2009 Florida Netroots Awards: nominations extended through this week

Yes, friends, it's that time once again: time to select the best of the Florida netroots -- the blogs and beyond. Nominations are still open for the 2009 Netroots Awards.

Truth be told, it's been "that time" since late July, but as Blast Off! was on hiatus then, well, I kind of missed the hoopla. But the good news is that nominations have been extended for one more week, according to Kenneth Quinnell of the Florida Progressive Coalition.

Here's the scoop on nominations:

Between now and the end of August this week, we’ll be taking nominations for the best writing, posting and online activism in the state of Florida amongst the left-wing blogs. The process is simple. Send me [Quinnell, not Sinfonian!] your nominations in the categories below. This is just the nomination period. All nominations that fit the category descriptions will be accepted. Any nominees that are in the wrong category will be moved to the right category. Keep in mind that all nominees have to be Florida-based and that they can’t be Republicans. Any posts, blogs, etc., that have appeared since last year’s awards are eligible for the awards.

There is no reason to nominate a site more than once, one nomination gets it in. Don’t get your friends to nominate your blog more than once, it doesn’t help and nominations don’t count as votes and they don’t carry over to the next round. Also, keep in mind that last year’s winners can’t be nominated or win in the same category this year. You can send me your nominations via e-mail or you can post them in the comments here [on the FPC Blog].

After the nomination period is over, we will move to the first round of voting. All nominations will be included and we’ll set up the official survey voting software that will tally the votes officially. Any nominees that get 50%+ in the first round will be the winners for that category. If no nominee gets that percent of the vote, there will be a runoff with the highest vote getters. (Special rules apply to the hall of fame category, see below). The final winners in each category will be announced at the Democratic State Convention in October.

Here are the categories with a basic description and last year’s winners:

1. Best National Blog (Last year: Ranger Against War): Blogs written by Floridians that covers primarily national politics.

2. Best State Blog (Last year: Florida Progressive Coalition): Blogs about statewide politics in Florida.

3. Best Local Blog (Last year: St. Petersblog): Blogs about city/county/regional politics in the state of Florida.

4. Best Media Blog (Last year: Political Whore): Blogs written by professional journalists at Florida publications.

5. Best Professional Blog (Last year: The Gelber Blog): Blogs written by state or local political parties, candidates or party operatives in Florida.

6. Best Party Website (Last year: Florida Democrats): Best Florida-wide website associated with a political party or political party unit (such as a caucus or coalition).

7. Best Candidate Website (Last year: Dan Gelber): Anyone running for statewide or local office in Florida can win this one.

8. Best Local Party Website (Last year: Hillsborough County Democratic Party): This one is for Florida DECs, clubs or local chapters of statewide caucuses or coalitions.

9. Best Interest Group Website (Last year: Progressive Democrats of America/Florida Red & Blue): Any Florida-based nonparty activist, charitable or grassroots group. Last year there were two separate categories here — a professional and an amateur one. There wasn’t enough competition to fill both categories, so we combined them.

10. Best Writer (Last year: Kenneth Quinnell): Anyone whose writings is published at any of the above websites is eligible for this one. Winners should have one or more of the following qualities: good grammar and presentation, provides original reporting, has a good sense of humor, shows creativity, has a strong personal touch, or has an effect on the real world because of their writing

11. Netroots Candidate of the Year (Last year: Dan Gelber for State Senate District 35): The Florida candidate at any level who has best incorporated the Netroots into her/his campaign and done the best job of treating Netroots activists as valid constituents and not just another group of people to exploit.

12. Netroots Activist of the Year (Last year: Alison Berke Morano): The individual who has done the most to advance the goals and activities of the progressive Netroots in the state of Florida.

13. Netroots Organization of the Year (Last year: Florida Netroots): The organization that has done the most to advance the goals and activities of the progressive Netroots in the state of Florida.

