Neighbor to Neighbor

I found the idea of President Obama’s neighbor to neighbor campaign very interesting, especially since it was clearly successful, so I decided to look up some more information on the topic.  They market the campaign by saying that it is built on the idea that “everyday Americans, when organized and focused, can change their country.”   This is a similar idea to the debate we held in class because we argued that unless there is an organizing factor, social networking will not alone be able to start a revolution.  In this case, the organizer behind the neighbor to neighbor campaign tool is the Obama campaign.

In order to participate in the campaign you first need to register on the Obama website.   There are no deadlines or restrictions that would inhibit participation and their goal is to make it as easy as possible.  Participants receive a list of voters in their neighborhood who they are encouraged to reach out to.  They are also given a script to facilitate discussion and a customized flyer to distribute.  It is also encouraged that they report back on the efforts of their campaign, most likely so the Obama campaign can track the progress that they are making. 

In the age where people are more likely to blog about their ideas on the internet, or through Twitter or Facebook, this personal interaction has more of an impact on voter decisions.  By talking with people you interact with on a daily basis, it is harder to just completely disregard what they are saying because you would have to deal with the consequences of seeing them day in and day out.  Arguments for a particular politician mean more coming from a neighbor as well because they understand the regional issues you are facing and are more likely to share similar views with you.

The neighbor to neighbor campaign was a semi-grassroots method to gain more votes for Obama and it will be interesting to see if he uses the same techniques in the upcoming election even after serving four years as president.