Jordan Raynor: Governor Palin's Online Footprint Allows Her to Control Her Message
In a recent column in the SayfieReview, Jordan Raynor discusses how impressive, and important, Governor Palin's "online footprint" is.
A few weeks ago a group of elected officials asked me the following question: What do we do when we are attacked online? My answer to them: Have the largest online footprint possible.
What do I mean by an "online footprint"? In a broad sense, an online footprint is the extent to which you are connected with your supporters in the online space. Sayfie Review founder Justin Sayfie defined the term more specifically in a recent speech to the Tallahassee Tiger Bay Club when he said, "Develop a massive email distribution list, a massive number of Facebook friends, and a massive following on Twitter."
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In the same conversation mentioned above, I cited Sarah Palin as someone whose online footprint both Republicans and Democrats should take note of. Love her or hate her, Sarah Palin currently boasts twice the amount of Facebook fans as Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, Charlie Crist and Jeb Bush combined. More importantly than posting incredible numbers in the online space (she also boasts 142,000+ Twitter followers) Palin is actually leveraging her massive online footprint to communicate exactly the message she wants her supporters to hear - with no media filter.
Immediately following the announcement of her resignation, mainstream news organizations scrambled to find the first hints of reason behind Palin's decision. Before they could get to the source or anyone close to the Governor, Palin communicated directly to her most loyal supporters - via Facebook. Not an interview on the network nightly news, not a radio segment with Rush Limbaugh, but a Facebook note.
[...]
When candidates are attacked on television, they defend themselves on television. When candidates are attacked through direct mail, they defend themselves through direct mail. When candidates are attacked online --- few defend themselves online because they have not made the long term investment of building their online footprint, leaving them with no weapons to fight back.
Read the rest here. It's well worth the effort.
I found Mr. Raynor's column quite interesting. Governor Palin's enormous "online footprint", to which Raynor refers, will be an incalculable advantage to Governor Palin in the future. As fewer and fewer people obtain their news from traditional sources such as television and newspapers, a candidate's online presence will be increasingly important in disseminating their message. Mr. Raynor concentrates primarily on Governor Palin's Facebook and Twitter followers. But that understates the true magnitude of her online support.
There are literally dozens of blogs expressly dedicated to defending and promoting Governor Palin and her ideas. C4P is a perfect example. C4P is not affiliated with Governor Palin in anyway and is indeed a "Cincinnatus Blog" in every sense. With little more than an idea and $10, Joseph Russo founded C4P in January. From those humble beginnings, C4P has emerged as one of Governor Palin's largest and most influential "online footprints" in the entire blogosphere. In a post last week, Tommy Report wrote:
Since January, Conservatives 4 Palin has had 1,770,673 visits, twice the number claimed by David Frum's New Majority. Keep in mind too that Joseph Russo started this blog with $10 while Frum soliticited professional advice and promoted the debut of New Majority heavily in the political and conservative blogosphere.
C4P is far from the only online presence Governor Palin has. Texas4Palin has compiled an impressive list of blogs who support Governor Palin. Like C4P, these blogs sprang up, literally, from the grass roots, making her online footprint that much more impressive. The enthusiasm factor is also important. As someone noted earlier this year (I can't find the link), many of her supporters would crawl through broken glass to support her. Can you imagine Mitt Romney's supporters having a similar degree of passion for him? Or, are there any other candidates who could draw 20,000 people to a sleepy upstate New York town on an early summer weekend, a year and a half before the next election?
If Governor Palin does indeed run in 2012 or later, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for her rivals to counter the huge "online footprint" she has. To be sure, others will try to replicate her success but, given the grass roots nature of her support and the passion of her supporters, it is difficult to imagine any of her known potential rivals achieving the magnitude of her success. As Mr. Raynor noted, she has more Facebook followers than all of her potential rivals combined...times two. And this number continues to grow...along with her online footprint.
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25 comments:
Who knew high heels could leave such a big footprint?
Of course, this could just be because she has been seen with Bigfoot, right, Nancy?:)
Seriously, though, the fact that she is using Web 2.0 technology will be to her extreme advantage. This coupled with the tundraroots support she has through groups like C4P, Team Sarah, and the like will be a force to be reckoned with if she chooses to run in the future. Her use of the web is comparable to Ronald Reagan's use of radio addresses. That is why I will continue to say that, ideologically and technologically, Sarah Palin is Ronald Reagan 2.0.
Great info. I enjoyed reading it. Keep up the good work. PALIN ROCKS!!!
The "crawl through glass" was on Politico when Sarah Pac was announced. I don't remember the writer, but you can trace the comment back to that date.
Whitney The Pipsqueak said...
Who knew high heels could leave such a big footprint?
LMAO!
I have only one slight criticism of the Palin "online footprint".
There are no videos posted in the video box on the Facebook page.
I would post the Indiana Right to Life Banquet speech there, and any other speeches she does in the near future.
No need to get campaign appearances from last year, or appearances related to the Governor's office.
Viral video of Sarah's speaking engagements are another great way to circumvent the media filter, and any video on that Facebook goes straight to 800,000 supporters then places like this for hundreds of thousands more.
Maybe she should have her own YouTube channel soon.
From Jim Treacher on twitter (@JTlol):
Palin resigns: Quitter. Van Jones resigns: Canny tactical move that puts his opponents right where he wants them.
Doug,
Thanks for taking the time to read and link to my column on online footprints. I couldn't agree with you more that blogs are and will continue to be a critical component to any candidates web strategy - especially Governor Palin's as she already has a following on significant blogs such as yours.
