The Online Campaign of Representative Ron Paul

Ron Paul is a Physician, a Representative from Texas and a current Presidential Candidate running for President of the United States.

I have been following his online campaign looking at the various elements that are used to “get the message” out to the voters.  His campaign is using all the elements of a successful ecommerce business to build his voter base.

Everything from opt-in email to his latest website update with a running total of donations is not only vital to success and building donations, but highly effective ecommerce in action. Cool stuff and the results are LIVE!

What surprises me is that length of time it is taking to get that message out –in this case reaching the masses.

I have mentioned his name to several people who have never heard about him –and these are people who use the Internet often.

So, I want to address a few questions:

1. Is there a group of people who use exclusively the Internet to get their information?  And how large is this group?
2. Is the ‘normal’ population “so isolated and insulated” and stuck to the mainstream media –Do people still watch the 6PM news?
3. What does it take to “cross from the online world” to the mass media that most of the population seems to listen to?
4. How long does all of this take?

What’s interesting is that I’ve watched all the debates and Ron Paul seems to win all of them when the vote comes in via text message or online.  However, when I see the results of a poll conducted by a newspaper, his results are in the single digits.

I suppose what surprises me more than anything is how much of a DIVIDE there is between the traditional population and the Internet users.  I suppose a good part of the people are still using the Yellow Pages –something that I have not used for many years. I suppose I’ve not used a phone book since getting rid of dial up back in ‘97.

Now, getting back to the questions… I think working on the Internet, I have made a lot of assumptions on how people really get news, information, etc.  My assumptions are wrong –I think only about a third of the population is “plugged in” to the latest, diverse channels of information.  And from that actual users who “get the message” are not that many, although they are very vocal.

The next question is perhaps the most vital for Ron Paul (and long-term for myself) –what does it take to “cross from the online world” to the mass media?  And when will that happen?  I think that game will start the last quarter of the year for him.  If what I’ve personally done is an indication –telling everyone I know about his message and even sitting my brother down at the pc during a recent visit for a few videos is an indication, what I see is a “real up hill” battle to get people to listen.  For me the message was obvious, straight forward and about time.  However, for others, I have no idea why such wisdom takes so long to “sink in”… Hey, that’s why I am the Rich Sage!

Some Background:
Ron Paul Online: http://www.ronpaul2008.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWfIhFhelm8

A great weekend to you.

Rich Sage.