In the early primary campaign season of 2010, things seemed oddly quiet in Texas. In a heated primary battle, Texas Republicans did not get a single phone call, saw not one yard sign, and had no canvassers knocking on their doors -- at least not from incumbent Governor Rick Perry.

But Perry wasn't off the radar. He was online.

Are paper political campaigns a thing of the past?

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, May 13 as Ryan Gravatt, of Quicksilver Internet Solutions, shows us what campaigns can learn from Perry's experiment in online-only campaigning.

Thursday, May 13th at the PdF Network
Paper-free Politics: How the Internet Replaced Traditional Outreach in the TX Governor's Race
1-2 p.m. EST

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Check out our upcoming PdF Network calls...

In 2008, Obama's campaign blog engaged supporters with on-the-ground stories and profiles. But for every story online about ordinary people, there were many more blog posts appearing elsewhere seeking to undermine the work of the campaign.

Indeed, as lead Obama campaign blogger Sam Graham-Felsen later wrote, "For every megaphone the Internet provides to truth-tellers and democratic organizers, it also elevates con-artists, hate-mongers, violent extremists, and most troublingly, government authorities who aim to crush free expression."

How can you best use your organization's blog to drive the right kind of conversations?

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, April 29 as Sam Graham-Felsen, Lead Campaign Blogger, Obama for America shows us how blogging brings campaigns, candidates and people together.

Thursday, April 29th at the PdF Network
Voices from the Campaign Trail: Best Practices in Campaign Blogging
1-2 p.m. EST

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Standing in line, pulling a lever, filling in bubbles -- voting in America isn't exactly on the cutting-edge of technology.

But with just a video camera, a simple question and an internet connection, one small organization is transforming Election Day itself.

How can your organization use online video to change politics?

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, April 15 as Barnett Zitron and Jacob Soboroff of Why Tuesday, show us how a camera and an idea can spark a national conversation.

Thursday, April 15th at the PdF Network
Reform by Video: How to Build an Organization Using Online Video
1-2 p.m. EST

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Dialing 311 has changed the way citizens around the U.S. and Canada interact with their local governments by making it easy to call in with questions or complaints.

These days, city and county officials are upping the ante by making it possible for residents not just to send queries down the line, but to see what their fellow residents are reporting too.

The result? Community mobilization, faster resolution of problems, and even the occasional good Samaritan solution.

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, April 1 as Ben Berkowitz, Founder/CEO, SeeClickFix shows us how technology is "peeling back the layers of bureaucracy," one pothole at a time.

Thursday, April 1st at the PdF Network
Your Town, Online: The Future of Internet Community Reporting
1-2 p.m. Eastern

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UPDATE: This call has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 15th. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you'll join us then!

Standing in line, pulling a lever, filling in bubbles -- voting in America isn't exactly on the cutting-edge of technology.

But with just a video camera, a simple question and an internet connection, one small organization is transforming Election Day itself.

How can your organization use online video to change politics?

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, March 18 as Jacob Soboroff, Executive Director, Why Tuesday, shows us how a camera and an idea can spark a national conversation.

Thursday, March 18th at the PdF Network
Reform by Video: How to Build an Organization Using Online Video
1-2 p.m. EST

Join the call!

Check out our upcoming PdF Network calls...

Just a few short weeks ago, Scott Brown’s Republican upset in the race to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts Senate seat had many wondering if the age of liberal internet dominance is over.

Is the GOP gaining an online advantage? Certainly, “the Internet seems to have equipped Brown to catch, collect, and amplify the enthusiasm that grew around his campaign -- both pro-Brown energy, and anti-Coakley, anti-Obama, anti-health care reform (and anti-Republican establishment) sentiment.”

And if the rapid rise of the Tea Party movement is any indication, “increased visibility leads to increased viability.”

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, March 4 as Rob Willington, Scott Brown Web Strategist and Executive Director, RebuildTheParty.com shares how the internet is changing conservative campaigning.

Thursday, March 4th at the PdF Network
The GOP in 2010: Going Online to Win the Massachusetts Senate Race
1-2 p.m. EST

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An earlier version of this post misstated the date of this call; it is happening this Thursday, Feb. 18th. We apologize for the error!

In 2004 and 2006, the Republican party led the political field in microtargeting, with big results.

In 2008, the opposition caught up. The Obama campaign, wrote Marc Ambinder, was "buttressed by a year-long, psychographic voter targeting and contact operation, the likes of which Democrats had never before participated in."

How can your campaign best use data to figure out how to reach and activate individual supporters -- without having to start from scratch every election cycle?

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, February 18 as Jeff Crigler, CTO and Bob Blaemire, Director of Business Development, Catalist, the architects of the Obama targeting effort, clue us in to latest advances in voter targeting.

Thursday, Feb 18th at the PdF Network
Data is Power: How to Target Supporters & Win Votes in 2010
1-2 p.m. EST

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6.3 million: that's how many people viewed Obama's 2008 race speech on YouTube. 8.7 million clicked to see him dance his way onto the Ellen show.

By the time the Democratic and Republican national conventions of 2008 rolled around, Obama's team had uploaded about 1,110 videos on the candidate's YouTube channel -- more than four times what the McCain campaign had uploaded.

Is there a secret to moving a video messages online? What's the right mix of content, quality and, yes, quantity?

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, February 4 as Kate Albright-Hanna, formerly Director of Video for New Media, Obama for America, and now at VBS.TV, shares tips on building the right mix of compelling video content online.

Thursday, Feb 4th at the PdF Network
Digital Conversations: Using Online Video to Grow Your Campaign
1-2 p.m. EST

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On a Saturday in October 2009, "a synchronized burst of more than 4,300 demonstrations, from the Himalayas to the Great Barrier Reef," called the attention of world leaders to a single number: 350.

Their message was simple: 350 (as in parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide) = survival.

Of course, organizing the event was a little more complicated. And while 350 is about what happens to the planet offline, it couldn't have happened without the internet.

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, January 21 as Michael Silberman, Partner, EchoDitto, shows how a deft mixture of organizing, online and traditional media, and good old-fashioned storytelling can turn a day of action into a global movement.

Thursday, Jan 21st at the PdF Network
One Planet, Online: How to Orchestrate a Global Day of Action
1-2 p.m. EST

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