The Complete Story

OK. let's start from the top. This assessment is based on my own experience in deploying ERP systems in the private sector. While I of course do not have privy to inside sources in mybo, I do have a communications network of experienced political and technical professionals. Their assessment is identical to mine. Simply put, it is obvious to anyone in the business.

The Democratic Party has many databases of voter information. The must useful database sources are provided to the public from the County Elections Board or through the sign-up sheets made available during the Primary. Other database sources are available from private sources, others from polling networks, etc.

Enter mybo.

Mybo is a powerful database and communications network. Every contact with the public also serves the critical purpose of entering a massive amount of critical voter/supporter names and contact information into the mybo database. By integrating the database into an integrated platform mybo now has the ability to immediately retrieve and specifically direct this database information for any purpose they chose. Mybo has instantly become one of the most powerful integrated database platforms in the world. It's potential is limitless.

When mybo was originally launched it is obvious that the planners were not aware of the immense possibilities this new system could offer them. A good deal of potential was not realized during the first Primary pass. It is too late for mybo to go back and update the system. But it is not too late for we Obama supporters across the country to help them to fill in the gaps before November. This accomplishment of this specific objective could easily decide this election.

Our task in the creation of OAN-IN is to assist the Obama Campaign to immediately and more fully utilize much of the currently untapped potential of mybo.

The fact is that mybo simply can not logistically handle this task at it's current level of complexity. It is logistically impossible. We however are perfectly positioned for the task.

All we have to do is to simply get together and do it.  - G

Internet Tools

The following 2 posts are an explanation of how to use the most powerful networking tools available to Obama supporters on the Internet today: Social and news groups. You will notice that our blog has a Digg link feature built into it.

It is critical that every member to OAN-IN to learn how to fully utilize this powerful networking tool. Please take the time to use OAN-IN to post and thoroughly explore this topic today. This will be a powerful networking tool for OAN-IN. We must be fully capable of using it. Our first County launch will be tomorrow. - G

- - - - - - - - -Original Message- - - - - - -

On Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 1:01 AM, T A Hayes III <tah3@charter.net> wrote:

[Edited]

All the social news aggregation sites, DIGG, reddit, and even stumbleUpon, are valuable to use in TWO ways.  Not only do they drive traffic to interesting/positive stories, blogs, websites, etc., but even the way they are described has an impact on what people think... from headlines to comments, it's all a form of advertising.  The greatest blog post in the world is useless unless and until somebody reads it, and tells a friend.

So, if you're a blogger, it behooves you to learn about more than one, and use them to promote your pages (with help from folks here at MyBO, naturally.) 

If you're NOT, if you're the sort who comments but never originates, then it would be most helpful if you would pick one or two and concentrate on them... on digg, or on reddit, you can have a big impact by looking routinely at what's NEW as opposed to what's HOT, for instance.  If a new story gets squashed it won't reach the point where it's HOT enough to come to most people's attention.

The younger you are the more likely you are to have given up on traditional sources and be relying on pages you find in facebook, stumble, etc.  So to the extent we are helping young voters find and read good content our taking the time to lend our perspective on these new-media sites matters a lot, followed next by our rating of other comments.

In closing, let me remind you that some of our best minds here are very active bloggers, and while you may not agree with every single post they make they are working to provide a positive backdrop for when people search the internet, so please take the time to comment on their stories, and cast your votes on the aggregators like digg and reddit... think about what we're trying to accomplish ... and remember that Saint Neil is working hard to keep ORR an efficacious, rapid list. Not every list can be all things to all people.  We're not here to bash the opposition, just to keep them honest while helping people learn about Obama - and if the primaries and caucuses have taught us anything, it's that the more people learn about Obama the more likely they are to realize they support his goals, and accordingly to approve of and support his candidacy.

So if you have more questions, drop me a line directly.  I don't know it all, but I can help without cluttering up the mailboxes of those others who either 1) already knows, or 2) doesn't care. I generally check email many times/day (although a minor traffic accident and a flat tire cut into my time today.)

Tom Hayes

- - - - - -Follow-Up Message- - - - - -

Nice job on the Tutorial, Tom.

For clarification purposes it would be useful to expand on your statement: “It would be most helpful if you would pick one or two and concentrate on them... on digg, or on reddit, you can have a big impact by looking routinely at what's NEW as opposed to what's HOT, for instance.  If a new story gets squashed it won't reach the point where it's HOT enough to come to most people's attention.”

