New RightRoots launches
First to market AND best in breed
By krempasky Posted in 2008 | Elections | fundraising | rightroots — Comments (10) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Having a full election cycle under its belt, the good folks at ABCPAC have relaunched the all-new RightRoots.com. And make no mistake - this is the tool that we've been waiting for, hands down. They did what the Republican Party couldn't get done (not necessarily through its own fault, btw) and they got it done better than anyone else, period.
One of the biggest challenges (criticisms) facing ABCPAC last cycle was its lack of flexibility. Only slates were presented, and users, bloggers, other activists were precluded from choosing THEIR preferred candidates or causes.
No longer. The new site is simple, it's straightforward, it's well-designed, and it's open to anyone that wants to help a candidate with an (R). It's not hung up on (distracted by, in my mind) building community, being persuasive, garnering support - or anything else for that matter. It's a transactional vehicle and a hugely valuable piece of infrastructure for conservative activists online. As it should be.
Huge hats off to the fine folks at ABCPAC for getting this out in the wild.
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New RightRoots launches 10 Comments (0 topical, 10 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
But I thought the new organizing vehicle was the "big red tent"? What happened to that?
“Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.”
-Ronald Reagan
....whereas "The Big Red Tent" is more about candidate advocacy.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
Don't forget Big Red Tent, which does what Right roots does at a heavy user generated level.
I was really hoping this cycle that Rs would mimic the biggest successes of the online left. The Big Red Tent and Right Roots sites seem to be missing the big thing that made ActBlue work: ownership.
On neither site can I make a slate of my favorite candidates and then solicit others to donate to just those candidates. It would be my signature at RS if that were possible. As is, it is a portal for donations without any ownership. I hope to be wrong, but I don't see this doing much better than 2 years ago.
This Right Roots revamp goes from a single pre-ordained slate (2006) to a list of pre-selected slates (2008). In both cases, a top-down model of setting up slates and handing them out is being followed. Hopefully by 2010, someone will figure out how to have a bottom-up site that allows individuals to create their own slates and solicit on those candidate's behalf.
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Bobby Jindal Saves Louisiana
Adam,
The power to create your own slate is on its way. Make no mistake: We believe this is *THE* essential component of the site's success. Ultimately Rightroots is a utility. What makes it work is the community. And that's why we're looking forward to unleashing community and user-generated content for every candidate, and every slate folks decide to create.
In the interim, you can search for any Republican federal candidate and contribute directly to them, which is a big step forward from last year's slates. Anyone wanting to create a slate before the formal launch can also contact me or anyone else on the team (it's not perfect, but we'll do our utmost to accommodate in a timely fashion).
Patrick
And as someone without much programming ability, it's hard for me to come down hard on the efforts of others. But it is very good to know that people recognize that ownership is the key ingredient. Best of luck in making it happen.
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Bobby Jindal Saves Louisiana
...is coming.
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David All
David All Group
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to my conservative friends and am grateful for a place to go to support conservative Republicans.