I got the following email from Frank Chi, a college senior and the communications director for a new organization called Students for Barack Obama.

“Hi Todd, my name is Frank Chi and I am a college senior and communications director for a newly formed national grassroots campaign, Students for Barack Obama, a political organization born out of Facebook.com….With over 24,000 members online, we just launched our website and held a rally outside the New Hampshire hotel where Sen. Obama was last Sunday. When we first started this Facebook group it was intended for a bunch of students at Bowdoin College in Maine, nothing big, and 3 months later 24,000 Facebook members are part of it and it is growing by the hundreds everyday. After organizing for weeks, we’ve translated online activism and support from a social network like Facebook into a real, political structure urging Sen. Obama to run for president.”

Politicians are sticking their toes in the shallow end of the pool and setting up their own Facebook profiles. But I tend to think organic efforts like this will have more of an impact than any candidate-driven initiative.

About the Author
Todd Zeigler
Todd Zeigler serves as the Brick Factory’s chief strategist and oversees the operations of the firm. In his sixteen year career in digital, he has planned and implemented campaigns for clients including the Pickens Plan, International Youth Foundation, Panthera, Edison Electric Institute, and the American Chemistry Council. Todd develops ambitious online advocacy programs, manages crises, implements online marketing strategies, and develops custom applications and software. He is bad at golf though.