Blog for America
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Blog for America was the title of the official Howard Dean campaign weblog from March 2003 to March, 2004. It was previously known under another name but became BFA when the software supporting it became Movable Type. It is widely recognized as the first effective campaign blog, and is credited (along with the Howard Dean Meetup) with enabling a new paradigm for grassroots campaigning. Using the blog, Dean campaign members were able to effectively communicate with supporters, posting frequent updates on the candidate, his supporters, his organization, his views, and his detractors. The comments section of Blog for America was noted for high activity and loyalty, and was an effective means of self-organization for Dean's committed followers. The blog is also credited with powering the Dean campaign's impressive fundraising abilities during the 2004 Democratic presidential primary.
However, the limits of the blog's effectiveness as a campaign tool were seen in Iowa and New Hampshire, where despite a large financial, media, and organizational head start, Dean made a poor showing in voter support.
Since the end of the Dean campaign, Democratic Presidential nominee-apparent John Kerry has begun to use the same format of blog and online fundraising as a portion of his campaign website.
Meanwhile, Blog for America was transformed in March, 2004 into the house blog for Howard Dean's grassroots recruitment organization Democracy for America, paralleling the conversion of the campaign into a Democratic non-profit organization.
Selected Bloggers
- Matthew Gross (March 2003 - January 2004)
- Zephyr Teachout (March 2003 - February 2004)
- Joe Rospars (2003 - February 2004, as a consultant April 2004 - present)
- Alison Stanton (March 1, 2004 - July 31, 2004)
- Tanner Brooks (March 1, 2004 - July 2004)
- Tara Liloia (July 2004 - present)
External Links
- Blog for America (http://www.blogforamerica.com/)