Thanks to the People Who Worked on OffTheBus; Here's What Comes Next

We thought the 12,000 people who participated in OffTheBus during campaign 08 would like to know: they're finalists for a Game Changer award given by the WeMedia Project. WeMedia's purpose is saluting innovation. Our purpose today is to thank the people of OffTheBus for opening up the campaign news and commentary "game" by their participation. Thanks for all the writing, reporting, recording, digging, web searching, e-mailing, news scanning, tape editing, expertise-sharing, columnizing, team playing, and eye-witnessing (that's a partial list...) they did during the project's 16 months of activity. They made it happen: the first open platform election coverage team ever assembled by a major news site.

So congratulations to our OffTheBus volunteers and to the OTB staff, led by Project Director Amanda Michel, who was the project's prime mover since it launched in the summer of 2007; Editorial Coordinator Marc Cooper, who added editorial vision and helped manage the growing list of regular writers; Managing Editor John Tomasic, who handled the page and edited pieces; Neil Nagraj, who helped get the project off the ground; and Associate Editor Hanna Ingber Win, recently involved in all of the above. Our deepest thanks to them, the pros in the pro-am mix we were aiming for with OffTheBus.

It sounds obvious, but you couldn't sign up and join the reporting staff in the national section of any major newspaper covering the 2008 election the old way. It's not part of their model to invite the users in. But if you were an interested user of the Huffington Post, you could sign up for OffTheBus. That's what we mean by an "open" platform. You can sign up.

The project went live in July 2007 as an experiment designed to cover the amazing presidential election of 2008 - and it succeeded beyond all our expectations (thanks in large part to Amanda Michel's ability to steer without controlling OffTheBus's thousands of contributors). In fact, OffTheBus was such a success that HuffPost intends to make the crowd sourcing and distributed journalism methods developed and honed by OTB during the election an integral part of our editorial process -- utilizing them across all of our different sections.

To that end, we are inviting the almost 2,000 contributors who wrote posts for OTB - and everyone else in our HuffPost community who is interested - to become part of the process. We have created a simple sign up form that will let us know which subject areas you are most interested in.

Soon, we will have a lot more information on how you can get involved in this exciting next phase of Huff Post's development, but filling out this form is a great first step.

Back in March 2007, when we announced the collaboration between Huffington Post and NYU's NewAssignment.Net, we said you could "participate in politics by covering the campaign."

An election, after all, is about participation in a democracy that actually works. It is not about standing by while other people choose a nominee and select our next president. The web was making it possible for more people to participate in the election. In the media sphere, participation had already exploded with political blogging, the rise of YouTube, and the steady growth of online communities.

It seemed clear to us that a more participatory form of campaign coverage was called for in 2008. We were sure it would emerge somewhere on the Net. Why not in a section at the Huffington Post?

Going into the "wide open" 2008 campaign, we knew the mainstream press, despite all pressures it was under, would offer a horse race product, with some issues coverage and certain fact checking features added on. The master narrative would be "who is winning?" Day-to-day stories would be provided by polls, strategy news, and the usual campaign management follies. Regularly featured material would include profiles and flip flops, gaffes, mistakes, assorted breakdowns in discipline -- and attacks. Lots of polls and poll watching. A controversy of the day as the default rhythm, and so on.

We wanted to add to all that. That's why we picked the name, OffTheBus. Let a distributed, diverse crowd of amateur users with lots of different starting points have a go at campaign news and commentary, seeded by a few pros. Contributors, said Arianna, will be independent...

focused on their piece of the puzzle, and not what everyone around them thinks. They will be decentralized -- spread across the country, with no one on high giving them their marching orders. And they will be as diverse as possible -- a mix of campaign insiders devoted to their candidates, neutral outsiders, passionate partisans and steely-eyed observers... The end result will be more sources of information, more eyes and ears focused on a wider variety of subjects, more outside-the-mainstream voices given a platform.

The same wave of low-cost, newly practical participation that led record numbers of Americans to give money, and join networks for the candidates, also led 12,000 people to sign up for OffTheBus and participate in politics by covering the campaign. We were proud to be associated with it as co-publishers. And we look forward to continuing on the road to the journalistic future that OffTheBus helped map out.