14. Best New Blogger (Last year: Dan Gelber): This one should go to the best blogger who has been blogging about Florida politics for no more than a year and a half.

15. Best Online Campaign (Last year: Say No 2): This is an award for the best use of the web and related technologies to achieve some kind of goal, such as fundraising, fighting legislation or other activism.

16. Best Use of Twitter (Last year: New category): Any Floridian who uses Twitter and whose posts incorporate the following qualities: good use of the language, original reporting, a good sense of humor, creativity, a strong personal touch and an effect on the real world because of their writing.

17. Best Overall Use of Social Media (Last year: New category): The best use of the various social media sites (Twitter, Facebook and other similar sites) in accomplishing political goals.

18. Best Post (Last year: It’s Not Called the Hate Amendment for Nothing by Kenneth Quinnell at FLA Politics): The best-written post since last year’s awards.

19. Best Ongoing Series (Last year: Stories to Read, Florida Progressive Coalition): The best regular feature that incorporates at least five posts since last year’s awards.

20. Best Online Radio Show (Last year: The Big Show with Alison Berke Morano and Kenneth Quinnell): The best progressive/liberal/Democratic radio show that is aired solely online and does not air on traditional radio.

21. Florida Progressive Coalition Progressive Hall of Fame (Last year: Alison Berke Morano, Susan Smith, Joe Garcia): FPC is sponsoring a virtual “Progressive Hall of Fame” that should be awarded as sort of a lifetime achievement award to a person or organization (amateur or professional) that has made a significant contribution towards making Florida a bluer, more progressive state. This award may have more than one recipient.

Remember, don't make nominations here at Blast Off!; rather, send your nominations to Kenny via email or post them in comments at the announcement post on the FPC Blog.

As you may know, this sucky blog was fortunate to win Best National Blog in 2007 and garnered a couple of nominations last year. We'll talk more about this on Blast Off! Radio later today (Best Online Radio Show? Just askin' ... ;) ) with reminders about nominations throughout the week.

There are a lot of good bloggers and great things happening in the Florida netroots. Please take a moment to consider nominating them for awards; none of us do this for recognition, but it's still nice to be noticed. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for your donations!

We at the Florida Progressive Coalition are incredibly grateful for your support of our trip to Denver, and we hope you've enjoyed our coverage at the FPC Blog (as well as the supplemental coverage you'll find here at Blast Off!, the blog that puts the "suck" in "sucky").

I thought you'd appreciate a look at one of the many ways we've been able to put your gifts to good use. Here's FPC's own Justin Hope taking advantage of a "bloggable moment:"

Before you scoff, you probably should know that it only cost a penny. Feel better now?

Seriously -- THANK YOU from all of us at the FPC.

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

On to Denver!

Well, it's really happening.

I'm off to Denver this morning to cover the Democratic National Convention. Should be back online this afternoon at some point. Oh, and it's not too late to make a donation to help the FPC cover the Convention, if you haven't already. And if you have, thank you, and I owe you the GOP-or-pundit cockpunch of your choice.

I think I have everything: laptop, air card, headset/mic for radio, dental dams, cell phone, digital camera, extra batteries for camera and laptop, toothbrush ... yep, I'm all set*.

Catch you later today ...

---

* Yes, I'm kidding about the dental dams. I figure I can get those in Denver. ;)

Massive to-do list

Whoa.

I just made a list of the things I have to do today before leaving tomorrow morning for a sojourn across America's Wang™ (Melbourne for my son's birthday party -- he turns 9 on Monday! -- then Tampa for football and St. Pete for the night) with my flight to Denver to follow early Sunday morning. Suffice to say I have a busy day today.

So in that spirit, here's a to-do list for you:

1. Make a gift to the Florida Progressive Coalition (please) to help us defray our costs in Denver, where we will bring you the best, most comprehensive convention coverage anywhere (if you haven't already). We still need a little more to reach our goal and make sure everyone can go and do all that we intend to do wrt reporting and blogging.