Here is how to do this using Digg.

Go to the upper right hand corner of the screen.

There you will find a green menu bar with two buttons: Popular & Upcoming. Select, “Upcoming”.

A new screen will appear. It will show the upcoming stories sorted on “Newest Stories” by default. This screen view is useless.

Go to the top of this new screen. Under the “My Profile” & “Add Friends” menu times you will see a 2-toned green menu bar.

Directly under that bar(s) is a search box that reads “Show Newest Stories.” It will have a light blue check icon next to the text field. Click the check icon.

A drop down menu of 5 choices will appear. Click on the middle list item “Show Most Popular”. Your screen will then change to show those stories that are right on the edge of going to the Front Page. This is the view that you will want to work from.

Searching this view mode is the way experienced Diggers find good stories to comment on before everyone else fills up in the comments section before them. This is also the surest and best way to become known as a regular Digg member.

All you need to do is to get in early and hook your comments to a sure-bet front page article. Yours will be one of the first comments to be read. If people like your story they will email you to become your friend. This network of friends is the Digg underground.

Happy Digging, all - G

--
http://obama08thedrive.blogspot.com/

It's Time!

This was posted to the Mybo Blog today. If we move here in Indiana, OAN has been designed to plug into every State in the Nation. It's all up to you, now.  - G
- - - - - - - -
An Idea for Organizing Via the Web

By Jeff from Holmdel, NJ - Jun 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 am EDT

Comments |  Mail to a Friend  |  Report Objectionable Content

Something's Missing
I love the Obama website and Community Blog. It's easy to express yourself, it's easy to donate and it's easy to pick up on timely campaign info. But, as the campaign grows bigger and broader, the one thing lost in the shuffle is constant and personal contact up and down the vertical hierarchy. (Sometimes I wonder whether anything I post on this blog actually gets read by more than 2 or 3 people).

Suppose We Organized Cyber Space Like We Do in Precincts
Traditionally, campaigns are organized geographically - often block by block, precinct by precinct. The effectiveness of the local ground game often varies state to state, town to town, depending on a multiplicity of factors, including but not limited to candidates' appeal, local issues, quality of local political leadership etc.

What I'm thinking is:

Every 25 people who've registered on this site as bloggers is (a) made a member of a sub-blogger news group and (b) assigned a Blogger Community Leader who serves as a liasion between the group and the campaign hierarchy. The Leader's job is to find answers to questions made by members of the group, communicate directives, suggestions and info from on-high and to funnel suggestions up the pipeline to campaign leadership.

You could still organize this by state and maybe even by county - and thismight reap additional geographical benefits. But cyber-space makes it easy to simply bring 25 people together and organize them, regardless of where they lived.

Doing the math - If 1.5 million people have joined the Obama Community Blog and assuming that all 50 states are equal in blogger population, each state would be 30,000 Obama bloggers, and 1,200 Group Leaders would have to be appointed (or perhaps elected by the 25 members of each subgroups).

If need be, there could be an additional supervisory layer of 48 Division Supervisors for each state; each in charge of 25 Group Leaders.

Any blog posted in the Community Blog could simultaneously be posted in the 25-person subblog so that members of the group could read it and respond. The idea would be to keep all 35 bloggers consistently engaged and involved day by day week by week.

Bottom Line
The Obama campaign would be organized and plugged in top to bottom, with sub group supporters communicating with one another daily and being armed with material and talking points needed to win over friends, neighbors and family members and to promote the campaign.

Being "Fired Up" goes without saying. What this would do is make more people "Readier to Go."

The Democratic State Convention

---------Original Message--------

From Jyoti Weaver <jyotirae@gmail.com>

Hi Glenn,
I guess that I didn't get to respond to your email before you left.  Too bad that we didn't get to find each other, but without even name tags to use as references, it was literally impossible to find people that we didn't already know.

Anyway, I had some very good conversations today with group leaders from Central Indiana and with the new state director for the campaign.  I have one question: Who are you talking to with the campaign to get your OAN-IN listserv going/approved?  The director would like to know as we continue to try to streamline the communication process here in Indiana. 

Let's keep our communication going!

Thanks.
Jyoti Weaver

P.S.  I hope that you had as much fun at the convention as I did.  It was a really GREAT time!

