Netroot Campaigns - News Feed

Web Tools Help to Reshape '08 Campaign Trail

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project finds that a record-breaking 46 percent of Americans have used the Internet, e-mail or cell phone text messaging to get news about the campaigns. Analysts examine how new Web-based tools are expanding the campaign trail.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Forty-six percent of all Americans have used the Internet as well as e-mail and cell phones this year to get campaign news, to share their views, and mobilize others. Is the so-called Internet campaign -- much talked about in previous presidential years -- finally upon us?

In fact, 35 percent of Americans say they [...]

Internet key to Obama victories

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

With Barack Obama moving close to victory in the Democratic presidential primary campaign, the internet has proved one of the key tools to his success. And it may well give the Democrats a big advantage during the Presidential race itself.

The internet has been moving to the mainstream of political life in the US for some years.

But in this presidential cycle it has been particularly important for the Obama campaign, which was starting from scratch with few resources and little name recognition.

The internet favours the outsider, and gives them the ability to quickly mobilise supporters and money online.

And the more nimble [...]

The internet 2.0 election

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The internet is revolutionizing the American election campaign. Felicity Spector finds out how sites like YouTube are spawning new ways of reaching voters and raising cash.

You've heard the hype about the "internet 2.0 election", but now see the evidence: an astonishing five and a half million people watched Barack Obama's speech on race in February - in its entirety.

That's all 37 minutes - uncut, unedited, and viewed on YouTube, which doesn't count the number of people who only tuned into part of it.

That's progress - not to mention an incredible level of commitment - and thanks to sites like YouTube, [...]

2008 is finally the year of cyber-campaigning

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The online world has been touted as a transformative agent for politics since the late 1990s, but never quite lived up to its hype. This year, it looks like it has.

Late last year, Emily Allison decided Hillary Rodham Clinton ought to be the next president, and she wanted to help. But she wasn't sure how.

So she fired up her computer and, in short order, ended up as the campaign's campus coordinator at the University of Minnesota.

In doing so, the 21-year-old Spanish major from Rochester became one of the ground troops in an electronic revolution that's transforming presidential [...]

In 2008 campaign, the Internet packs a powerful political punch

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAMPAIGNS BUILD 'BUZZ,' TRACK TRENDS ONLINE

WASHINGTON - Evidence abounds this presidential election year that the Internet is increasingly competing with TV, newspapers and other traditional media outlets - and sometimes beating them - as a primary source of political news.

The trend is having a big impact on how candidates run their campaigns, and it's also launched new ways to help trend-spotters measure voter interest in candidates and issues.

Consider:

At last count, Sen. Barack Obama's entire, 37-minute speech on race in America had been viewed 3.8 million times on YouTube. That set a record for a [...]

The Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

The internet is living up to its potential as a major source for news about the presidential campaign. Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say they regularly learn something about the campaign from the internet, almost double the percentage at a comparable point in the 2004 campaign (13%).

Moreover, the internet has now become a leading source of campaign news for young people and the role of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook is a notable part of the story. Fully 42% of those ages 18 to 29 say they regularly learn about the campaign from the internet, [...]

Election 2008: The Internet Campaign

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

The 2008 election is the first real Internet campaign, but online strategy and technology remain works in progress. Joe Trippi is rolling down I-95 toward Charleston, S.C., headed for a debate he could only have imagined four years ago. A senior adviser to the John Edwards presidential campaign, Trippi helped pioneer Web politics as Howard Dean's campaign manager during the 2004 election. Now, though, Internet campaigning is mainstream. "No one's laughing this time," Trippi says. "There are all these amazing ways for people to connect with a campaign, to follow it, or create their own mini-campaigns, things that didn't exist [...]

Campaign 2008: Small Internet donations add up

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:00:00 EST

Small donors are having a significant impact on the amount of money that the Republican and Democratic candidates for president are raising. The Internet, providing the tools for grassroots activists to self-organize and conduct "p-commerce" by giving political money online, has clearly contributed to this.

The interesting story after six months of presidential fund-raising is that some candidates, notably Barack Obama, are doing much better at reaching small donors than others.

In a July 3 CNET post on [...]