Grassroots help needed!

[JaredR26]

Mckarnin needs our help.
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=59929&page=2

Supporters, do your part. She has trouble seeing in what ways we can help, or seeing how she can utilize us.

Lets show her.

Here's the current issue:
The Blimp crew is having trouble communicating with the meetup groups that the Blimp will fly over.
2nd issue raised:
fyi... Manassas[airfield] no longer accepts blimps. If you can find a better location which can handle the vehicle that would be great.
Third issue raised:
The blimp team is in need of unspecified legal help. They are not able to disclose any more information yet, but they do need lawyers to contact them.

We as supporters are chomping at the bit waiting for blimp information or results - Lets show them that we can get them results, without spending money.

Can anyone setup an email list/phone tree of some sort that can keep those that will be directly under the blimp informed, and let those around the landings know that the blimp crew needs a place to stay(or whatever they need)?

Anyone have any suggestions for a simple way to communicate with everyone relevant(and no one not relevant?) via email/phone/text? Anyone who can provide needed volunteering or help near the blimp is needed.

I'll contact the NC meetup group I was a part of. They can probably further contact some other meetup groups more central to the state. Anyone in NC/SC/VA/GA/anywhere near the blimp, contact your meetup group - Collect their contact info and sort it so the blimp crew can use it.

Anything else Mckarnin?

Edit: On the second issue, I have no experience with airfields. If no one has any suggestions by tomorrow, I'll start googling and see what I can come up with, maybe get on the phone if I have to.

[Mckarnin]

Mckarnin needs our help.
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=59929&page=2

Supporters, do your part. She has trouble seeing in what ways we can help, or seeing how she can utilize us.

Lets show her.

Here's the current issue:
The Blimp crew is having trouble communicating with the meetup groups that the Blimp will fly over.


We as supporters are chomping at the bit waiting for blimp information or results - Lets show them that we can get them results, without spending money.

Can anyone setup an email list/phone tree of some sort that can keep those that will be directly under the blimp informed, and let those around the landings know that the blimp crew needs a place to stay(or whatever they need)?

Anyone have any suggestions for a simple way to communicate with everyone relevant(and no one not relevant?) via email/phone/text? Anyone who can provide needed volunteering or help near the blimp is needed.

I'll contact the NC meetup group I was a part of. They can probably further contact some other meetup groups more central to the state. Anyone in NC/SC/VA/GA/anywhere near the blimp, contact your meetup group - Collect their contact info and sort it so the blimp crew can use it.

Anything else Mckarnin?

Thanks Jared!

We'll be in D.C. ..well actually due to restricted airspace/airfields the airport we land at will be in MD but we plan to fly over Baltimore and as close to DC as we can legally. We will be there Wednesday evening and all day Thursday. Please let anyone in that area or who is within driving distance know.

[JaredR26]

Thanks Jared!

We'll be in D.C. ..well actually due to restricted airspace/airfields the airport we land at will be in MD but we plan to fly over Baltimore and as close to DC as we can legally. We will be there Wednesday evening and all day Thursday. Please let anyone in that area or who is within driving distance know.

You got it.

Anyone live near MD/Baltimore? Washington? Contact your meetups, get the word out. Get anyone willing to volunteer to either post here or contact Mckarnin to find out where the blimp will be landing. As I understand it, Trevor and Elijah are sleeping in the hangar? If thats the case, I'm sure someone is willing to repay them and let them sleep on a couch or a guest room for Nov 5th and the tea party.

[jcims]

Meetup.com does not have an API at the moment, but they are heavily based on zipcodes.

This map mashes up Google maps with a zip code database, so you can plot which zipcodes you're going to be flying over to help seed some Meetup.com searches:

http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm

It would have to be done manually, but you could probably skip every other zipcode and Meetup would still find ones in the vicinity. Here are a few from a straight shot between Elizabeth City and DC

27598
23322
23323
23430
23602
23455
23061
22503
23188
23085
22473
22520
20659
20613
22546
22701
22485
20613
20175
21042
21784

To make searching easier, you can just tack the zip code at the end of this URL and hit enter:

http://www.meetup.com/search/?keywords=ron+paul&dbCo=us&&country=us&zip=

for example:

http://www.meetup.com/search/?keywords=ron+paul&dbCo=us&&country=us&zip=22546

[JaredR26]

Meetup.com does not have an API at the moment, but they are heavily based on zipcodes.

This map mashes up Google maps with a zip code database, so you can plot which zipcodes you're going to be flying over to help seed some Meetup.com searches:

http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm

It would have to be done manually, but you could probably skip every other zipcode and Meetup would still find ones in the vicinity.

Good link, thanks.

Any way we could sort this so for any given location, we have a list of zip codes/email addresses within 100 miles? There has to be some software somewhere that does something like this in an automated manner.

Also we need to make sure we confirm contact, so that the meetup organizers are getting the messages. Someone else may be acting as leader, but we wouldn't have their contact info.

