Where Will Barack's E-Mail List End Up?

For weeks there has been traffic around the issue of how Barack Obama will maintain vital contact with the millions who participated at every level in helping his campaign.

Will there be an independent Obama movement using the various organizational techniques available to political groups? Or a transformation of the Democratic National Committee into a replica of the current Obama movement now located at myBarackObama.com? Might David Plouffe move to the DNC?

myBarackObama.com gives everyone a blog, a fundraising page, the capacity to organize by importing personal emails and sending out mail, to fight smears, to know the issues -- and so forth.

With Barack's victory, change.gov emerged as his official transition site and activity at myBarackObama.com slacked off to some extent. Change.gov is similarly interactive, enabling reaction to issues like health care, the sharing of stories and application for some 7,000 political jobs that will be filled over the coming months.

It now seems possible that Barack's formidable organization might end up with a direct line into the White House.

The answer lies in the commonly used practice of opting in.

... unknown is how Barack Obama will continue to converse with the 13 million people who signed up to receive his campaign e-mail alerts, and reach out to those who weren't his Twitter followers or Facebook friends. Under privacy laws, the president-elect won't be able to take the e-mail list with him into the White House, though he can e-mail everyone on it to ask if they want to join a new whitehouse.gov e-mail list.

Thomas Gensemer, a managing partner at Blue State Digital, the media company behind Obama's web operation, believes that Obama campaign supporters will choose to follow the president-elect, virtually, into the White House.

"People want to rally to his cause whether it's political or policy. People are going to come. It's a matter of making it open and accessible enough that you do respect all the opt-in privacy policies as well as the campaign laws," he said.

Once a new list is created, Gensemer says it could be used, in the same way as it was during the campaign, to send information directly to people, bypassing the mainstream media. It could be the start of the most interactive presidency we've seen. SOURCE

If 13 million decide to opt in, where might it stop?

Presumably one could not raise funds from the White House. So the original list will doubtless be used though if it moved to the DNC from myBarackObama.com there would need to be a similar opt-in presumably.

My guess is that the list will remain exactly where it is. Unless there is a move to merge the Obama Movement with the DNC.

But the real energy of the movement might move to the direct line between WhiteHouse.gov and the old and new Barack supporters who opt in or sign up there.

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Comments

[susie1776]

I sure hope you're right. I'll be happy to opt in. It feels great to get the emails every few days letting my know what's going on and knowing that when I send a comment about something.­...somebod­y actually reads it and.....ho­pefully...­....listen­s.

[Stephen C. Rose - Huffpost Blogger]

Come by my blog.

http://stephencrosehome.blogspot.com

You'll get an email every day with something salient about Barack or the world he faces.

[majii]

Thanks for the info.

[Stephen C. Rose - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for all of these comments. It is one of the great compensations of HP.

I't;s true that I have had an almost charmed life when it comes to being in the "right" places to witness or encounter persons and events over time.

And likewise it has been a blessing to live long enough to see what is unfolding now.

I feel that the outcome of the common desire for nonpartisan solutions will be reflected by the resolution of communications issues.

All the best, S

[mercyrocks]

I log in change.gov and barackobama.com everyday to check on updates, et. al.
I hope Barack continues to bypass the media when he needs to give us information, and I think it's great how he's controlling his press conferences--the attorney and law professor in him really comes out then.
I can't wait for him to take office.

[spartanmom]

BarackObama.com must surely retain its independence.

Hereditary Republicans who are more liberal than their parents but unwilling to change parties could support an Obama presidency without having to go against their heritage and support the DNC.

We need to keep even the appearance of partisanship at arm's length

[JohnnyBoyyy]

I agree, SpartanMom. I hope the whitehouse.gov site would have the same give and take constructive contributions like we have here at HuffPost.

NO ONE should ever be made to feel like an outsider in the Obama Presidency. I have read comments from younger people from the "heavy blue" parts of the country that explain how hard it is to hide their support for Mr. Obama from their Repug type relatives. My heart goes out to them and this site would allow them to learn and participate like we have all done during the campaign.

I just know that if this thing can be handled right, it would also make the Corporate Media start doing their job right to ever regain their relevancy again. It will take some real hard work to manage. The understanding that the site is for the good of all Americans (and other nations???) should help guide the managament team. Can you imagine our Grandparents blogging at the new site? I love the whole idea!

This Is OUR Time - This Is OUR Moment.

Barack Hussein Obama II
President-Elect
United States of America

[SammyGone]

Do you have to be a "follower" to get the email?

[mercyrocks]

You have to subscribe to get the emails.

[JohnnyBoyyy]

What an interesting bio, Mr. Rose. The conversations you must get involved in at a gathering of your close friends! As an outsider to many of your experiences, I can only say that it's wonderful to have your thoughts on Mr. Obama's "list".

I was totally enthralled with my first election campaign from the beginning of Mr. Obama's decision to become a candidate. The daily emails (sometimes 2 or 3 a day!) from the Obama team made me feel a part of something bigger than me for the first time. I spent sooo much time - a lot of it here at The Huffington Post - learning and commenting on matters I felt strongly about.

I look forward to the new whitehouse.govv" site. What a great tool for people of all passions and desires to actually be a part of the Renaissance that President Obama can bring to our nation and the world. I am sure some of the guidelines for the site will help to avoid a bad experience for all of us that want to make a difference.

Have a Grrrreat weekend, Mr. Rose.

This Is OUR Time - This Is OUR Moment.

Barack Hussein Obama II
President-Elect
United States of America