 

-------Reply----------

Hi, Jyoti. Thanks for touching base. I truly regret that we were unable to meet personally. There were several people that I did not manage to contact that I would have liked to, but many that I did. I take it that you did not receive my email telling everyone that I would be wearing a white T-shirt with "Obama '08 - The Drive" printed in bright blue? Oh, well. While I did enjoy the event tremendously, it was also quite a bit of work. I had the pleasure of meeting many new and interesting individuals within the Democratic Party.

For the time being, rest assured that OAN-IN has taken a great deal of careful planning just to get us to this point. I will cover this topic in another post. Just for your information, we expect to be launching some Counties in NW Indiana this week. This area has been very pro-active in recognizing and supporting this network. For everyone's information, I have already made inquiries regarding setting up a meeting between OAN-IN and the newly appointed Obama State Campaign Coordinator before proceeding any further with the impending launch.

Frankly, Jyoti, I did not attend the Convention "to lobby" for OAN-IN. Having worked the IN primary, I have personally been very concerned about strengthening the Obama support down here in Southern Indiana. The area is known as "Kentuckiana." It is a hybrid blend of Indiana and Kentucky values. We all know, only too well, what happened to the Obama campaign in KY. This concern was the compelling motive that lead me to volunteer to work in the Obama State HQ in Kentucky during the KY primary. In fact, it was the campaign staff in Louisville who affectionately gave me the nickname, G, for 'go-to-guy."

We are happy to report we were able to communicate directly with Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Jill Long-Thompson and Democratic Lieutenant Governor Candidate Dennie Oxley our assessment that the Jill Long-Thompson campaign will be vital to the success of the Obama Drive in Kentuckiana and in the rural areas of Indiana. As it turned out, we were preaching to the choir. We did, however, obtain a public commitment from Jill Long-Thompson to launch a very strong campaign effort specifically targeting Southern and rural Indiana. Jill Long-Thompson graciously explained in some detail the campaign structure that she has in place to ensure the continuous and active collaboration between the Obama campaign and her own campaign. We were deeply impressed with both Jill Long-Thompson and Dennie Oxley.

As impressive as Senator Obama is as a Presidential Candidate, Jill is as a Gubernatorial Candidate. She radiates warmth, integrity and ability simply through the act of exchanging eye contact. Dennie Oxley will be a very effective deputy. He is well qualified to win bi-partisan support for Jill's agenda in the State Legislature. This is critical to the Obama supporters in Kentuckiana as we are convinced that an Obama/Thompson campaign strategy will be vital to securing a Obama/Democratic Party majority in the Southern and rural areas of this State.

We look forward to fully supporting this extraordinary combined campaign effort.

Yes, Jyoti, I fully agree that we all need to communicate far more actively with each other about this network. The NW region has been in regular phone contact with us for several weeks now.  - G

--

http://obama08thedrive.blogspot.com/

Netiquette

NW Indiana has really jumped on this project. As a result we will soon be activating OAN-IN in this area. If anyone is interested in volunteering to act as a GA for this area please let me know. As of now we are no longer accepting volunteers to act as GAs in the NW counties of La Porte, Porter, St Joe, Newton & Tippacanoe. We have offers in many others, but we would like to give the most qualified volunteers the opportunity to act in this capacity. Email us if you are interested in volunteering for this region or any other County in Indiana.

Anticipating the success of our network, we must now establish a few specific policies that will facilitate clear and accurate communications on a long-term basis.

Please refrain from acting as a campaign information source. This will be the sole prerogative of the Obama campaign staff; that is if they choose to utilize our communications network. Obama staffers will be the only persons who will be allowed to post campaign informational posts. Again, our posts must be confined to the active logistic support of volunteer activities on an appropriate basis. We are not an information source. We are a work group.

Existing local volunteer groups on mybo are already in place to handle their own local activities. It would be counter-productive for us to interfere with these efforts. We must allow them to do their work unfettered by any outside individuals or groups; especially us. These local groups may decide to use our communications network to help them organize their efforts. They may use the network to seek support from any other volunteers/groups to assist them with their ongoing work. That is their, and only their, choice.