2. See #1.

Okay, so your list is shorter than mine. You lucky duckies.

But thanks in advance for your support. Every gift really helps.

Still need 32 more donors

With just 13 days to go until the Democratic National Convention begins in Denver, I'm back to ask for your help again. I know I asked you once already, and many of you responded, for which we are very grateful ... but we're not finished quite yet.

As Kenneth Quinnell, the chair of the Florida Progressive Coalition, explains, we are edging ever closer to our fundraising goal so that our entire blogger team can go to Denver.

Okay, now we’re in the homestretch. With less than two weeks to go until we leave for Denver, we need you to really commit to helping us get to Denver. Even if you can only toss us a few bucks, please do it as soon as you can. We want to get things taken care of before prices rise on travel costs and the like. The sooner you donate to us, the less money we have to raise. Pay day is tomorrow or the next day for many people. Please set aside a little bit to help us get to Denver, be it $10, $25, $50 or more.

And we’ve just set up a deal where we’re going to be able to bring you videoblogging from Denver as well. Look for multiple video updates from us each day in addition to our blog and radio coverage.

In our fundraising efforts to attend the Democratic Convention in August, we’ve decided to focus on a small donor campaign. We originally figured out that it’ll take us 240 people contributing $25 each for us to reach what we need to go to Denver and provide you with the best convention coverage in America. We’ve managed to cut some costs, though, so we’ve reduced that number a bit. So far, we have the equivalent of 118 ($2940). That means we need only about $1000 $800 more to be able to cover our costs. That’s just 32 more $25 donors. We need you to be one of them.

[...]

If we don’t get the 32 donations we still need, someone will have to stay home and miss the convention. That shouldn’t happen, as there’s no need for your $25 to prevent someone from going, so give as soon and as often as you can.

We’ll also publicly thank all of the donors, so let us know if you wish to remain anonymous or pseudonymous.

(Yes, I know the math doesn't add up -- I'm working on clarifying that right now. :) )

It's really easy to give, and I hope that you can spare $25 at this critical time, although if you can donate more than that, we'd be most grateful. All you have to do is go to PayPal and donate through our Florida Progressive Coalition account (quinnelk@gmail.com), or you can write a check made out to "Florida Progressive Coalition" and send it directly to Kenneth:

Kenneth Quinnell
3328 Whirlaway Trail
Tallahassee, FL 32309

If you are giving on behalf of me personally or for Blast Off!, please so indicate when you make your gift (you can leave a comment with the PayPal gift, I believe, or just e-mail me or Kenny). We truly want to bring you the best coverage anywhere, and I know that we can ... if we can afford to go. Please take a moment to consider how you can help. Even if you gave, say, last month, would you be able to make another gift this month?

Thank you very much in advance for your generosity. I personally promise that we will deliver the very best convention coverage available anywhere -- and, with your gift, it will be thanks in part to you.

UPDATE (10:18 pm 8/12/08): I've corrected the numbers based on Kenny's comment below. We're just $800 short, so please know that whatever you can do would be an enormous help.

FPC Donors for Denver update

We are doing pretty well so far, but we still need your help. Here's the latest update from the Florida Progressive Coalition's fearless leader, Kenneth Quinnell:

In our fundraising efforts to attend the Democratic Convention in August, we’ve decided to focus on a small donor campaign. We figured out that it’ll take us 240 people contributing $25 each for us to reach what we need to go to Denver and provide you with the best convention coverage in America. So far, we have the equivalent of 60 ($1500), leaving us 180 to go. Anyone reading this should be able to donate $25 to help us get there.

(BTW, if you want a preview of our Denver coverage, check out our Netroots Nation 2008 Coverage).