Thanks again to everyone who made the journey possible.

Comments

[AreTheyForReal]

Could you also post a section on education. For example, what's working; what's not working; how to volunteer in the field of education; how volunteers are making a difference in children's lives.

[vicenteduq]

MS Arianna Huffington :

I am very happy that Mr Obama was elected. I always had the hope of a change for the good. I was worried about Mr McCain.

But I am extremely worried now about Obama's Foreign Policy with respect to Latin America, and in special what I hear about Free Trade Agreements.

Mr McCain was right in his position during the debates and I could quote his words and those of many Intelligent and Savvy Economists.

I do not agree with what the Huffington Post has published about Foreign Trade. And I applied to write here in OffTheBus in order to contend with the writers that I do not like and agree with........ If I am not accepted then I will continue trying to publish comments, even if my comments continue being erased in the HuffPost. Or I would search for other bloggers that let me do so.

I dislike Republicans websites but I am going to go there in order to publish "The Voice of Reason" in foreign trade. No partisanship for FTAs, and not a foreign policy based on wrong assumptions, ignorance of facts, and just simple foolishness like what I read in many sites.

A foreign policy based on falsities, unrealities and untruths is a BAD START for a government that we
love.

http://milenials.blogspot.com/

http://raciality.blogspot.com/

Vicente Duque

[monicaangela]

AWESOME!!!!! Loved it, I haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet, but I have added this to my favorites. Your thoughts, your statistics, your articles, etc., are excellent and must be taking a lot of your time to compile. Hang in there, this is valuable information and will be recogonized for its excellence soon.

[bitchslappin]

Thanks to you, Arianna, for putting this together and for giving us something to read and think about other than the same ol' same ol' from MSM.

And much as I do believe that this administration will be better than the last (talk about a low bar!) I still think we need to hold their feet to the fire. Especially on issues such FISA, Civil Liberties and upholding the Constitution. I also worry when I hear Obama's "green" platform, which consists, in large part, of biofuels (carbon POSITIVE!) and Nuclear Power (even if he does pronounce it correctly.)

We all need to be vigilant. Only by being so, can we be sure that nothing like the last 8 years ever happens again. Citizen Journalism on a Network Neutral Internet is the only way to keep the momentum going.

[PoliSci2008]

Thank You Arianna, Jay, Amanda and all.

Participation and donations were a record high during 2008 campaign. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we redirected just half or a quarter of that energy and donations to your favorite charity? My personal goal is to become more involved with charities near and dear to my heart...Animal Rights...as well as continue participation with OfftheBus!

[Erin13]

Covering candidates during the 2008 campaign was fun, but think how much more fun it will be now that they are in the White House. I'm game, how about the rest of you?

[katielady]

You did a terrific job, as I, and probably everyone else who tuned in, thought you would. Great questions!!! Bill Maher is a terrific foil for you.. great rapport and that is what tv is about! Hope you get a regular gig.. I think we learn more from the give and take of a conversation than reading the cold heartless news.. the nuances of conversation are like footnotes... thanks

[ihavenobias]

Well said Katie, I agree.

[pachecoben]

Ariana,
Congratulations. Huffington Post has been my favorite site to keep up with the election.Citizen journalism is alive and well. As for suggestions- I would like to see the citizen journalists continue to report on the state of the nation. Massive change is the order of the day and reporting the execution,fraud ,success,etc. would be valuable. The special interests who have brought us to this crisis and it is time for Americans to demand accountability and prosecution of the cowards who take much and give little.

[Islanders6466]

RIGHT ON!! Thank you Huff and all of you who were part of OTB - We NEED you:)

[Figerre]

Ariana, well done last night. I thought your questions were right on target, not wimping out at all, the same honest, what-the-heck-did-you-mean-by-that which Rachel gives. I would still like to see Huffington Post look at justice on Native American community/reservations. If Denver can do their investigative work - Huffington and shine a larger light on it.

[blueshift]

Ariana, nice show. Well done.

