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Campaigns use Facebook for grassroots efforts
By Patricio Chile on 3/1/07
Students in other colleges are using Facebook and the Internet for similar reasons.
In July 2006, Meredith Segal, a Bowdoin College junior, created "Barack Obama for President in 2008." After the group quickly soon reached 30,000 members, Segal began a grassroots campaign called Students for Barack Obama, according to the organization's Web site. SFBO organized the George Mason University rally in early February. Obama praised the group, the highlight of the organization so far, according to Segal.
Segal said the members of the group did not meet until the night before the rally.
"There is no way that a student movement for any candidate could sweep the country ... without the phenomenal power of online organizing," Segal said in an e-mail.
Farouk Aregbe, a North Dakota University graduate student, was invited to the rally, where he also was acknowledged by Obama. Aregbe created the Facebook group "One Million Strong for Barack Obama," which has almost 307,000 members as of yesterday.
Though it appears Obama is especially popular among students, Lynch said online campaigning has applied to both parties.
"No longer is your participation in a presidential campaign dependent on living near a campus office or being in an early primary state," Lynch said, directly quoting a statement by McCain on his official Web site.
However, communication via the Internet has to be turned into action, Aregbe said.
"It is not OK to sit in a chat room for hours and talk about candidates and politics and forget to register or vote," Aregbe said in an e-mail. "We must turn words into deeds that meet needs."
In July 2006, Meredith Segal, a Bowdoin College junior, created "Barack Obama for President in 2008." After the group quickly soon reached 30,000 members, Segal began a grassroots campaign called Students for Barack Obama, according to the organization's Web site. SFBO organized the George Mason University rally in early February. Obama praised the group, the highlight of the organization so far, according to Segal.
Segal said the members of the group did not meet until the night before the rally.
"There is no way that a student movement for any candidate could sweep the country ... without the phenomenal power of online organizing," Segal said in an e-mail.
Farouk Aregbe, a North Dakota University graduate student, was invited to the rally, where he also was acknowledged by Obama. Aregbe created the Facebook group "One Million Strong for Barack Obama," which has almost 307,000 members as of yesterday.
Though it appears Obama is especially popular among students, Lynch said online campaigning has applied to both parties.
"No longer is your participation in a presidential campaign dependent on living near a campus office or being in an early primary state," Lynch said, directly quoting a statement by McCain on his official Web site.
However, communication via the Internet has to be turned into action, Aregbe said.
"It is not OK to sit in a chat room for hours and talk about candidates and politics and forget to register or vote," Aregbe said in an e-mail. "We must turn words into deeds that meet needs."
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