Go to PayPal and donate through our Florida Progressive Coalition account (quinnelk@gmail.com), or you can write a check to Florida Progressive Coalition and send it to me:

Kenneth Quinnell
3328 Whirlaway Trail
Tallahassee, FL 32309

You can also inquire about advertising by sending me an e-mail. FPC is a media entity set up as an LLC, so we don’t fall under campaign finance laws and contributions are not tax-deductible. But they do go to a good cause.

If we don’t get the 180 donations we still need, someone will have to stay home and miss the convention. That shouldn’t happen, as there’s no need for your $25 to prevent someone from going, so give as soon and as often as you can.

We’ll also publicly thank all of the donors, so let us know if you wish to remain anonymous or pseudonymous. Our latest contributions came from:

John Cosgrove
Vicki
Sheree Shatsky
Impact Politics
Allison Macdonald
Nancy Barlow
James O’Gara
Adam Trebrugge
Sandra Fernandez
Toni Craig
Nirmal Mankani

Thank you to all those listed and to all who have already given. And to those who haven't yet given, I hope you'll consider helping us, because you're going to benefit from the very best coverage of the Convention that you'll find anywhere, Internet or broadcast, print or blog. That's my vow -- our vow -- to you. And Kenny's right -- surely you can spare $25 to help us toward our goal ...

Kenny has more to say here (from which I cribbed the quote above), and here's another take on the same subject.

Thanks again. Please give like you vote: early and often.

Please help send me and my colleagues to Denver

In almost four years of this sucky blog, I've never asked any reader for money for anything, other than maybe an occasional nudge about the DFH stickers. But now I'm going to change that.

I'm asking for your help -- not just for me, but for the entire Florida Progressive Coalition (FPC) team that is planning to go to Denver for the Democratic National Convention in August. Frankly, personal cash flow and the economy being what they are, this trip is not going to be easy for me financially -- and I know that some of my FPC colleagues are in even more dire straits in that regard -- so if you can help, you would be doing something truly meaningful: in a very real sense, you will be making a difference.

The FPC is undertaking a rather ambitious project: to raise $6,000 in a month. With corporate donations, blog ads, and such, it comes out to each of us coming up with a minimum of $500, or an average of 20 donors of $25 each. Some of you, especially those whom I know personally, will be hearing from me individually. But I'm asking all of you to consider making a gift, either by sending a check or via Paypal (details below). While we consider $25 a reasonable donation, there is no reason that you shouldn't consider giving more if you can (or, of course, less if you must).

Now, why give?

The Florida Progressive Coalition team is committed to bringing you the best coverage of the Democratic National Convention anywhere. I don't just mean the best blog coverage -- I mean the best coverage, period. Better than the TV networks, the cable news networks, the magazines and newspapers, and the blogs -- the best anywhere. We'll be literally all over Denver, fanning out to committee sessions, the Big Tent, and informal gatherings. We'll be on the convention floor providing true gavel-to-gavel coverage, and we'll be at Invesco Field at Mile High to bring you Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech.

And although I'm loath to toot my own horn, you've seen examples of my own liveblogging abilities, whether it's been Sen. Obama's May appearance in Boca Raton, the Jefferson-Jackson Day festivities in 2007 and 2008, last month's book tour kickoff by Rep. Robert Wexler, or other events. I'd like to think I've been able to give my readers real and complete insight into all of those events and more, and I hope you would agree.

No, you don't have to pay for that privilege; you can read it here whether or not you give (provided we raise enough to actually go on the trip!). But just think for a minute: isn't it worth $25 -- or whatever you can give -- to be tied into that kind of coverage? To have, if you will, a little piece of the pie -- a little ownership of history in the making?

Each donor will be recognized publicly unless otherwise directed. Gifts are not tax-deductible, but because Florida Progressive Coalition is an LLC, they do not fall under any campaign finance laws or limits. Further details about making a donation to FPC are available here.

