Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking

    Obama’s Interactive Surge Faces New Hampshire Challenge

    Written by

    Roy Mark
    Published January 7, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      A buoyed Barack Obama, a bloodied Hillary Clinton and a battling John Edwards all head into the Jan. 8 New Hampshire Democratic primary with continuing questions about their Internet support translating into votes.

      For Obama, it’s a question of whether more of the same will deliver a victory in New Hampshire, which has decidedly different demographics than Iowa. Defying the pundits and the national polls that gave Clinton a comfortable lead going into last week’s Iowa caucuses, Obama’s social network-centric campaign pulled off a surprise victory, leaving Edwards and Clinton in the distance.

      Before the Iowa caucuses, Obama led all Democratic presidential candidates in a number of online measurements, including the most Facebook supporters and MySpace friends. His Internet popularity, combined with an aggressive organizing effort, paid off with the first win for a candidate leading in Internet metrics.

      Most damaging to Clinton, Obama’s campaign captured the majority of young voters, first time voters and women under 30.

      In the four days since the Iowa caucus, Obama’s online popularity has continued to grow. According to TechPresident, Obama is now “seriously taking off online.” YouTube views are way up and Facebook and MySpace supporters continue to grow, all at Clinton’s and Edwards’ expense.

      Over at Eventful.com, an events database where users request a candidate to visit their cities, Obama has almost 50,000 requests for appearances. Neither Clinton nor Edwards has cracked the 13,000 barrier. Obama is also dominating the race in attracting visitors to his Web site as measured by Hitwise.

      Tech-savvy Gen Xers are jumping on Obama’s bandwagon. Click here to read more.

      Edwards, who has trailed Obama and Clinton since the earliest days of the campaign, also received a boost from his razor-thin second place finish over Clinton in Iowa. According to Politico, he has raised more than a $1 million in online contributions since the caucuses.

      Even Mike Huckabee, the upset Republican winner in Iowa, is earning chops for his online organizing and presence. Although Ron Paul continues to capture the hearts and mind of the Republican blogosphere, Huckabee’s online metrics were spiking going into the Iowa caucuses.

      Huckabee gave a generous nod to his online supporters shortly after the Iowa caucuses. “We’re already seeing a surge in our Web traffic,” Huckabee told Larry King.

      “What struck me—and probably most observers of the online campaign—last Wednesday was how closely the victors of Iowa’s caucuses mirrored the most popular candidates online,” blogged TechPresident’s Joshua Levy Jan. 7. “Barack Obama is by far the most popular candidate on Facebook and other social sites… We may be at a turning point in which online support actually can translate into votes.”

      Clinton seems to have learned that lesson in Iowa. Shifting campaign strategy gears after her disappointing third-place finish in Iowa, her campaign announced it will allow Facebook users to directly ask questions of Clinton, who’ll respond in videos. Suddenly keenly aware of the youth vote, she promised to University of New Hampshire students that she would work “to improve the lives of young people.”

      Click here to read more about Obama’s evolving hi-tech strategy.

      The new focus on young voters flies in the face of statements by two of Clinton’s top campaign strategists, Mandy Grunwald and Mark Penn, before the Iowa caucuses. “Our people look like caucus-goers and [Obama’s] people look like they are 18,” Grunwald said. “Penn said they look like Facebook.”

      That’s exactly who they were and they turned out in record numbers to vote, principally for Obama.

      “I don’t know how the election is going to turn out, but right now it’s fair to note that the candidates with the strongest interactive campaigns—Huckabee and Obama, in particular—are doing well in expanding the electorate and attracting unlikely voters to their side,” Micah Sifry, editor of TechPresident, wrote Jan 6.

      Check out eWEEK.com’s Messaging & Collaboration Center for more on IM and other collaboration technologies

      Roy Mark
      Roy Mark

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.