Netroots Nation: Friday

It's crazy how hard it is to find the time to actually write a blog at a bloggers conference.
Yesterday morning I went to the From Dean to Obama: Four Years in the Internet Revolution Panel. Both Joe Trippi and Karl Frisch were dropping some comedic gold throughout the entire panel. I think the most valuable comment was from Joe, who said that we are in an awkward transition between an era where authenticity is valued (the internet) and the era of the 30 second spot. Because of this, snippets of our authenticity end up being taken out of context and turned into 30 second spots.
The next panel I attended was called What's Next for the Next Generation. The panel was actually just a long infomercial for Qvisory. They bill themselves as an AARP for young people. The problem is that they are trying to become the AARP at their inception, and that isn't possible. Qvisory offers a lot of great tools for young people to manage their finances, get health care, etc. Unfortunately they are stuck in the mindset that they need to be an advocacy organization as well. They would totally be more successful marketing Qvisory as a service and not as some lobbying entity. The AARP did not start out as the powerhouse it is today. It took a long time to build their organization to the point of being an advocacy organization as well. Qvisory doesn't get that.
Another problem is the fact the Qvisory spends all their money on consultants to design their logo, website, etc. and then when we brought up strategies to spread the word to people they said they don't have the resources. Hey, guess what. If you don't spend all your money on consultants that are going to come up with a crappy name you would have those resources. And oh, by the way, you can get people to promote your organization that aren't being paid to do it. They don't get that either. And the sad part is that Qvisory actual offers a very good service that young people should know about.
After that a bunch of us youth vote people hung out for awhile waiting for the coming parties. Somehow, the entire Future Majority team and Ian McGruder thought it was an hour earlier than it actually was, so we ended up missing the Huffington Post/GQ Politics party. Luckily Kos had a party as well and we ended up at that.
Speaking of the Kos party, this just may be me getting older in the youth vote movement, but what is the deal with having a party where people are supposed to talk to eachother and socialize with a band playing so loud you can't hear anything? Seriously, it was annoying, and it was Zydeco.
Election Resources
Election Day is November 4th - VOTE!
If you encounter trouble at your polling place, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Voter Registration Deadlines - State by state voter registration deadlines.
Absentee Guide - State by state information on absentee voting rules.
Go Vote Absentee - Simple website to walk you through the process.
Count More - Should college students vote at home or at school? Count More will help you make the best strategic decision.
TheBallot.org - DIY guide to down-ballot races.
Election Protection - Volunteer and stop voter disenfranchisement before it happens.
Mobilize the Youth Vote - Instructions for planning and executing traditional and non-traditional youth registration and GOTV campaigns.
Overseas Vote Foundation - Information for youth and military personnel abroad.
Student Voting Rights - Know your rights, protect your rights.
Vote Back Home - Toolkits to help students register their peers from swing states. Includes data on the top 300 schools in the country for this type of work.
Vote for Change - Register to vote, find your polling place. (Official Obama campaign site)
Breaking News
Marc Ambinder:
How McCain Lost His "Base"New York Magazine's John Heilemann asks how John McCain lost his reformer brand, and blames on the campaign's evolving tactics: "...in the middle of the summer, the McCain campaign took a ...Political Wire:
Quote of the Day"This is a much better campaign than I ran in 1988, and I'm impressed."-- Mike Dukakis, quoted by the New York Observer, on Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.Marc Ambinder:
The Atlantic Electoral Map October 7 Reskin EditionThe distribution and categories are based on polling, historical trends, conversations with the campaigns, and the thoughts of smart analysts in those states. MARGINAL TOSS UPS -- states where ...Think Progress:
Louisiana lawmaker stripped of health committee post for proposing to sterilize low-income women.Last month, Louisiana state Rep. John LaBruzzo (R) announced a plan “to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied,” along with “tax incentives for college-educated, ...TPM Election Central:
Palin Supporter To Black Sound Man: "Sit Down, Boy"Sarah Palin's frequent attacks on the media are now stoking so much outrage among her supporters that they've now taken to abusing reporters: Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill ...
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Qvisory
I am Qvisory's Executive Director and I wanted to thank you for attending our panel at Netroots Nation. I am sorry I was not able to be there. I am interested in hearing your ideas about spreading the word, so please let me know them.
I am glad you think we are offering a good service. Our advocacy and nonprofit mission are critical to the value we provide. We have found that the fact that we are fighting for money, work, and health policies that will make a difference for young people makes people more likely to trust us than if we were just trying to sell them stuff.
We are in the early stages of building our organization and know we have a long way to go to achieve all of our goals. I invite your readers to join our community and help us. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your ideas about how you should promote Qvisory.
Thanks very much,
Eileen V. Quigley
Executive Director, Qvisory