One Million Strong for Barack: Obama Facebook Phenomenon!

[carpe diem]

I thougt this was really cool. I don't know if it reflects real support for Obama but, he's sure kicking the other candidates butts.

From http://www.mydd.com /


Talking 'Bout An Obama Facebook Revolution
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/1/25/165930/043

Adam Conner pointed this out earlier, but the Obama facebook craze is really interesting. Nine days ago, a guy named Farouk Olu Aregbe started a facebook group called one million strong for Barack. A graduate of Missouri Western State University, Aregbe was the student body President for two terms and the President of the black student association, and he's now pursuing an MBA. The facebook group he startedhas broken the 100,000 member barrier. The target is 1,000,000 members by February 5. Every campaign thinks that they are going to be awesome online, that they will hire the best strategists and focus on what the internet can do for them. But here we have a facebook group that might sign up one million young people in three weeks.



Serving Obama's Army
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/1/26/03145/4580


If anyone wants to join, it take just a few seconds to sign-up. If not, just ignore.

[illinoisprogressive]

1. It's at something like 150k now

[carpe diem]

2. it's gone from 164,048...

to 164, 696 in less than an hour...that's almost 650....wow!...they just might make it...

[PresidentObama]

3. I saw a Hillary Clinton One Million Strong one too.

On Facebook.

If I'm not mistaken...

[ProudToBeLiberal]

18. you mean this group?

http://cornell.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2230394968

[Infinite Hope]

4. Of course the numbers mean nothing because so many join the groups w/o knowing much about them. n/t

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

6. Or not

One large facebook group + several reminder bulletins placed by strategic Young Democrats to mobilize them for the primaries = more outreach than 200,000 "The MSM is out to destroy my candidate, oh no!" threads.

Assuming ignorance is lame, lame, lame.

[Infinite Hope]

8. Many will be helpful, but...

Often college students on facebook join facebook groups because their friends requested them to. So while much of that one million for Obama and Hillary will be people who are really knowing and supportive, many could take or leave politics, much less specific candidates. You'll also find that a large portion of the group members are overlap and are joined onto groups of other facebook candidate groups. Obama and Hillary alone likely share a shocking number of supporters in their facebook groups.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

9. I'm aware of how facebook works

Even joining the group for the sake of joining the group equals Obama getting up his name recognition to youth voters (who are ga ga over him, let me assure you). If he gets ten percent of one million, its a hundred thousand voters he didn't have before, which in primary season is massive.

The campaigns already have people who've figuered this out, and they're pushing this stuff hard. Mobilizing the 18 to 28 vote is going to be massive for Obama.

[Infinite Hope]

10. You're right that it's publicity...

But publicity doesn't really mean support. Sure, it'll help pick up many votes, but most of that one million (that they'll never reach before the primaries) won't be swayed to vote at all, much less vote for Obama.

Further, youth aren't overall "gaga" over Obama. Some are, but a vocal minority doesn't represent the whole. You can figure about 75% don't vote, don't care, and probably don't know anything about Obama. Of those who will vote, they're split among the candidates, Obama only getting a fraction of those including those leaning toward him. Then a portion of his support would support him because they feel he's the best man for the job, not because they're "gaga" for him. So when you narrow it down, only a tiny portion of the young population is "gaga" over Obama or any other candidate for that matter.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

11. I don't know

I work with youth political organizers, and hence, have a pretty good feel for how my demographic is swinging at this point. I have watched Senator Obama be treated by an entire high school full of inner city kids like a rock star. I've only worked two campuses recently (and none since Darcy Burner flamed out in November), but there's no doubt in my mind that the guy pulls young voters in.

Hence, "gaga". Yes, "gaga". And I doubt his support is going to splinter into "fractions" in the primaries because of the youthful exuberance of Joe Biden, or the nuanced triangulation of Hillary Clinton.

Your dismissive notes about the youth votes education about the issues, are completely uninformed (75% don't vote my right nut).

[Infinite Hope]

17. Check your stats of voting rates of ages 18-25. The vast majority do not vote.

I am a political organizer. I am in that age bracket. High schools always act "gaga" when someone famous comes in. I remember the same reception for Jesse Ventura and many others at my own high school. Most people knew nothing about him. But they knew a famous person was there and they were going to get to watch them speak and meet them afterward.

Going "gaga" is never a good measure of solid political support, but rather is a measure of celebrity.

[Imagevision]

5. Barack Obama seems to have good judgement, I'd vote for him in a minute...

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

7. Dear old people

Facebook= direct mailing link to young party activists across the country.

Assuming it does reach a million (and it probably will), even if the Obama campaign can only mobilize 10% of that, that's 100,000 young voters ready to rumble just for the primaries.

And it costs nothing.

[ellisonz]

12. It functions like a straw poll in this case of college students.

Straw polls are telling. There is also a democraticunderground.com facebook group.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

14. Truth

And I find it telling that when I went to mail some of my facebook friends (did I just admitt I had a facebook?!), four of the ten were already members.

Its being picked up by national outlets at this point. "Stupid kids with their stupid internet" seems to be a pretty silly view that none of the big candidates share.

[Conscious Confucius]

13. How many of those million would actually bother to vote? 115 people or so?

Don't be fooled yet again by the non-existent youth vote. It never amounts to anything.

[VADem11]

15. Don't underestimate

the youth vote. Being condescending doesn't help. If you bothered to look you would see that at least some of the people in the group are actively trying to register people and get them to turn out. There is awareness among younger voters that they should turn out more.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

16. Oh no!

http://elections.us.reuters.com/top/news/usnN08342322.html

Congratulations on having zero fucking idea what you're talking about.