The Power of the Network

Many still do not know how Barack Obama came from nowhere to beat powerhouse Hillary Clinton. They don't quite get what all the fuss about his online social network.

Think of all those Verizon "Power of the Network" commercials were the "Can You Hear Me Now?" guy leads a vast throng of support folk behind the cellphone user. For Barack, on websites like Facebook, that support rolls over a million deep.

It's that huge throng of people who made it possible for Barack to land 100,000 contributors, including many first-time donors, on July 31 alone, the deadline for the July fundraising period.

Like the Verizon network, the Obama crowd includes a vast diversity of people with varied talents and skills. They are linked on a local level, but also an online group level. Through the internet, they can easily reach out to relatives, old friend and classmates, etc. regardless of where they live.

And, of course, the internet makes exchange of information and updates quick, cheap and easy.

Currently, Barack's network is registering and engaging voters across the country, and when crunch time rolls around, they will mobilize to make sure every Obama supporter votes. It's this closing "get out the vote" effort that often wins presidential elections.




Barack had a busy day yesterday with morning press conferences, a town hall meeting in Titusville and an address at the annual National Urban League Conference in Orlando.