“Two-Minute Activists” – Obama 08 iPhone App in the News

Yesterday we announced the launch of the Obama 08 iPhone App, a free downloadable program that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to easily reach out to friends and family to encourage them to vote. In just over 24 hours, it’s already become one of the top ten most popular free iPhone application on iTunes. ;

The L.A. Times tech blog, the Washington Post and MacWorld all covered the release of the Obama 08 iPhone application. One of the developers, Jason Grigsby, wrote that:

"The application is a great example of how mobile technology and the iPhone in particular can be used to change politics. One of the things we are proudest of is the fact that it helps people become what we started referring to as two-minute activists." ;

As Bits, the New York Times technology blog explained:

Most significantly, the application organizes the user’s phone contacts to highlight those in swing states. It asks users to call their friends in those states to vote for Senator Obama. Users then can identify who they called and what their response was. The options include “Not Interested,” “Considering Obama” and “Already Voted.”

“A contact has a lot more value when it is from someone you know than when it is from some random person,” said Chris Hughes, the director of online organizing for the Obama campaign.

… Getting people to canvas their friends and neighbors has been a big theme of the Internet initiative of the Obama campaign. Its Facebook application, for example, highlights people on users’ friends lists in battleground states and proposes messages to urge them to support the candidate and to register to vote.

And recently the campaign’s own social network site, My.Barack.Obama, added a feature called Neighbor to Neighbor. Users can get a list of people who live on their block that are identified as targets in the campaign’s national voter files.

… if you care about the presidential election — and a fair number of people do — today’s technology can drive you connect to campaigns, watch videos, and take actions, like calling your long-lost friends in Ohio, in ways that mass media never could

Features of the Obama 08 iPhone Application include:

• Call Friends: A great volunteering tool that lets you make a difference any time you want by talking to people you already know. Your contacts are prioritized by key battleground states, and you can make calls and organize results all in one place.
• Call Stats: See nationwide Obama ‘08 Call Friends totals and find out how your call totals compare to leading callers.
• Get Involved: Do more. Find and contact your local Obama for America HQ.
• Receive Updates: Receive the latest news and announcements via text messages or email.
• News: Browse complete coverage of national and local campaign news.
• Local Events: Find local events, share by email and get maps and directions.
• Media: Browse videos and photos from the campaign
• Issues: Get clear facts about Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s plan for essential issues facing Americans.

You can download the free Obama ‘08 application for your iPhone or iPod touch now: