Obama and Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is an important tool that is drastically changing the world we live in.  If used tactfully web 2.0 can be one of the most effective ways to transmit and share information.  This being said, web 2.0 has the power to make change, specifically in the political arena.  One of the most innovative political leaders in terms of web journalism is Barack Obama.  Prior to web 2.0, political campaigns were funded by donations given by people who had a vested interest in their candidate of choice winning a political election.  Although this did help to raise large sums of money, most Americans did not contribute to political campaigns.  It is estimated that only about 2% of the American population were involved in these “ large investments.”  However, after rules were established limiting the the amount for a single donation to $2,000, politicians were forced to find new and creative tactics to fund their pricey campaigns.  Obama not only used the internet to help him collect money, but also to transmit messages to the public and create a net of activists.  Obama’s used a wide variety of internet tools including mybarackobama.com, Twitter, YouTube (he uploaded over 2,000 videos), Facebook, Myspace, SMS/call centers, online advertisements, and a blog that was updated about 10 times per day.  These tools allowed him to advertise himself as a candidate and connect with people all throughout the United States.  Another clever move that Obama made using the internet was collecting people’s email addresses and postal codes.  With this information he sent out google maps to individuals with indicators where fellow Obama supporters in the area lived.  This encouraged people to connect and form even stronger pro-Obama feelings in their community.  This was another key concept of his campaign.  Not only was he reaching out to Americans, but he was giving Americans tools and motivation to reach out to each other.  Through the use of Facebook and other web tools people could share their support and organize events to further Obama’s campaign on their own.  Obama’s Campaign worked so effectively that he was able to raise 122 million dollars in the 2008 election.  This amount is staggering when compared with previous candidates who did not use the internet with as much skill as Obama.Fa