Use of New Media in

Grassroots
As Presented to the Indiana Leadership Forum
Class of 2011
By: Josh Gillespie
www.HoosierAccess.com
 Defining New Media
*Connect or reconnect with new and old friends
* Twitter
* Facebook
* Blogging

*Find like minded people and join their causes

* Flip the pillow over to the cool side of the pillow
* 1 million who support Barack Obama
* 1 million who support Sarah Palin
* Chris Faulkner Hair Fan Club

*Social media lets you find a place to belong

 Social Media and Politics
* Spreading your message to a larger supportive audience

* On Facebook alone:
* 500 million active users
* 50% log in at any point in the day
* Average user has 130 friends
* People spend over 700 Billion minutes per month on Facebook

* Twitter has 145 million registered users

Social media allows you to connect with a larger and growing

number of potential voters and constituents will to repeat your
message and cause it to go viral.
 Best Uses of Social Media
Obama Presidential Campaign

* Community based my.barackobama.com

* State based pages
* Group based pages

* Email Marketing
* 13 million email addresses
* Played two critical roles – messaging and mobilization

* Capitalized on “everyday” websites

* YouTube
* iTunes
* Facebook
* Flickr
 Best Uses of Social Media
#DontGo Movement

* Named to encourage the House GOP to stay in session even though Speaker
Pelosi turned the lights out and the cameras off

* Members of Congress used Twitter and streaming video (Qik.com) to get their
message out. Held their own floor debates on the “All of the Above” approach
to American Energy

* People following the action on twitter used the “hashtag” #dontgo to encourage
members to stay in protest.
 Best Uses of Social Media
Iranian Green Revolution/Egyptian Revolts

* Because the media was controlled by the State, images of political brutality in
Iran wasn’t covered. However, protesters used Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube to tell their story

* When the government shut down internet, protesters used their smart phone
apps to communicate.
 Where Are People Getting
Their News?
* In March of 2010 a Pew Internet and American Life survey said that 61% of
Americans get at least some of their news online

* 92% get their news from more than one platform

* News is broken faster on twitter than in any other place

* Blogs are also a place for breaking news – even before typical news sites break
stories

* People want a perceived unbiased take (or are at least comfortable with the bias
they pursue)
 Obama Style Online
Grassroots
You too can run your own Obama style grassroots online campaign!

*The vast majority of social media sites are free

* Can you run a camera?
* Do you have a smart phone?
* Do you know someone eager to get involved?

*Get local and state bloggers on your side

* Access is the key ingredient to a healthy relationship
* Give them scoops or exclusive information
 Where You Can Find Me

* josh@joshgillespie.net
* Twitter.com/joshgillespie
* Facebook.com/joshgillespie
* Youtube.com/thejoshgillespie
* Linkedin.com/joshuagillespie
* Joshgillespie.tumblr.com