Freeman used the Barrak Obama campaign as his case study to introduce participants to the New Media tools available to anyone willing to invest time, that's all.Freeman began by telling the participants that this is not like any usual advertisement medium - it's not about buying space on television or in print and putting out your message. It's about building a community and that takes tons of time.
Corporates are keen to get their message across but activists often lag behind - they are too engrossed in fighting their battles in the real world to be bothered about the virtual world. McCain made that big mistake - his campaign overlooked the power of the internet for more traditional campaign strategies.
Obama, on the other hand, was willing to invest in building his community online. And he was able to win the hearts of millions. And he was prepared to listen to his community. And that is the crucial link that closes the chain - acknowledge the presence of your community and LISTEN.
So what were the tools of the campaign?
Well of course its good to start with a website to let the community know who you are and what you do. Obama used it to get people to fund his campaign and subscribe to his mailing list. He used this mailing list effectively to garner support at the drop of a hat. Then he made sure his supporters knew who he was and what he believed in. For this, he used his personal blog to get his views out there.
Don't have a website yet? You can start with the free Google Sites web page builder and Blogger for a free blog (like this one). Once you've got your feet wet you could go in for your own domain (like mine at gasperdesouza.com). It's cheap these days. But a website is just the beginning. How do you actually get people to come to your site?
Here's the Obama Way:
Facebook: 3,322,316 supporters, Youtube: 20,133,759 views, Flickr photos and Twitter: 143,496 followers.
By not getting online on the social networking sites, McCain lost the battle without a fight. When people went online to search for McCain, they were more likely to find material posted by Obama supporters than from the McCain camp. And therein lay the downfall.
There's loads of interesting stuff to read on New Media, on Freeman's blog, so I recommend you go check it out.
Building a community takes time. Spend it! Its a wise investment. Of course, before anything, make certain you have a message worth sharing!
