Week 5 – Digital Advocacy

Historically, political networks have been geographically-based or managed via an organization (political parties). Digital technologies are disrupting these patterns of control. How do digital technologies impact third parties, polarization.

• Overview/Housekeeping
  • See a feed of all blog posts on FeedRaider
  • First Reading Essays
  • FactCheck Washington
• Framing tonight’s topic (ppt)
• Guest speaker, Beth Kanter, nonprofit consultant
  Beth will share case studies of her work with nonprofit organizations and how they have leveraged emerging digital technologies for fundraising.
• Discussion leaders
  • Alvin – Non profit organizations uses of the Internet
  • Garrett – Aristotelian Logic and 3rd Party Movements in the United States
  • Keiichi – The Political Blogosphere and the 2004 U.S. Election: Divided They Blog
  • YenChing -
• Small group discussion
  • “The Internet is a medium in which low-resource groups are profoundly more competitive.”
  • “Political organizing is all about finding those people who think like you do and drawing them into your organization any way that gets them involved… while at the same time trying to get your message out to the people who haven’t decided yet.”
  • Why does Trippi call eBay a community instead of an ecommerce site? Do you agree or disagree, and why?
  • Would the Bush attack ad on Dukasis be as effective today as it was then? Why or why not?
• Next week’s assignments (comments)
• Technology Tutorial (WordPress)
• Time For Project Work

PEW: More than a quarter of voters read political blogs

• How would you feel if your candidate lost? Obama supporters: 37% angry, 33% depressed; McCain supporters: 18% angry, 17% depressed
• Confident your vote will be accurately counted? 57% “very” confident, 10% “not too” confident

“Special Interest Groups”

• Presidential Youth Debate
• NRA Commercial – 1986
• Sierra Club PSA
• Bush-Dukasis – “Tank” Ad
• Bush-Dukasis – Willie Horton Ad