Unless local groups specifically request input from outside volunteers/groups we must make it a point not to offer any form of unsolicited input. The existing mybo groups must be free to use the communication network as a private channel. No one will be allowed to interfere in the public communications of any other members of the network. If we do, we immediately become a source of interference; not communication. Any member of this network is, however, encouraged to email any other volunteer/group off-network. We must be fastidious about allowing other members/groups to set their own boundaries; and then respect them.

One of the most obnoxious and counter-productive features of most listserve groups is when some member decides to adopt the group as his/her own personal pulpit. When you confront him he/she always counters that, as an American, he has the right to free speech. Our position is absolute on this issue. Everyone has the right to speak - right up to the point when their words meet our ears. That's when his/her right ends and our rights begin. Groups are formed for the sole purpose of reaching a mutual consensus for the benefit of the members of the group. The right to speak must be continuously earned by each member based solely on his/her contribution to the purposes for which the group was formed. There can be no exceptions to this rule if we expect to have even the hope of succeeding.

The bottom line is simple and obvious. If we can not successfully speak together as a group, we will never be able to act together as a group. This will be the great social/political achievement of this century. The times demand it. Our network is a commitment to an implied right to free group speech. The individuals right to speak is not relevant in this context. To debate this issue is lunacy. The group right to communicate must be respected. Violations of the group right of free speech will not be allowed.

Please keep in mind that all of these irresponsible, often destructive individuals, are simply using their distorted conception of the right to free speech as an excuse for forcing their feelings of entitlement down every one else's throats. We are all sick to death of being compelled to endure other people's personal misery - all in the name of some prevarication of "an individual's legitimate freedom of speech." Sheer nonsense.

If we are to actually accomplish our mission of helping Senator Obama bring his message of real change to the world, then we are going to have to start right here.

Accordingly, please feel free to forward our emails to individuals who you personally know. We must respect the rights of the members of other mybo groups not to be inundated by our rhetoric. As of now we will now voluntarily and unilaterally curtail future mass mailings.

Again, this is entirely our decision. We have received no complaints or pressure. In fact, we have received only one letter expressing disapproval of our mission.

We have simply decided to walk the talk.  - G

For The Record

--------- Original message ----------
On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 8:27 AM, Janet Chilton <Email address deleted upon request> wrote:

G,

I live in Carmel and will be attending the Dem Convention this weekend. I am interested in OAN-IN, although I don't have time to be a group administrator. Maybe there is another active role that would fit my schedule. I was very active during the primary, even had a staffer living with me. She's coming back to Indiana on Friday, so I know Indiana is definitely on the radar.

Do you know who is eligible to attend the County training on Friday night? Do you have more information about that?

FYI, I am also running as a candidate for the 5th district National delegate, although I think there are about 100 of us (just kidding) vying for 1 position. Being a newbie I have little hope of winning, but it was an honor for the Obama campaign to ask me to run.

Thanks for the work you're doing. Keep me posted.

Janet Chilton
Carmel, IN

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: G <jedmed@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Subject: OAN-IN
To: Janet Chilton <Email address deleted upon request>

Welcome aboard, Janet. Thank you for your offer. When this network takes off, I can assure you that there will be lots of ways that we can all help. I have bookmarked this eamil.

Regarding your question; "Do you know who is eligible to attend the County training on Friday night? Do you have more information about that?"

Contacting your local groups is still the best way to answer these questions. This is one of the important functions of local group membership. By contacting your local group for answers to these questions, it will also provide you with an opportunity to join the existing group closest to where you live. This, in turn, helps to activate local grassroots activities. Local grassroots political groups are absolutely indispensable to the success of the campaign. A large part of OAN-IN's mission is to support local grassroots networks.

It must, however, be made clear that Senator Obama has successfully reinvented the political wheel. With the elimination of soft money and PACs no one literally knows what is going to happen next. This is the reason for the very conspicuous lull in momentum. The Obama campaign machine is laying out a brand new strategy with the Democratic Party machine. For the first time in political history the candidate has more money than the Party. It is no longer the Party who is running the show. It is the candidate. Talk about a whole new paradigm.

Add to this situation the fact that for the first time in political history, not only is the Obama campaign completely grassroots based, but this grassroots effort is extensively technology/Internet based. As a result, all the old systems are being organized and integrated into an I-based system. This is such a pronounced transition that it is affecting campaign activities at the both the highest and the most fundamental levels at the same time. It's a target shoot.