[PNG]

A CRAZY, WILD RIDE TO THE BRIGHT SIDE
KC Shoen

What an absolutely fantastic opportunity you and your staff have provided! I mean that! John Tomasic and Co. really made sure that only the most qualified, thoughtful, and well-written material made on 'The Bus', and for that I am grateful. Grateful, as it forced me to bring my game up to journalistic quality, reference factual links to support my opinion, and have it broadcast for all who wish to read and engage.
That IS journalism, and its very existence and ensuing reception gave it a dimension, scope, and interaction never matched or paralleled. All during one of the most historic events of all time.

I am proud to say I was there. Fully. Thank You again!

[lemmonesque]

you did a great job last night, Arianna. loved the part where you showed pics of your mom and talked about how neat it would be to have a grandma in the white house. :-)

[Auburn McCanta - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm so pleased to hear of the nomination for the GameChanger award, but perhaps more thrilled to hear that your grand experiment of citizen journalism shall continue. Yes! Count me in.

As a member of your team of Election Correspondents, the value of our work was enhanced only by our enthusiasm and highlighted by our devotion to a fair and honest election process. Your OffTheBus team gave us everything we needed to successfully inform, enlighten, invigorate and urge others to participate in a living American history.

I'm so glad to know we'll continue on.

[lilpeg]

Some suggestions for the new OTB:
1 - as below, Huffoons, a section of cartoonists.
2 - a little bit like below, a science section, broken up into environmental, biology, engineering, physics, astronomy, etc. NOT part of the Huffpo Green page.
3 - More green news, there is a lot going on out there. Q and A forums here and in political news.
4 - An Fine Arts section - music, dance, visual arts. Lots of underemployed artists these days would welcome the chance to "really" educate the public. There could be artist's blogs and critical articles, video clips would be nice here too.

[larry278]

Good ideas. This allows HP to have more original, unique to HP, content. It would also undercut the criticism that blogs like HP are just cut & paste operations with little new, original, unique [to HP or other sites] content. Reporting on the web can be more interesting than the content of traditional MSM. HP already has monitors/editors to do the fact checking on "OTB" blogs. It's time to show the traditional MSM that HP can successfully do fact checking from a remote site to insure accuracy. HP's monitors/editors could use people on the ground where a story occurs to fact check stories. I have no idea if or how HP pays those who furnish original content to HP. Maybe a system like traditional MSM uses to pay stringers would work. I'll leave those details to the pros at HP.

[JTCan]

Great ideas....I am especially concerned with that is happening with the energy policy of the new admin. If Obama lets McCain have any say, that could influence him towards Nuclear Power...and that would be a huge mistake. In fact it gives me nightmares.

I would also like to comment on #4...for artists who like most artists either have no time to market their work or just don't have a clue how...check out this website: www.normanfelix.com (the full spectrum of "Fine Arts" is welcome)

[ZalaK]

The idea of bridging art and science is exciting! This could provide crossovers for various forms of satire, as well as political creative expression (no current venue for that in mainstream); environmental questions; progress as well as stalls in technology; medical research...
Q and A forums - brilliant for those all important "want to know but are afraid to ask" items. All of these points are strong and unique, the dialogue generated would be really interesting.

[Tracy Lea Carnes - Huffpost Blogger]

As for me, it was the blogosphere that I turned to for answers in this campaign. I would see a simple story or tidbit on the cable news but I knew there was more to the story than the 2 minutes devoted to it. And it was the citizen bloggers who had the real scoop - who dug deep and found the answers the public was crying for. The internet is changing the way we recieve information. Granted, there is a lot of misinformation out there. But Huffington Post is setting a very high bar and I feel very privileged to have been a part of its experiment and hope to continue.

The Obama presidency is going to change the landscape of the world even more via the use of the internet. For the first time in our history, we can truly have a say so in our country and hold our leaders accountable with a stroke of a computer key. The possibilities are enormous and the consequences are significant. Keep up the innovation. After all, you and your great group of bloggers are setting the standard!

[DavidDahlbacka]

Please add a section on Science and Technology. It could include the environment as a subtopic. I'm eager to sign up for that, because it's really important.