to grow. As for personal information, I know many others who feel the same way I do about this, NO.
Republican coffers are down because Republican politicians were advancing policy we did not support. Get the right candidate with a conservative message and we will open our purses, no more Republican lite.
“..Free Republic has decided not to evolve. That doesn’t mean we don’t have the eyeballs. We simply haven’t figured out how to activate the community.”
While I am in no way claiming that “we won the war all by ourselves”, as field coordinator of Catholics Against Kerry, I KNOW for certain we provided Bush with a 4 point turnout in Youngstown. In 2000 Gore got what he needed to have a chance in Ohio, 65% to Bush’s 35%. We poured it on in Youngstown through handbills at Church parking lots and radio spots, and Bush got 37% to Kerry’s 63%.
In New Mexico we pulled a 9000 vote turn around out of the Navajo reservation. Bush won NM in 2004 by abound 9600 votes.
NONE of our success would have been possible without the support CaK got from Freepers. We would NOT have existed without Freerepublic. The author can continue to whistle past the graveyard, he can tell himself Freerepublic had nothing to do with stopping the Bush/kennedy/graham amnesty bill. Personally I hope the left continues to fool themselves about their power and our lack of power. It makes our job easier.
left wing sites are promoted by the MSM.
CNN in their “whats on the net/blogs” segment only covers left wing nutcase sites as normal.
You have a 90% leftwing journalist base who considers the feakshow of the left to be NORMAL. They will not consider FR normal. It is like holy water to a vampire.
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