[Ronin]

If they can come to Manasses Airfield there are a few in the NOVA area that will be able to assist (myself included). Baltimore I don't know. I contacted my local meetup organizer to make him aware. I can offer up my couch/extra bedroom for Thursday and Friday if they'd like. I'm located in Chantilly VA (about 25 miles west of D.C.)

[Tarzan]

If they can come to Manasses Airfield there are a few in the NOVA area that will be able to assist (myself included). Baltimore I don't know. I contacted my local meetup organizer to make him aware. I can offer up my couch/extra bedroom for Thursday and Friday if they'd like. I'm located in Chantilly VA (about 25 miles west of D.C.)

fyi... Manassas no longer accepts blimps. If you can find a better location which can handle the vehicle that would be great.
.

[Ronin]

fyi... Manassas no longer accepts blimps. If you can find a better location which can handle the vehicle that would be great.
.

Bummer. I wouldn't know where to begin to look. I guess just stick with what we've got and try to get people in the area to help. The best bet will probably be the Arlington/Alexandria and D.C. Meetup. They are closest to MD and with traffic around here you really have to take that into consideration. I've GOT to get to bed, but the meetup organizers have a link to this thread. Hopefully they can pick it up in the morning.

[JaredR26]

Quick question Mckarnin, what exactly is needed by ground volunteers/meetups around? Printing/passing out flyers? Place to sleep for the blimp team?

If we had a better idea of what we are asking for/needing it would help.

[Kingfisher]

Bump

[mrchubbs]

How about this place???

http://www.leesburgva.gov/services/airport/


About an hour west of DC. No idea if they "accept Blimps"...

[JaredR26]

Bump.

We need anyone in those meetups or meetup areas to contact their local media and let them know the blimp is coming. To find out what time the blimp is going to arrive, watch the tracker on the blimp web site. The speed the blimp can travel is also listed there.

[hyoomen]

Idea for finding other 'blimpable' airfields/ports: contact all local ballooning organizations and inquire about their locations and local regulations. This ought to generate plenty of leads.

Press releases: a new press release prepared and published on the website each day; mirror it here on the RP Forums; task somebody to contact all local news stations each day with the press release.

Web organization: the page could be better laid out;
1) the blog needs to be the first page seen and needs to be updated a couple of times a day along with pictures and links to any news stories that are coming down the line
2) sticky the donation info up at the top of the blog
3) mailing list, twitter contact, etc. all need to be prominently featured
4) DIGG, de.licio.us, Stumble, and every other social network link need to be prominently featured
5) press releases need to be made readily available and each day a blog post & mail update needs to go out asking people near the next destination(s) to flood the media with requests for coverage


Meetup: utilize the new Ron Paul Meetup Alliance to get the word out -- http://www.meetupalliance.com/RonPaul2008

And where are the rallies alluded to on the site? Are they being organized? Where are pictures from them?

Thanks. Keep flying high!

[JaredR26]

Idea for finding other 'blimpable' airfields/ports: contact all local ballooning organizations and inquire about their locations and local regulations. This ought to generate plenty of leads.

Press releases: a new press release prepared and published on the website each day; mirror it here on the RP Forums; task somebody to contact all local news stations each day with the press release.

Web organization: the page could be better laid out;
1) the blog needs to be the first page seen and needs to be updated a couple of times a day along with pictures and links to any news stories that are coming down the line
2) sticky the donation info up at the top of the blog
3) mailing list, twitter contact, etc. all need to be prominently featured
4) DIGG, de.licio.us, Stumble, and every other social network link need to be prominently featured
5) press releases need to be made readily available and each day a blog post & mail update needs to go out asking people near the next destination(s) to flood the media with requests for coverage


Meetup: utilize the new Ron Paul Meetup Alliance to get the word out -- http://www.meetupalliance.com/RonPaul2008

And where are the rallies alluded to on the site? Are they being organized? Where are pictures from them?

Thanks. Keep flying high!

Only thing is, that is a lot of stuff to do/changes to make.

Is there anything we can offload and handle ourselves?

[hyoomen]

Of course we can, but how much of it do they need other people to do? What exactly is the BlimpTeam up to? They specify on the website that there will be rallies of 10,000 people where they land, but what are they doing to organize the events? Is that all up to us?

Nevertheless, here are a few ideas:

1) court any and all 'mashup' programmers to handle the Meetup / Google Maps zipcode mashup. For example, find somebody from http://maps.huge.info/ where they've created a Google Map mashup that actually shows zipcodes.
2) create the spreadsheet of Meetup and other organized contacts by zipcode, even if we can't get the aforementioned mashup app written
3) generate the code to add to the blog for Digg, de.licio.us, etc and forward it to the webdeveloper
4) create a press release template (which should have already been done AGES AGO) along w/ a press pack that includes approved images, logos, etc.
5) open up the blog to the volunteer-based viral marketing crew so others can post up info.

Meetup Alliance: to see the Ron Paul Alliance meetup groups with proximity to the Ron Paul Blimp: http://www.meetupalliance.com/RonPaul2008 > click find local groups > 22485 as the zipcode.

Does the blimpcrew need a press release template?