The one thing that we can all be certain of: Little is going to be certain. We do know that at long last politics will be driven by the voters, not the special interest groups. Take about a power shift.

We also know that every activity that the campaigns employ will be I-based. It is simply more reliable, faster, less resource consuming and more accessible to voters. It provides an unparalleled opportunity for clear communications; as well as larger more inclusive and more accessible databases; that will be updated in real time and will always be instantly available to staffers. Wow.

As I have said before, the possibilities are limitless. What we are participating in is the rapid "techologicalization" of the political campaign process. The implications are as limitless as was the introduction of the machine was to the Industrial Revolution. OAN-IN is the first volunteer driven application of this technology in the history of American political campaigning. It takes mybo and gives it a good shove.

For future reference, all you need to do is to log on to mybo. Go to the find you local group page. Enter you zip code and you will be provided with those registered groups closest to you. Yes, the list is as yet incomplete. But it will tie you into the local volunteer network.

Until mybo has the opportunity to establish a more complete database of local groups, complete local group membership in OAN-IN will temporarily provide a complete and accurate database of every local group in the State of Indiana, including a communications network for contacting them. This is another component of the OAN-IN mission statement.

However, if you can not get your questions answered by contacting your local group, or you would like to communicate with a broader network of groups, then feel free to post to the larger group here at OAN-IN Janet; at least for now. As the campaign grows we may have to curtail some postings if they interfere with higher priority communications. Since no one has ever done this before, we will all have to put our heads together and work this thing out every step of the way. This is really entirely a grassroots project.

To all members: Please feel free to use OAN to help you coordinate your intra-County and inter-group activities for the County Trainings and the Dem Conv this weekend. Over time, OAN-IN will authorize County based networks for exactly this purpose.

Btw, we are going to try to get some OAN members together for an impromptu "do" in Indianapolis this weekend. Given the short notice, we are just going to do the best that we can. So no one should sweat it if we don't hook up. This is, after all, an I-based network. :-)

Indianapolis is just a great opportunity to get to know each other face to face. It also will allow me to explain this powerful tool in person. OAN-IN simply anticipates the next logical step in I-based grassroots political campaigning. We are attempting to utilize this powerful technology now, while there is still time to use these advances to help Senator Obama get elected in November. Our success will be entirely dependent upon the hard work and enthusiasm of the community of grassroots volunteers.

The potential advantage to the Obama campaign by using OAN-IN in Indiana is enormous.

If you like, please e-mail me your itinerary for your stay in Indianapolis including where you will be staying. Some of us will definitely be getting together.  - G
--
http://obama08thedrive.blogspot.com/

Exciting News

"We must interrupt our regular scheduled programming to bring you the latest breaking news."  ;-)

Mybo has approved our application for an OAN-IN network group for each of the 92 Counties in the State of Indiana. If you are interested in serving as a group administrator (GA), please contact me. You must be qualified for this position.

There have been a few inquiries of late that need to be addressed to the whole group.

OAN-IN is not a mybo group. OAN-IN is a communications and deployment network.

Mybo groups play a vital role in organizing and supporting local grassroots volunteer/campaign strategies. The current mybo groups need to continue to fulfill their traditional and critical role in exactly the same way that they have always done.

OAN-IN is a communication network designed to improve and facilitate the communications process between the Indiana volunteers (local mybo groups) and the professional campaign staffers. Part of our mission is to enhance the functionality of current and future local mybo groups.

OAN-IN is strictly a volunteer sponsored and driven effort. We volunteers are responsible for our own success. Mybo's contribution to this effort is allowing us to utilize their powerful infrastructure for our communications purposes. We expect to be receiving assistance from other Obama volunteers from across the country. We are already in discussions with other groups in other States. Their assistance will be invaluable to us.

The bottom line is this. We volunteers are finally taking charge of organizing and directing our own area of responsibility - volunteer field operations. Ultimately, the end user of the system is the staffers. They will be the ones to send requests to the volunteer network. That's when we will go to work. Everything we do must be directed towards the deployment of volunteer resources to any staffer immediately upon their request - especially come GOTV time. Everything we are doing, with OAN-IN or in our local groups, is simply preparation for what we all hope will be the most massive and successful GOTV Drive in American political history.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Please let me know if you will be in Indianapolis this weekend. It is time for the potential GA volunteers to get together.  - G