Obama has got another powerful tool - an army of political foot soldiers. The Obama campaign has gathered the emails and mobile phone numbers of 10 million supporters, donors and volunteers who were marshalled during his presidential campaign. "We've run sort of a giant experiment here in volunteer management and we want to take a look at the lessons learned from that," Jon Carson, the national field director for the Obama campaign, said. "I think in the same way that these incredible volunteers that we had carried his message throughout the campaign - talking to their neighbours about why he was the right candidate to bring the change that we needed - I can see them in a similar way explaining a health care proposal, explaining whatever issue it is." Mr Obama has already set up a new website to keep supporters engaged in the lead-up to Inauguration Day.
"We've run sort of a giant experiment here in volunteer management and we want to take a look at the lessons learned from that," says Honduras RPCV Jon Carson, the national field director for the Obama campaign.
Obama expected to rally online army
Posted November 15, 2008 09:01:00
Updated November 17, 2008 20:56:00
Techno-savvy: US President-elect Barack Obama
When Barack Obama takes the office of US president in January, he is expected to revolutionise White House communications.
Just like Franklin Roosevelt did with radio and John F Kennedy with TV, the new president is expected to harness the internet.
This weekend he will make his first weekly address on TV, radio and on YouTube. Presidential podcasts could also be on the cards.
And Mr Obama has got another powerful tool - an army of political foot soldiers.
The Obama campaign has gathered the emails and mobile phone numbers of 10 million supporters, donors and volunteers who were marshalled during his presidential campaign.
"We've run sort of a giant experiment here in volunteer management and we want to take a look at the lessons learned from that," Jon Carson, the national field director for the Obama campaign, said.
"I think in the same way that these incredible volunteers that we had carried his message throughout the campaign - talking to their neighbours about why he was the right candidate to bring the change that we needed - I can see them in a similar way explaining a health care proposal, explaining whatever issue it is."
Mr Obama has already set up a new website to keep supporters engaged in the lead-up to Inauguration Day.
So how will his internet savvy campaign influence the way he communicates when he is sworn in?
Andrew Rasiej, the founder of the Personal Democracy Forum which tracks the use of new technologies in American politics, says he believes the Obama administration "will revolutionise the way presidents will speak to the American public in as dramatic a way as the declaration of the world being round was to the shipping industry".
"I think that the internet offers an economy of abundance where there is no limits on time and space, so the president doesn't just need to do press conferences and radio addresses as was done in the 20th century," Mr Rasiej said.
"He can now offer his views on YouTube, but he can also listen via YouTube and citizens can post questions or concerns.
"They can organise themselves and vote which questions and concerns are the most important to them and the president can direct his answers directly to the most important pressing issues as the internet bubbles them up."
Mr Rasiej says the Obama campaign's database of supporters is one of the largest in the world.
"As president he's going to be able to reach out to the same group of people and ask them to support his legislation and, in effect, making them his own special interest," he said.
"These people who have been empowered and feel empowered through the election process are going to demand a seat at the table next to the lobbyists or over the lobbyists and other special interests that traditionally have been trying to effect legislation or the decisions coming out of Washington.
"You know the president has always had the ability to talk over the heads of Congress to the American public and now he can go between their legs too."
Kelly Gallaher, who was part of Mr Obama's grassroots movement as a team leader in Racine, Wisconsin, says she is keen to use technology to help keep in contact with people who helped during the campaign.
"In the Racine county area here in Wisconsin, we estimated that we had close to 1,000 volunteers, so I really think that it's not too much to guess that we can keep several hundred in contact with each other," she said.
Some analysts say Mr Obama could wind up disappointing millions of people who thought they had a stake in his presidency.
But Ms Gallaher is more optimistic than that.
"Well, I don't think as progressives and as liberals that we could be less happy than we've been in the last eight years," she said.
Adapted from a report by Kim Landers for The World Today on November 14
