Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Lessons Learned from Online Advocacy
Last week, I attempted a sociological/technological experiment to see if a targeted communication via online channels (RSS/social networks) are effective to foster action. The original plan was to try, over the course of three hours, three different communication tools to get a comment on my blog from a specific individual.
I followed the plan, but made two tactical changes. First, I gave more time for the response. And second, I opted against trying the direct email campaign because I thought that would be too direct of a tactic and against the diffused communiation strategy of Internet advocacy.
On the same week that I was conducting this experiment, I was reading Kurt Vonnegut's book, "A Man Without a Country." Vonnegut communicated the first rule of creative writing in this boko, which is to never use semicolons because they are hermaphorites and only prove the author went to college. Later in the book, Vonnegut used a semicolon and said that all rules are meant to be broken.
That's a great lesson to apply to how the democratic presidential campaigning is starting to become. What was originally a respeotful campaign season has turned into a one-sided contensious attack. For a party that is trying to bring the country together, this must stop now. Senator Patrick Leahy's comments this past week about encouraging Clinton to drop out of the race were not sexist, they were realist. She cannot win the race and is only hurting the party at this point. Obama will probably lose Pennsylvania next week, but not by a big enough margin to make a difference. Obama just spoke in front of 20,000 people at Penn State University and received the backing of Jerome Bettis and other PA celebrities. Clinton may have the establishment and the lead there, but his momentum is building and will close the gap.
As I've been saying throughout this blog, I am confident that the decision of Clinton/Obama will not happen until the convention...but is that good for the Dems and for America. Its good for the process, but not the country and certainly not the party. But, hopefully the Super Delegates don't break any rules...
I followed the plan, but made two tactical changes. First, I gave more time for the response. And second, I opted against trying the direct email campaign because I thought that would be too direct of a tactic and against the diffused communiation strategy of Internet advocacy.
On the same week that I was conducting this experiment, I was reading Kurt Vonnegut's book, "A Man Without a Country." Vonnegut communicated the first rule of creative writing in this boko, which is to never use semicolons because they are hermaphorites and only prove the author went to college. Later in the book, Vonnegut used a semicolon and said that all rules are meant to be broken.
That's a great lesson to apply to how the democratic presidential campaigning is starting to become. What was originally a respeotful campaign season has turned into a one-sided contensious attack. For a party that is trying to bring the country together, this must stop now. Senator Patrick Leahy's comments this past week about encouraging Clinton to drop out of the race were not sexist, they were realist. She cannot win the race and is only hurting the party at this point. Obama will probably lose Pennsylvania next week, but not by a big enough margin to make a difference. Obama just spoke in front of 20,000 people at Penn State University and received the backing of Jerome Bettis and other PA celebrities. Clinton may have the establishment and the lead there, but his momentum is building and will close the gap.
As I've been saying throughout this blog, I am confident that the decision of Clinton/Obama will not happen until the convention...but is that good for the Dems and for America. Its good for the process, but not the country and certainly not the party. But, hopefully the Super Delegates don't break any rules...
// posted by Jason Langsner @ 8:57 PM 
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