Home | RootsHQ :: Resources for Political Entrepreneurs

SPN Social Media Rankings for May, 2013

By Allen Fuller - 21-May-2013

There was lots of movement in the social media rankings of State Policy Network members this month. Who will be #1?

Why the conservative online community is so important

By Allen Fuller - 11-May-2013

As FreedomWorks' BlogCon conference gets underway this weekend, it's a good time to remember why these gatherings are so important to building conservative coalitions and advancing the cause of liberty.

SPN Social Media Rankings for April, 2013

By Allen Fuller - 24-Apr-2013

SPN groups are on the move. As RootsHQ takes over the monthly rankings, who are the leaders in leveraging social media for the free-market movement?

10 Key Players on the Digital Team

By Allen Fuller - 18-Apr-2013

Ready to build out a top digital team? Here's 10 key roles to fill.

McConnell celebrates 2nd amendment win with a meme

By Allen Fuller - 17-Apr-2013

Kudos to the US Senate on blocking an ill-conceived gun grab, and kudos to Team Mitch for seizing the day via a meme.

Weekend Reads

By The Editors - 13-Apr-2013

Facebook ads get more targeted. What's better than mobile? The secret to Buzzfeed. This and more in the Weekend Reads for April 13, 2013.

#IAMTAXFREE takes to Twitter

By The Editors - 12-Apr-2013

Tax Freedom Day comes every year, sooner or later. This year, celebrate the seminal moment on Twitter.

2nd Vote app lets shoppers vote with their wallet

By Allen Fuller - 10-Apr-2013

Frustrated about the last election and America's dangerous lurch to the left? There's an app for that.

3 Things the NRCC Is Doing Right

By Allen Fuller - 04-Apr-2013

Political websites largely fall into two categories: boring and cringeworthy. The NRCC hopes to change that.

Weekend Reads

By The Editors - 30-Mar-2013

5 common social media mistakes. Digital stats & analytics. SEO for video. A good reason not to use text messages. It's the weekend reads for March 30, 2013.

NRCC Launches #TheWasteList

By Allen Fuller - 29-Mar-2013

NRCC rolls out another hit. What's #TheWatchList all about?

GWU Looks at the Social Election

By The Editors - 27-Mar-2013

George Washington University found that lots of people participated in the last election. Online, that is.

The Rise of the Political Entrepreneur

By Allen Fuller - 25-Mar-2013

Never before has an individual had such an opportunity to make their voice heard, and many people are now starting organizations to do exactly that. These innovators are a new breed of entrepreneurs – Political Entrepreneurs.

Weekend Reads

By The Editors - 22-Mar-2013

Using data to get creative. Google launches Keep after killing Reader. A cheat sheet for Author Rank. Who is Organizing for Action hiring? Here's a few weekend reads for March 22, 2013.

7 ways Twitter has impacted politics

By Allen Fuller - 21-Mar-2013

Today is Twitter's 7th birthday, so to celebrate, here are seven ways the social network has impacted politics.

Obama's 'Snowflake': Distributed Campaigning

By Bryan Cutsinger - 20-Mar-2013

While the Obama campaign's technology has been widely credited for their win, it may be their adaptation of tech-related theories that was their ultimate innovation. Bryan Cutsinger explains the 'Snowflake' model.

5 Reasons Business Catalyst Is Perfect for Political Campaigns

By Allen Fuller - 19-Mar-2013

Adobe's Business Catalyst is the best CMS for campaigns you've never heard of. Here's 5 reasons to take a look at the system before the next cycle.

How to Conduct a basic A/B email test

By Allen Fuller - 18-Mar-2013

Getting started with analytics means running tests. Here's a poor man's guide to creating a quick A/B email test and ideas for things to test.

GOP says commitment to digital "critical"

By Allen Fuller - 18-Mar-2013

Early Monday morning, the RNC released the report of the Growth & Opportunity Project, which contains a lot of great news for digital operatives and activists.

Weekend Reads

By The Editors - 16-Mar-2013

R.I.P. Google Reader. How about Google Hangouts? Rand Paul and Twitter reinvent the Filibuster. Here's a few weekend reads for March 16, 2013.

#CPAC2013 Tweets

By Allen Fuller - 16-Mar-2013

Check out the latest tweets from CPAC, and join the conversation.

3 Steps to a Culture of Innovation

By Allen Fuller - 14-Mar-2013

Conservative leaders are talking about creating a culture of innovation. What does that look like? This video interview with author John M. Bernard might have a couple of answers.

RNC gets ready to remodel

By Allen Fuller - 12-Mar-2013

The RNC is set to undergo a major overhaul that will re-focus the committee's operations around digital, data, and technology. Will it be enough?

