More notes from RootsCampDC...

 

Why Technology Sucks

Clay Johnson, Blue State Digital

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There were two sets of notes for this sessions

  1. First set
  2. Second set
    1. email is used heavily in campaigns: experiences
    2. inelegant user interfaces are a problem
    3. integration is the biggest gap (AH)
    4. why can't software vendors do better?
    5. approaches to integration

 

First set

 

-Problems with email

 

using free services like civicrm and thunderbrid didn't work well

 

Integration is the biggest issue: voter file, donors, mass mailing info is not integrated

 

Thereis one system that does it perfeclt but so slow it's unusable

 

Many people use three or more systems

 

Make it easy to share data.

 

Noel: Also, make it easy to take your data with you: it's your data, and it should be put into open formats

 

Ben Rahn: campaigns should have total control over information, and be able to export/import data with flexibility

 

The list the list the list...

 

Eventually, some clarity:

 

Some argue that we need to build a new system that incorporates everything that other systems get at.

 

Maybe we need an NOI for technology to teach politicos the need for tech and how to use it. And technology folks need to learn how to communicate their products to the politicos.

 

Second set

 

email is used heavily in campaigns: experiences

tough to use, hard to track where you were on quotas

lack of enterprise management

difficult to delegate to regional offices/organizers

had to export files and pull addresses off those to do mass email

civicrm plus thundermail was a tough combination

inelegant user interfaces are a problem

there are various different groups of users, different skill levels

I am looking for a system with a robust interface which lets me look at everything and another interface which puts everything for the volunteer who walks on one screen,and allows data entry

integration is the biggest gap (AH)

system that did it all perfectly was so slow that is was unusable

need for integration

10% used 3 or more systems, all with the same data

request: vendors please open up your systems with open APIs, open data standards

e.g. salesforce.com open api as a model

organizational obstacles to data sharing and reuse

 

why can't software vendors do better?

companies are small, come from particular backgrouns, initial markets, and thus underlying data structures and software architectures

work is not being done as much out of the party

DNC did an XML schema

integration between vendors actually may reduce flexibility

so we need an independent trade group that creates and helps enforce standards

one vendor built an API and many people use it (and their synch tools) but many people didn't - perhaps because we didn't publicize it well enough

some software works together

firms are good at different things

 

approaches to integration

why can't we do an ERP system for all campaigns at whatever level

need a Manhattan project to bring all these things together fo 2008

but this is not a priority for high level folks - who would rather spend it on media

why not some centralized leadership?

problem with centralized/ campaign on a disk - the primary problem

what about an integration line item?

a standards body would be helpful

a firm that did data integration might be viable - the Voltron

build it open source and fund it 501c3

suggest a Manhattan project that brings it all together

Britt Blaser - Orgware is coming in six months

this has to be addressed - there always needs to be a CIO on each campaign who is a senior level person

are you willing to revenue share

how do you make the argument to invest in technology to senior people who don't get it?


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