What about this idea for expanding the revolution?

[Spanish for Ron]

Hi, first of all: sorry for my english, as I'm spanish and it's not my first language.

I was thinking yesterday about the problems of this campaign and the possibilities to improve our chances.

Now, we all know the main problem: Ron Paul is huge in Internet, and there's a good amount of people (us) who watch all the videos, read all the articles, etc. But that aside, when you americans comment about Ron to other people, I can imagine the reactions. Most of them would be like 'Yes, it's interesting'. But when the primaries come, these people are not going to vote. The key words for me are 'commitment' and 'conection'. These people will forget about Ron when the primaries are close and the mainstream media keeps talking more and more about the top-tier candidates.

So I have come to the conclusion that we need a way to commit and connect people with us, people that maybe have not even heard about Paul, and I have had this idea that i would like to share. All we would need is someone who is good at web design and not much more.

This is the idea:

It would be a very simple (speaking about design) web, which would be pretty much a database. That database would have the shape of trees. Now that I have to explain this, my english is not very useful, so here you have it in a beautiful painting xD


http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/9048/ronpaulwebvx1.jpg


The web designer would start the database, and put his name and the state where he lives in the square above. Putting your name or nickname and state provides you with a 'Revultion ID' and a password.

What do you do with your password? Well, here comes the fun xD You have to convince five people to vote for Ron Paul (five people that were NOT going to vote for him). He has to commit to vote for him, and you should explain what he has to do in order to do so (register as a republican, donate if possible, etc). If he accepts, then you give him your ID and password. He goes to the web, searches your personal tree by your ID and write his name (or nickname) and state in one of the squares below. The password is obviously asked at this point. It is more beautiful if you two do it together, specially with older people so the learn to use the web, that's why it has to be VERY simple and has an attractive design.

Now he has his/her own personal tree, with new squares below, and he has to convince another five. He has his ID and a new password. You get it? I think it would be fun, easy and would REALLY, REALLY become important if done well. It would provide commitment.

To make it more fun, there could be a 'print button' when you are part of the graphs to print a paper with your 'ID revolution' with a cool logo or painting.

What do you think?

[nexalacer]

Interesting idea, but I think Ron Paul followers are often not ones to want names on the net nor ID#s associated with that name.... but I could be wrong.

[Slugg]

I think it's a wonderful idea!!! Really!

[Spanish for Ron]

Interesting idea, but I think Ron Paul followers are often not ones to want names on the net nor ID#s associated with that name.... but I could be wrong.


Well, it's not a national ID card ;) that's why i mentioned the 'nickname' possibilities.

Of course, for the people who entered the web just to watch it, they could navigate by simply clicking on any name and going to their tree. And then click another name to another tree, etc. I think it would be impressive.

Oh, and in the first one or two 'steps', of course the web designer could give the passwords to people here, so we start with a good 100 o 200 people. But from the second step on, only people who were NOT convinced.

[BuddyRey]

I love it! This could be a VERY good activist tool! We could even keep logs of e-mail addresses of state and local Paul supporters to facilitate better grassroots collaborations beyond the anonymous and somewhat isolated meetup groups.

[Man from La Mancha]

Welcome aboard and thanks for posting. I don't know if this is a great idea but what I love here is we can get world wide ideas from many talented people. Talk about a lot of potential help. 1,730,000,000 internet users.

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/1584/20070907041133lv7.jpg

[Spanish for Ron]

Now that I think about it, I don't think the 'only NOT convinced people' thing is neccessary. At some point, all Ron supporters would be in and they would have to look for more people.

Anyway, this idea may have some holes that I know you can fill and improve the whole thing.

The thing is, this would be, I think, psychologically VERY good for people as they would feel themselves as part of something, not just the end of a chain, and it would be entertaining for young and old people. Everybody loves to convince someone, everyone loves to have a paper than means you are collaborating to something big.

[DjLoTi]

I think it's a great idea. I could put 'DjLoTi', and under that put www.RonPaulradio.com , for any converts by Ron Paul radio. :)

Might be difficult when you start dealing with people out in the real world, though. It's perfect for online people :)

[Spanish for Ron]

Might be difficult when you start dealing with people out in the real world, though. It's perfect for online people :)


Well, the idea is that you use this to expand the revolution mainly in the real world (but also online, of course).

It's better in the real world. A neighbour, someone related to you, a guy that works with you, friends, etc. Yo explain him all, you give his password on hand, and you can write his name together so he understands the web. I don't think it's that difficult, only 5 people men!! :D

[DjLoTi]

Haha, yeah it would be cool :)

[Ninja Homer]

I think it's a great idea. Kind of a network marketing web site for Ron Paul supporters. It would fit very well with another idea I'll be posting shortly (I'll add the link to this thread when I post it).

