So today I had enough emails from Mr. Barack Obama and I decided to unsubscribe from their email list. They asked for a reason so I gave them the following:
 You have my vote, quit emailing me.
-the trose
I am awesome.
Well anyhow I figured since I want to read your emails maybe I could support you by donating some money… all they accept is credit cards, so I wrote in and told them they should also take paypal donations… Fuck giving them my CC info.
Lastly as I was looking at the site they were pushing http://my.barackobama.com/ which is pretty much a niche rip-off of myspace. Here you can do the following:
- build your own profile and connect with supporters near you
- find or create your own local or national group
- create your own personal fundraising page and track your progress
- find events near you or plan your own
- chronicle your campaign experience on your own blog
Well this kind of pushed me over the edge… I do not see the point, and I would never join a social network on a political website. I think it is kind of lame that they are using “web 2,0” to promote their agenda… maybe I am just getting old?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Old and bitter about everything beats young and naive about everything.
Yeah, you are getting old. This is how campaigning is done nowadays. I’m researching online rhetoric as part of my Ph.D. and Obama’s use of it is actually nothing short of brilliant. It is largely behind his ability to be nearing 200,000 individual, non-corporate, non-PAC contributions. There is also a national “Walk for Change” on June 9th that is being coordinated through the website and it looks like it will be pretty big. Anyway, being able to get information, and to receive direct call for helps, by email sure beats the telephone calls and snail mail that used to clog up our mailboxes.
Mark Anthony
Actually, I think the website was set up by a fan and supporter of Barack’s 4 years ago. The website became so popular that his Campaign Commitee aquired the site and made it his official site. I heard this on a nationally syndicated radio show.
yes I agree. I wish people would stop hating on the 2.0 form of communication. Its more effective and more ecologically sustainable. It does need to develop better filters so that people who hate the mail can easily not receive it… and it sound like in this case it was pretty easy for you. The fear of online social networking is like an 80s fear of the geek, now trumped by hipsterism and thank god! Or the ongoing homophobia slowly being eliminated in progressive states. I hope that one day, the internet will stop making people uncomfortable, we will all be able to come to peace with the 2.0er inside of all of us, then flamboyant internetting will be an acceptable form of communication throughout the world.