I couldn't have been more geeked to receive a tweet via text to my iPhone yesterday morning from 'BarackObama' announcing the launch of the campaign's official iPhone application, 'Obama '08'. Thanks to the Twitter-SMS combo, five minutes later, I had downloaded the app and begun using it. I was able to read the latest campaign press releases, connect directly to the latest TV ads, access issue statements, and find the MOMocrats' Silicon Valley VP debate watch party (which was, I might add, a huge success).
Cool gizmo, yes, but the iPhone app is also a serious tool. If I'm in a meeting and someone brings up Obama's plan on a particular topic, now instead of having to go to the web site and spend a significant amount of time waiting for pages to load while poking around to find the right statement, I can just go on my phone and read the appropriate plan. It takes under a second to load and then it's almost as quick to e-mail it out to others. Most notably, the application has a 'Call Friends' feature that splits contacts by area code and marks when they have been called from the app. Enter anyone into the iPhone contacts and they will become part of the application.
Granted, I'm not going to be going through my entire database calling everyone about the campaign, but it's a good enough reminder to ping people in swing states to remind them to get out and vote. My favorite feature is the issue feature, though. I really like being able to read official policy plans on my iPhone. I knew there was a reason I was a big fan of Obama being a Mac user. Way cool...
Parts of this post were excerpted from a Huffington Post article; read the rest here to learn about the VoteforChange.com GOTV application launched by the Obama campaign. Sarah Granger is a proud MOMocrat, Managing Director of FutureCampaigns, and National Correspondent to "Off the Bus" featuring tech in the '08 election.
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