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Why Women Candidates Must Be Online
1/17/2009
by Sarah Granger
Hillary Clinton's dynamic run for the presidency has forever opened doors for women seeking higher office. But there's still much to be done. Moving forward, the '08 campaigns proved that in order to compete and win, all candidates will need to embrace the power of the Internet.
As we move toward more models of small donors and mass collaboration in campaigns and governance, we need a new framework that encompasses both the top-down and the bottom-up as we saw with the Obama campaign and
my.barackobama.com. It's not just about message control; it's about embracing constituents and energizing voters. And it's about reaching out online and pounding the pavement offline.
Having worked with women candidates at local, statewide and national levels, I've seen some amazing online campaigns but I've also seen a pervasive fear of using online technology in campaigns. Women candidates need to understand that we're not giving up on the tried and true fundraising schemas of major donors or message-driven content. We're augmenting that by reaching out to younger generations and new constituent groups who want to be engaged but are more comfortable doing so via laptop or cell phone than at hand-shaking events.
Every campaign is different, as is every candidate, and with geography always a key factor in elections, not all locales are ready for massive social networking endeavors. However, not taking advantage of the benefits of e-mail, websites, blogs, online invitation systems, Facebook and other existing tools of the web now puts candidates at a disadvantage.
This is only the beginning of the Internet's role in the political process. 2008 signaled a shift in how campaigning will work in the future. The next generation in campaigning entails realizing that in future campaigns, the winners online will more often be the winners overall. As volunteers, staffers, supporters and candidates, we must encourage and assist women who run in every aspect we can if we are ever to shatter the political glass
ceiling and achieve equal representation in our government.
...
Sarah Granger (Emerge CA '05) advises candidates and political organizations on using technology and new media in campaigns.
Hillary Clinton's dynamic run for the presidency has forever opened doors for women seeking higher office. But there's still much to be done. Moving forward, the '08 campaigns proved that in order to compete and win, all candidates will need to embrace the power of the Internet.
As we move toward more models of small donors and mass collaboration in campaigns and governance, we need a new framework that encompasses both the top-down and the bottom-up as we saw with the Obama campaign and
my.barackobama.com. It's not just about message control; it's about embracing constituents and energizing voters. And it's about reaching out online and pounding the pavement offline.
Having worked with women candidates at local, statewide and national levels, I've seen some amazing online campaigns but I've also seen a pervasive fear of using online technology in campaigns. Women candidates need to understand that we're not giving up on the tried and true fundraising schemas of major donors or message-driven content. We're augmenting that by reaching out to younger generations and new constituent groups who want to be engaged but are more comfortable doing so via laptop or cell phone than at hand-shaking events.
Every campaign is different, as is every candidate, and with geography always a key factor in elections, not all locales are ready for massive social networking endeavors. However, not taking advantage of the benefits of e-mail, websites, blogs, online invitation systems, Facebook and other existing tools of the web now puts candidates at a disadvantage.
This is only the beginning of the Internet's role in the political process. 2008 signaled a shift in how campaigning will work in the future. The next generation in campaigning entails realizing that in future campaigns, the winners online will more often be the winners overall. As volunteers, staffers, supporters and candidates, we must encourage and assist women who run in every aspect we can if we are ever to shatter the political glass
ceiling and achieve equal representation in our government.
...
Sarah Granger (Emerge CA '05) advises candidates and political organizations on using technology and new media in campaigns.
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