What does Wikipedia have in common with the Obama Campaign?
Wikipedia, like the Obama Campaign, really portrays themselves as being ‘for the people’. They are different from anything else out there, they are innovative and the focus is involving people.
I think that really made Obama successful was how he focused on involving the people. He managed to raise the most money of any Presidential candidate by appealing to the people instead of large contributors. In turn, he received donations from all across the United States.
Likewise, instead of relying on a few “scholars”, Wikipedia has opened its doors to anyone and everyone. By lifting the restriction of who can and cannot participate, Wikipedia has created a new type of intelligence – a collective intelligence that relies on every day people to pool what they know together and in doing so, they spread the information to countless others.
What can we draw from the material we've been studying in class that could help Obama as he moves forward with his goal of building a participatory USA?
I think Obama’s campaign had it right the first time – it’s all about the people. In order to get the people involved, he needs to meet them on their level.
His original campaign was brilliant. He (and his campaign) really focused on bringing in the interest of those who felt like they did not have a voice - mainly, today's youth, to the forefront. By putting himself on popular sites like MySpace and Facebook, he got his message out there. He started a completely new way of running a campaign.
I think if he continues to use the internet and new media and new technology that might not have been available in the past, then he will be able to keep his finger on the pulse of the United States – and in essence, what the people want.
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