Please check out my personal blog (http://JordanRaynor.com) where I regularly blog on how the internet is being leveraged by Conservatives to win elections. Thanks again for the link!
Jordan Raynor
I'm not sure how much traffic Sarah Palin Radio, which broadcasts every Monday, has at the moment, but IF she decides to run in the primaries, it will be a very useful tool. In addition to SPR, there is a new online radio called: Pro-Sarah.com which broadcasts Sunday thru Friday. Any technology which allows Palin to get her messaged out without depending on the MSM is vital. I suspect she will make use of any new techology that comes along between now and 2012.
Jordan,
I enjoyed your piece quite a bit and found it quite insightful and prescient. I have to admit I had forgotten about the infamous George Allen "Macaca" incident but your point on his inability to counter that silliness is right on the money. If there had been, for example, a “conservatives4allen” website, he would still be in the senate!
Doug
Hank, you have been victimize by a troll alert! In case you are like your Democrat friends are are drinking the kool-aid man, go back to daily kos or moveon, as your dribble is not welcome here.
Troll alert!
Sarah 2012!
I think this will give her a huge advantage if she runs especially in the primaries. She can get her message out without the Chuck Todd's and ANdrea MItchell's of the world giving their opinion. This gives her supporters the water cooler talking points everyday from her.
Not is she can pull off the 1000 speeches at 100000 each I could not blame her for not running. $100 million is some serious duckies.
Speak of the devil! Just heard via Richmond news radio that George Allen scored well in a PPP poll, with a 50% favorability rating. In a hypothetical matchup between him and Jim Webb, 31% said they would definitely vote for Allen, a conservative's conservative.
Apparently, Jim Webb had seemed unbeatable. while I don't find these numbers earth shattering, they do show the chink in Webb's flimsy Obama armor.
No constitutional freedom is unlimited and unabridged. They all come with a concomitant responsibility. You don't get to shout "fire" in a crowded theater if there is no fire, etc.
If you can't handle the responsibility, you don't get to participate. Pretty simple, really.
"Immediately following the announcement of her resignation, mainstream news organizations scrambled to find the first hints of reason[*] behind Palin's decision."
[*] Listen to her speech. Add nothing. Subtract nothing. She means exactly what she says!
If, after doing that, you still ask for 'reasons' you may well be in the class of being unable to understand plain english communications!
Great Article..
Some have suggested that instead of going on Beck's show on Tuesday..
She should just do a video and post it to facebook..that way she still controls the message!
OT..
This Photo is AWESOME!
http://twitpic.com/gnj4s
"are there any other candidates who could draw 20,000 people to a sleepy upstate New York town on an early summer weekend, a year and a half before the next election"?
My exact sentiments to Morning Joe Scarborough. A week and a half ago he said that Palin can't draw any crowds right now. The upstate New York 20,000 was only two months ago and Joe just got his ass kicked on NPR poll. With all due respect to all those Rhinos out there, none of them can hold a candle to Sarah. Just look at the NPR numbers. No one came close to her.
Sarah rocks 2012.
We need to keep on blogging to defend her. I try to keep up on Yahoo Answers when people ask stupid questions trying to discredit her.
There is not doubt that the size of the footprint is important but what is just as important is the weight of the footprint.
Gov Palin not only has a large footprint on the Net but a passionate one which excerabates the weight of the footprint and makes it that much more effective.
I'd like to see two 80,000 seat venues, side by side, and have Sarah speak in one and anyone (including Barry) speak in the other and see who has the largest attendence.
If all 7 of the top National Republicans (4 of which are RINOs) figures - all male by the way - were in the second venue Sarah would still out draw them all combined.
C4P is timely,topical,current, and of course about our favoriate Alaskan, Sarah. I find I come back here regularly to get my "fix", which is updates with a bias toward Sarah. I like that pure and simple.
Doug.. thanks again, your great!
Im reading your post and immediately a shiver comes over me.... the very personal and sentimental realization of being my part of Sarah's ONLINE FOOT PRINT.
I've always supported Sarah, but to genuinely occupy a space in her Foot Print... It's a surreal feeling... a solid unbreakable connection... to a solid remarkable Lady... WOW!
Probably sounds korny, but It is what Im feeling!
"A week and a half ago he (Joe Scarborough) said that Palin can't draw any crowds right now."
I suppose Joe thinks he can draw crowds. That's funny. It took free pizza for McCain, Romney, Jeb Bush and Cantor to draw 100 people to their "big event." A few weeks later Palin drew 20,000+ in Auburn NY, the next day was enthusiasticly received by 12,000 people at the Autism walk, and drew over 1,000 at the fundraising event for Independent Group Home Living.
Come 2012, large crowds in the thousands and even tens of thousands will be a huge psychological boost for her and a big psychological blow to everyone who challenges her in the primaries. Huckabee, Romney, etc., will probably draw crowds in the dozens and maybe hundreds here and there, but no where near tens of thousands.
Speaking of footprints, I think this picture pretty much sums it up:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TSw7cGp9DWg/SqQthsUNtKI/AAAAAAAAAyU/tqf044YNDLM/s1600-h/authority.php
Lead me to the glass! Can't wait to crawl through it!
Uhhh..... Does Romney or any other pseudo conservative Repubic have any followers at all?
Sarah has followers because:
SHE IS LEADING!
If no one is following you, you are just wandering around in the woods.
Sarah is Reagan 2.0
Truth well spoken!
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