Hillary Launches Facebook Call Center

This time it's Hillary's team that has been innovative online. Unless I missed it, there's not an equivalent for Obama or McCain/Palin. HillPAC today sent out an update to their list on how their Hillary Sent Me program is doing and also announced this new Facebook application.

I added the app and I liked how easy it was to use. Extra points for making the interface similar in layout to the one on her website that I was familiar with using during the primary. You just click a link to start making calls, and like the online version, you are presented with a tailored script for the person you are calling. My main quibble is that I can't pick the state for which to make calls. It had me calling Maine, whose politics I'm not familiar with. I'd rather be making calls to help Jim Martin here in Georgia, who has a decent shot at ousting Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Facebook Spotlight: How a local candidate is using it

Manuel's being what Manuel's is, I ran into City Councilman Kwanza Hall Monday night and was able to ask him some questions on how he uses Facebook. For those not in Atlanta, Manuel's is our local Democratic watering hole, a real institution here. Portraits of past politicians adorn the walls and you can very easily be there for a meeting any given night of the week, and run into other political friends who are there for another meeting.

Anyway, as noted at the end of an earlier post, Engage your Constituents - A Facebook Primer, I had planned on writing about Councilman Hall, but just hadn't gotten around to calling him. So running into him Monday night made it a tad easier.

Engage your Constituents - A Facebook Primer

So what is this Facebook thing you keep hearing about? If you're not on there, and have dismissed it as "just for college students", you're missing out on a vital way to interact with your constituents. In the United States alone, 1.5 million are over the age of 25. This number is only growing since it opened up registration in September of 2007 to anyone with a valid email address. Besides, considering that young people are engaged in the political process more than ever, shouldn't you try and reach out to them on their turf?

Being in the "older age bracket" (I won't say which), I admit when I first joined Facebook over a year ago, I felt a little strange, like I was entering an arena that was not meant for me. I dived in anyway, and learned that the strangeness I felt was of my own making. There's nothing inherent in its framework that makes you feel like an outsider. So really, there's nothing to lose by joining, and there's potential support to gain. So, convinced? Okay, here's what you need to do.