Some more thoughts on this:

There's no reason to limit it to 5 people added under you.
There should be a method on the site to evite people to join.
When people sign up, their email should be added to an email list. It should send them maybe 5 time-delayed emails (1st at the moment they sign up, 2nd a couple days later, 3rd a couple days after that, etc.) welcoming them and giving them advice on what to do next. Then there should be weekly emails sent with updates. The time-delayed emails and weekly newsletter can be handled pretty easily with a service like http://icontact.com.
You could give weekly awards like campaigning materials, or at the least some recognition.

[Spanish for Ron]

I think it's a great idea. Kind of a network marketing web site for Ron Paul supporters. It would fit very well with another idea I'll be posting shortly (I'll add the link to this thread when I post it).

Some more thoughts on this:

There's no reason to limit it to 5 people added under you.
There should be a method on the site to evite people to join.
When people sign up, their email should be added to an email list. It should send them maybe 5 time-delayed emails (1st at the moment they sign up, 2nd a couple days later, 3rd a couple days after that, etc.) welcoming them and giving them advice on what to do next. Then there should be weekly emails sent with updates. The time-delayed emails and weekly newsletter can be handled pretty easily with a service like http://icontact.com.
You could give weekly awards like campaigning materials, or at the least some recognition.


I agree with the points 2,3 and 4 but not with the first one. Well, the second point is already implemented I think, as they need the said password to write their names in and start their trees.

Now, the limit to 5 people is meant to bring this sentiment of 'I have the job done', which I think is psycollogicaly important. If you don't say a specifical goal, people will say 'yeah, i'll do whay i can' and forget about it, because there is no goal. It also would provide a simpler and cleaner design in which older people would not feel lost.

It also may have its cons, but I think it's better overall. It can be discussed anyway :D

[DjLoTi]

Oh, I think it should be allowed to be more then 5, that way people get bragging rights :D like me, who wants like 50 :D

[Spanish for Ron]

Oh, I think it should be allowed to be more then 5, that way people get bragging rights :D like me, who wants like 50 :D

Ou key :D But when you bring five you get a new status and get something special (like the 'print button' or something xdd).

[Ninja Homer]

Oh, I think it should be allowed to be more then 5, that way people get bragging rights :D like me, who wants like 50 :D

You could do ranks. I have no idea what the ranks would be, but you reach a rank at 5, then maybe 10, then 20, etc. You could also have ranks for total people under you. For instance, if you add 5 people, and they each add 5 people, and each of those people add 5 people, you would have a total of 155 people under you. It can add up pretty quickly if people are active with it.

[happyphilter]

kinda make it like a family tree. that would be neat.
If you guys want I MIGHT be able to get some people capable of doing this for us.

[Spanish for Ron]

kinda make it like a family tree. that would be neat.
If you guys want I MIGHT be able to get some people capable of doing this for us.

If they do (as I don' know you guys I don' know who is the most qualified xD) remember: SIMPLE, ATRACTIVE, so older people can understand the mechanics.

[happyphilter]

Well I use to go to a technology school, and I got a lot of geeky friends who might be willing to help accomplish this more then I could. Ill send out a memo today asking if anyone can help, so tonight if no one else has taken the cake I'll get back to you guys on this.

[Spanish for Ron]

There's another negative point about putting no 'five limit', or at least about making rankings. It would be too easy to make tricks and just invent the names just to be in the first place.

That's why i prefer the 'job done' concept. If you have a lot of friends who are Paulists, just go for the most difficult taks and get people who are NOT convinced in, and encourage them to do their jobs and add other five. People who are already convinced would find a way of getting in because they would know other paulists.

It also makes the design much simpler.

[constituent]

or we could just commit to taking folks with whom
we have interpersonal connections with us to
vote on primary day and skip the database.

or we could take print outs of your sheet there that
looks like it came out of a counterinsurgency training
manual and the meetup leaders could give them out
individually to all of their meetup group members and
have them work as a goal of filling each bubble
in with a person they plan to take with them
on primary day.

then they can put their name and meetup number on
top and mail it in to the OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN HQ...
and the meetups w/ the most people going to
their primaries wins....


like an old fashion bike-a-thon pledge drive or something,
but the reward could be a visit from ron paul...

the meetups could chip in to sponsor the speaking arrangement
and transportation costs for the campaign.

[maxmerkel]

i really like the idea !

i think the 5 people fixed limit is a good idea because (as already mentioned by others): job done feeling and no incentive to cheat to get a better ranking.

it has another positive side: we could limit ourselves to real people we have a personal relationship to and thus have an incentive to selcect high quality people, people that jump onto this and convert 5 other real people themselfes !

this whole idea is a great way to force us to really convince people to support ron paul, not just inform them but to convert them into huge paul supporters !

(and of course this whole thing could develop into a grassroots database with emails, states, zips and stuff to have a more flexible tool than meetup is)

[Ninja Homer]

I think it's a great idea. Kind of a network marketing web site for Ron Paul supporters. It would fit very well with another idea I'll be posting shortly (I'll add the link to this thread when I post it).

