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

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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

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http://obama08thedrive.blogspot.com/