Giuliani Campaign Launches Social Network

Yesterday, the Rudy Giuliani campaign launched a brand new social network to encourage supporters to recruit others. The tool is definitely well designed. Personally I think it looks a lot better then the Barack Obama counterpart which I’ve been receiving spam from since I registered to test out when it first launched. I’m a bit skeptical of the impact of some of these social networks. Given the ubiquity of social networks like Facebook and MySpace, why not build a Facebook application and invest in advertising to increase exposure. Facebook’s advertising system even enables detailed targeting based on political views.

I’m not quite sure why the Giuliani campaign waited to release this so late. It is definitely a great time to get started though given the backlash he has been facing from quoting inaccurate statistics. Grassroots campaigns are always a great model for gaining support especially during moments of fierce opposition. The social network that the Giuliani team has created tracks your individual impact on a countrywide basis.

Hard-working volunteers are also rewarded for inviting users as well as in person volunteering. According to the site overview, “As your Personal Impact^TM increases, the campaign staff is informed of your progress. Top volunteers are also recognized among their peers through Team Rudy. Your rank is a combination of your personal work and that of the volunteer team you recruit from your family and friends.”

I hadn’t realized the impact that these grassroots site actually have in the scheme of things but after looking at Compete.com’s statistics of My.BarackObama.com, I have to say that I’m impressed. The Barack Obama social network is pulling in close to 300,000 users a month. It would be great if Giuliani experienced the same sort of response. Do you think political social networks are a useful campaign tool?