RootsCampNYC Session One

 

RootsCampNYC Session One Room 4: Connecticut Led by: Aldon Hynes (Ned Lamont IT Dir) And: Matt Browner-Hamlin (My Left Nutmeg) What were the prereqs that allowed comm w blogosphere? What happened between primary and election? How can I stay involved (Lamont supporters)? Did the campaign generate organizing, or vice versa? Can this work at the national level? Despite Ned Lamont's loss... People are now wanting to be involved. Creating a positive cycle. (Feed the cycle) This doesn't happen by accident! Video, YouTube... Room 3: Is the Blogosphere Dead? Led by: Liza Sabater, culturekitchen And: Gregory Heller, CivicActions

 

Room 4: Connecticut

Led by: Aldon Hynes (Ned Lamont IT Dir)

And: Matt Browner-Hamlin (My Left Nutmeg)

 

What were the prereqs that allowed comm w blogosphere?

• maybe objective was to raise issues, done by election
• campaign manager (Tom Swann) was open to the idea to letting blogs run with it a little
• somewhat out of necessity
• local blogs were already looking for Leiberman alt before Lamont
• (others please help fill notes in)

 

What happened between primary and election?

• narrative was clear through Aug 8
• (others please help fill notes in)

 

How can I stay involved (Lamont supporters)?

• post on myleftnutmeg
• important result: formation of hyper* informed, hyper* involved local contingent that's now involved in CT politics, posting, commenting
• Matt: born and grew up in CT, never thought of myself as 'from' CT until the Lamont campaign

 

Did the campaign generate organizing, or vice versa?

• Aldon: it's a cycle that feeds on itself; first ad ended with Lamont: I approved this ad... And so do we! (CT pple); message was: come get involved; Markos and friends rushed in before campaign was ready; blogosphere pushed campaign, vice versa;
• Matt: new dynamic -- (didn't get all) national blogs, local blogs, local media, national media
• Tracy Russo (DNC): like recycle arrows, got to feed the cycle; local bloggers in TX, OH, CT; Tim Tagaris coming from OH got the cycle
• Matt: key is hiring Tim Tagaris (laughs)
• Tracy: local bloggers don't just wake up and know to come to campaign HQ, have to work hard at outreach; invite people into the process; constantly feeding the beast; campaigns don't get how to connect the campaign mech to the rest
• DNC will be training candidates and campaigns on how to do blog outreach; have working docs; working with Zack Exley, Tim T

 

Can this work at the national level?

• I know all politics are local... but a lot of campaigns are going to be national.
• Matt: what was powerful wasn't just local blogs, was YouTube; was accessibility; clear transmittable message to national blogs about what was happening on the ground
• Saw with macacca Allen situation...
• Aldon: anecdote -- early on, when Ned announced, one of his lines was: Party officials were telling me, don't rock the boat, but I think it's time... Aldon downloaded the song, put together pics of Ned with people, song, 'the kiss' Bush & Leiberman... posted anonymously... response back was: why don't you do a better job with that song and video... and they did; * Would like to see national campaigns do trainings and help strengthen citizen journalism

 

Despite Ned Lamont's loss...

• There is a resiliency to what was created.

 

• People have come away empowered. The question people have for the campaign right now is how can they stay involved.

 

• Aldon's answer is

1. Sign up on the Dem Partbuilder

2. Comment on http://Myleftnutmeg.com

3. Sign up on DFA

 

People are now wanting to be involved.

 

• They are writing to the local newspaper.

 

• There was a cycle to the campaign. Constant give and take. Pushing each other.

 

• www.Dailykos.com and www.firedoglake.com got involved and pushed the campaign before it was ready.

 

• The sub-text to the Ned's campaign was "come get involved" (Illustrated by the "So do we")

 

Creating a positive cycle. (Feed the cycle)

• Create the story
• Get the blogs supporting
• The media follows
• Add to the story

 

This doesn't happen by accident!

• It doesn't have to be a top down talking point
• You need to connect the on-line part to all of the campaign

 

Video, YouTube...

 

• The YouTube video of Joe Lieberman running away translated the dynamic of a local campaign nationally (Similar elements played out - With Tester and Burns, Macacca and Allen)

 

• The Rock the boat video was an interesting example. It was poor quality and when people saw it some responded by maknig a better version.

 

Room 3: Is the Blogosphere Dead?

Led by: Liza Sabater, culturekitchen

And: Gregory Heller, CivicActions

 

Liza's Notes

(These are post-unconference notes I am adding to the wiki. I will be writing about this more in

depth over at culturekitchen. These are not direct notes, so please feel free to add yours.)

 

The intention of this session was to look at how business and technology bloggers are looking at David Sifry's

"State of the Blogosphere" and look at how it may apply to the future of the netroots.

 

David Sifry

State of the Blogosphere - October, 2006

http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000443.html

 

Mark Cuban

Is the Internet A Long Tail Ghetto ?

http://www.blogmaverick.com/2006/10/28/is-the-internet-a-long-tail-ghetto/

 

Nichola Carr

More blogs, Less weight

http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2006/11/more_blogs_less.php

 

Both Cuban and Carr note how blogs created by bloggers or blog publishing companies have fallen from the crest of the blogosphere. As more big media turn to the same publishing platform and search engine optimization strategies that are inherent to blogs, the more blogs will fall from organic influence spots online (like Google Page Rank or news syndication sites like Digg.com).

 

So even though the barriers to entry to publishing online have been destroyed, the barriers to influence are rising once again. Which leads to the main question of this session : What can political or advocacy bloggers do in order to ensure the blogosphere is realized as a plurality of voices?

 

There were more questions raised than answered; but some answers were offered over at the From Netroots to Neigborhoods session.

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