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

Join the call!

Check out our upcoming PdF Network calls...

• UK | Nick Clegg and the electoral insurgency (on the Internet?)
  Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrat party was little known until a few days ago, when his victory in the first television debate with Cameron and Brown gave him an unprecedented popularity. "The general election has become a genuine three-way contest with the Lib Dems, on 29%, enjoying their strongest support in almost 30 years." says the Times. And the Internet starts playing a significant role: in the 24 hours after last week's debate, the Lib Dems received £120,000 in small donations, a significant amount of money for the British scene. So far the LibDem party is also the only one to have a Facebook page (though unofficial) with more 140.000 members and is picking new support from people under 35.

• Spain | Net Neutrality: a controversy that needs a political intervention?
  In Spain there's lot of talking about Internet business models and the neutrality of the operators that provide the connectivity infrastructure. And things might change quickly, according to what César Alierta, president of the telco Telefónica, declared last month: "Clearly, Internet search engines use our networks without paying anything, which is lucky for them and a curse for us. But that can not continue, we are the networks (...), we do it all. That will change, I believe it”.
  But some public servants don't seem to agree: Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra, former president of the Spanish region of Extremadura, wrote an op-ed on El País, asking the government and politicians to work on the controversial topic.

Can a single email raise a million dollars? Can it save a life?

With a simple email request -- buy a $10 bed net, save a life -- the Nothing But Nets campaign has galvanized popular, business, entertainment and media support for the fight to prevent malaria infections worldwide.

The campaign has come a long way since Rick Reilly wrote his 2006 Sports Illustrated column about malaria. To date, it has raised more than $25 million, delivered over 2.5 million bed nets -- and shows no signs of slowing down.

Join the PdF Network on Thursday, December 3 to hear from Shannon Raybold, Special Projects Director, UN Foundation, about how to turn a simple request for help into a successful online strategy.

Thursday, Dec 3rd at the PdF Network
A $10 Challenge Turns into $25 Million: The "Nothing But Nets" Case Study
1-2 p.m. EST

Join the call!

Check out our upcoming PdF Network calls...

Dec 17 | Learning from the Obama Campaign About the Future of Mobile Politicking | Scott Goodstein, CEO, Revolution Messaging

What could you do with $2?

What about $250,000?

On February 12, Twitterers in 202 cities around the world asked exactly that of charity: water, raising more than a quarter million dollars online in just a few short weeks. The event, Twestival, wasn't the first to use Twitter for fundraising -- but it was the first to do so at such a large, networked and volunteer-driven scale.

The success of Twestival has a lot of non-profits and organizers thinking carefully about the opportunities -- and challenges -- of using Twitter.

Join us this Thursday, June 4th at the PdF Network, where Twestival's founder and event organizer Amanda Rose will clue us into how she did it and what other organizers can learn from her experience.

To join the call (and get the opportunity to pose your questions directly to Amanda), you’ll need to join the PdF Network.