Here's a link to the other idea I was referring to, Network Marketing for Ron Paul - HOME PARTIES!
http://ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=16516

I think the two ideas would work well together.

[Ninja Homer]

i think the 5 people fixed limit is a good idea because (as already mentioned by others): job done feeling and no incentive to cheat to get a better ranking.

it has another positive side: we could limit ourselves to real people we have a personal relationship to and thus have an incentive to selcect high quality people, people that jump onto this and convert 5 other real people themselfes !

I understand the reasons for limiting it to 5, but at the same time, why limit ourselves.

How about if you are initially limited to 5 people, but when those 5 people each have completed their 5 people, then your limit is bumped up to 10? This gives you incentive to work with the people you added to get them to go out and find their 5 people.

As far as limiting cheating, it should check against duplicate email addresses. Sure, people could have multiple email addresses, but there's no real incentive for people to cheat at this anyway.

[Spanish for Ron]

How about if you are initially limited to 5 people, but when those 5 people each have completed their 5 people, then your limit is bumped up to 10? This gives you incentive to work with the people you added to get them to go out and find their 5 people.


If there are no rankings, I see no problem with this. There should really be a way of adding more people, as long as it doesn't make the mechanichs and design unattractive to older people.

The only thing that worries me is that people doesn't have that 'job done' sensation. In order to get that, we could simply give their 'Revolutionary Status' :D and their 'print button' or whatever once they have got 5 in, and then they can continue adding if they want.

Just keep in mind that idea that we must reach all kinds of people, not only internet hardcores. The people who make the web should think about that when they design it.

[constituent]

so no comments on the meetup idea? no thoughts?

[Ninja Homer]

or we could just commit to taking folks with whom
we have interpersonal connections with us to
vote on primary day and skip the database.

or we could take print outs of your sheet there that
looks like it came out of a counterinsurgency training
manual and the meetup leaders could give them out
individually to all of their meetup group members and
have them work as a goal of filling each bubble
in with a person they plan to take with them
on primary day.

then they can put their name and meetup number on
top and mail it in to the OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN HQ...
and the meetups w/ the most people going to
their primaries wins....


like an old fashion bike-a-thon pledge drive or something,
but the reward could be a visit from ron paul...

the meetups could chip in to sponsor the speaking arrangement
and transportation costs for the campaign.

I think this is a really good idea too. It could be done in addition to the web site being discussed here, and I think it deserves its own thread.

Have people sign on the line that they are committed to voting for Ron Paul in the primaries. The person with the most signatures and/or meetup group with the most combined signatures wins a prize. Great idea!

[constituent]

thank you. i am personally trying to express doubts about
creating a large marketing database (which is what we're
talking about here) that could potentially be exploited
without ultra-transparency or without first letting HQ
take up the initiative.

this is a very diverse group, our strength is that the only
marketing tool that has worked thus far has been the
genuine nature of ron paul and the sincerity of his
following. by creating a database (which ron paul has
clearly stated he opposes on all levels of general principle)
of 'potential' voters, you create a high-dollar value
marketing tool potentially for the wrong people.

that's why i'm trying to nicely suggest we do something
that would allow for the official campaign (only) to see
the compiled data since it is, in fact, their campaign/career's
survival that is at stake here.

[Ninja Homer]

thank you. i am personally trying to express doubts about
creating a large marketing database (which is what we're
talking about here) that could potentially be exploited
without ultra-transparency or without first letting HQ
take up the initiative.

this is a very diverse group, our strength is that the only
marketing tool that has worked thus far has been the
genuine nature of ron paul and the sincerity of his
following. by creating a database (which ron paul has
clearly stated he opposes on all levels of general principle)
of 'potential' voters, you create a high-dollar value
marketing tool potentially for the wrong people.

that's why i'm trying to nicely suggest we do something
that would allow for the official campaign (only) to see
the compiled data since it is, in fact, their campaign/career's
survival that is at stake here.

I understand your concern. It would really suck if the wrong people got a hold of it.

However, if it is using something like icontact.com as a database, it should be very safe. That's their business, and they know what they're doing... their business depends on it. Then it's just a matter of keeping the password to get into it safe. As long as the person with access to it is trustworthy, and they use a random generated safe password and change the password once in a while, it won't be a problem.

The database used to generate the site should only contain the info it needs, such as whatever people enter for a name, a unique key, and the unique key of the person who signed them up. So when somebody gets signed up on the web site, their name, unique key, and unique key of the person who signed them up will get entered into the site's database, and their name, unique key, unique key of the person who signed them up, email, phone, and whatever else gets submitted to the database at icontact.com. It should be pretty safe.

[constituent]

great... so write that up in an e-mail and send it to HQ.

[Ninja Homer]

great... so write that up in an e-mail and send it to HQ.

1. I'd like more feedback from members here first.
2. Is this something that HQ should do, or something that grassroots should do?