Don't be a Troll: 3 ways to make your voice heard at the state capitol

By Allen Fuller - 12-Mar-2013

Trying to have a direct conversation with your Congressman can be almost impossible. Reaching a state legislator, however, is another matter.

Bluey: There may be something to 'Moneyball for Politics' after all

By Allen Fuller - 10-Mar-2013

Rob Bluey attended the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and came away with some ideas for political operations.

Behind the scenes with Obama's technology team

By Allen Fuller - 07-Mar-2013

Their job was not to innovate, it was to reelect the President. This was the message from four senior members of Barack Obama's vaunted 2012 technology team, who recently spoke to a group of startups in Denver.

Conservative geeks moving ahead

By Allen Fuller - 28-Feb-2013

A group of conservatives are coming out of the shadows in Silicon Valley, stepping up and getting organized to "save the party from the clutches of tech-phobic leaders."

Mobile traffic is about to explode

By Allen Fuller - 22-Feb-2013

We socialize with phones or tablets as we watch TV programs. We discover how much work can, after all, be accomplished on a tablet instead of a laptop.

A Model for GOP Collaboration?

By Allen Fuller - 21-Feb-2013

Much of the conversation around the GOP's need to better adopt technology is not only about innovation but also involves a radical change in how we approach collaboration.

Could today be a turning point for GOP tech?

By Allen Fuller - 21-Feb-2013

If grieving is the first step of dealing with loss, that has been on full display over and over and over in the media over the past few months.

Congrats to the Top 50 in Digital Politics

By Allen Fuller - 21-Feb-2013

For all of the talk about the GOP's struggles with technology, several people have stood out and persevered through it all.

Why a mobile site is essential

By Allen Fuller - 20-Feb-2013

In this day of smartphone ubiquity, your campaign, your organization and your business all need to have a mobile-friendly website.

Picking an Email Platform

By Allen Fuller - 17-Feb-2013

To effectively build an email program, you will first need a platform that will do the actual sending.

Can Republicans win the tech arms race? Yes, if...

By Allen Fuller - 05-Feb-2013

The Washington Examiner took a look at the biggest problem Republicans face -- changing their culture.

The Automated Campaign

By Allen Fuller - 01-Feb-2013

Marketing automation is the fusion of data, content, and code scripts that allows the user to more accurately send the right message to the right person at the right time.

Simplifying the Voter's Life

By Allen Fuller - 26-Jan-2013

The key to Obama's win was not that they had better technology, it was that they made digital and technology a priority then integrated it into their core decision-making.

A.B.I. - Always Be Innovating

By Allen Fuller - 14-Jan-2013

The key to successfully connecting with today's audiences involves innovation.

50 Ways Conservatives Can Put Digital To Use

By Allen Fuller - 24-Dec-2012

In the spirit of collaboration and the spirit of Christmas, below is a list of 50 ideas that center-right candidates, organizations, technologists, bloggers and consultants can use to leverage technology for better outcomes.

How a Startup Would Run a Campaign

By Allen Fuller - 08-Dec-2012

If a campaign were to be run like a startup, what would it look like?

The Left's Technology Machine

By Allen Fuller - 03-Dec-2012

Obama's reelection was the culmination of nearly a decade of research, experiments, and study of best practices by a collection of consistently well-funded organizations across the Left.

2,000 attend RootsCamp 2012

By Allen Fuller - 03-Dec-2012

Just weeks after the election, over 2,000 liberal activists joined together to compare notes, share best practices, and start working on 2014.

Tech in Politics - Election 2012 Roundup

By Allen Fuller - 25-Nov-2012

Below are several of the best articles I've found since the election that shed some light on how technology was used by the presidential campaigns and outside organizations.

Why the Obama campaign won: Integration

By Allen Fuller - 08-Nov-2012

If you look closely, beyond the headlines, you'll see that it was in fact not the presence of these tools and strategies that won the day, but their integration that lifted Obama over the top.

Conservative Live Presidential Debate Links

By Allen Fuller - 03-Oct-2012

There are several great ways to follow the debate tonight online.

The role of "brand journalism" in campaigns

By Allen Fuller - 05-Sep-2012

One tool the Obama campaign has used effectively is creating content that is more storytelling than PR.

3 Ways to Make August a Digital Success

By Allen Fuller - 08-Aug-2012

Here's three ways to connect with voters during August, and to get ready for the fall campaign.

5 Ways Digital Strategies Can Help GOTV

By Allen Fuller - 15-Jul-2012

Digital can and will impact GOTV in 2012, but all of the coolest and latest technology in the world is worthless to a campaign or advocacy organization unless it increases voter turnout. Here's five ways you can create a competitive advantage with the right digital tools.