Barrack Obama's iPhone App Rocks the Vote
News Brief. OK, so I'm like the last person blogging the Obama `08 iPhone app. But there's a reason. |
I'm not partisan. Since John McCain doesn't have an iPhone app, I didn't want to appear to be playing political favorites. I'm undecided about which candidate to vote for and prefer not to mix personal politics with public blogging.
But my editor prodded, suggesting that there is news—that Obama's campaign has an iPhone app and the McCain camp doesn't. My editor is right.
The Obama `08 app is nicely done, I must admit. Since I no longer have an iPhone, I had to borrow my daughter's mobile. She grudgingly gave up the phone for about 10 minutes, which was plenty enough time to download and use the app.
The political app, released late last week, is a watershed technology campaign tool, because it:
- Reaches people where they can most easily follow the campaign
- Utilizes iPhone's location features to connect people to local Obama events
- Fundraises through a simple but obvious "donate" button on the home screen
- Provides plenty of useful information, including links to news, photos and even video
- Can make Obama followers feel more like they are part of the campaign, in an interactive way
- Is surprisingly rich, which shows developer and campaign commitment given its release just a month before the election
The last 10 years have seen increasing use of technology to extend the reach of political campaigns. I remember, for example, when political blogs were a new thing. Now they're everywhere. Some technologies have receded, in my experience. Both parties pelted me with e-mail for the 2000 and 2004 elections. I got nothing this year, not even snatched to the junk mailbox. Is political e-mail passe?
The Obama camp has quite effectively used the iPhone platform for political campaigning, at least from an application development perspective. It's a good model for other information apps (are you paying attention, developers?) and for future political outreach via cell phones. If the nation elects Barack Obama president, it will be in no small part because of technology effectively used as a grass roots campaign tool.
What I'm waiting for, and surely it must happen: the Twitter exit poll. If I were a pollster or avid supporter for either candidate, I would ask people how they intended to vote (or actually did) and tweet the results in real time on election night.
What I love about the Internet: How it makes government more participatory, Still, not nearly enough. If Barack Obama is smart, the technology outreach won't end with the election, but start with his presidency, should he be elected. As for John McCain, if elected, he should better use technology to communicate with his constituents.
As for mobile campaigning, regardless of the candidate, I say: "Four more years!"
[Please send your tips or rumors to watchtips at gmail.com.]