You may give via Paypal (click on Personal/Send Money then enter quinnelk@gmail.com in the "To:" box) or you may send a check (made out to the Florida Progressive Coalition) directly to the FPC chair:

Kenneth Quinnell
3328 Whirlaway Trail
Tallahassee, FL 32309

Whichever method you use, please e-mail me or Kenneth to let one of us know that your gift comes from the Blast Off!/Sinfonian appeal, so that we can account for your donation accordingly. And if you have any questions at all about giving, what your gift covers, or anything else regarding the trip, please let me know in Comments or e-mail me directly.

Thank you so much for considering how you can help make blogging history. I personally promise to make your gift count and to give you the best coverage anywhere -- bar none.

Jefferson-Jackson Day, Session II: Integrating online activities with offline ones

The purpose of this panel is how to make online activities translate into "getting boots on the ground." Alison Morano of the Florida Progressive Coalition is moderating this session.

Joining Susan Smith and Josh Koster from the last panel are Brian Franklin of Impact Politics, who works with Robert Wexler and Chris Chiari as well as the Broward Democratic Party, and Alan Brock from Florida Young Democrats, who also is running for Wakulla County Commission.

l-r: Susan Smith, Josh Koster, Brian Franklin, Alan Brock, and moderator Alison Morano

Alison notes that online stuff didn't start with Obama. She has been in the Internet business since 1995, so this has been going on even before Howard Dean's involvement. We've been trying to get people online for a long time, and Alison started doing that through her business before she even used it for politics.

Brian draws an analogy with music. Things have changed with how music is made and distributed, but what hasn't changed is how people enjoy music. Same thing with the Internet: it's evolved over time but the key remains good communication. Internet campaigning is treated differently, but it shouldn't be, because it's just another method of communication. What matters when you look at the communication is whether you really are seeing the message the campaign is trying to deliver; technology is secondary to the message.

Susan reminds us that on Eschaton, she read that Atrios mocked Huggy Bear for his statement that he leaves the Internet to his wife; shouldn't the leader of the free world understand the most extensive communication tool of our time?

Alison: if you're using VoteBuilder, the MyCampaign piece is really awesome. Susan is just getting started with it, but others in the room have it. You can create volunteer profiles for people, set up events and establish a calendar, look for people to staff a phone bank, etc.

Florida Democratic Party chair Karen Thurman stopped by to greet the Netroots Coalition.

Brian says that you need to have the best writer writing your e-mails -- even if it's not the fundraiser. Josh says that communications directors don't necessarily know how to ask for money, so the fundraiser must be involved. Alan: look at your website on a PDA and see how it looks; Josh says it's not that hard to add a page that is designed for mobile applications (like http://m.dangelber.com).

Brian adds that you can't look at online marketing as its own entity, but it must be coordinated and integrated with your other marketing efforts. Alison says that her organization's budgets have shifted expenditures from direct mail and phone to Internet and have been far more effective than before.

Free tips from Josh: don't send e-mails before 10:00 am or after 2:00 pm. Monday through Thursday is better for fundraising than Friday. Direct mail -- instead of just "send me a check," candidates should include "send me information" and allow the respondents to say how often and what type of information they want to hear from you. Finally, "use really, really obnoxious subject lines" -- exaggerate the tone of the e-mail. Alan reminds us that "Obama resigns" was heavily read, when he withdrew from his church, and Susan says "Latest poll results" is a DFA specialty. Brian: if you don't have the technology to break down lists by category, then don't offer to limit messages as noted above. Josh: if you're going to ask for money or time, make sure to thank people afterwards, at least the people who gave.

Alan tells us about his campaign for Wakulla County Commission, and he uses Facebook as well as Wakulla.com. And you have to give very specific directions when you want a response, he says. Use e-mail a lot, but I'm not going to have 20,000 volunteers, says Alan. If I have 20-25 and I can get 5 more from e-mails, then great.

Brian: remember the generational issues, too. He says his dad might read his e-mail, but we'll have to communicate in some other way in order to really connect with him. A big problem is that we don't respect people's time. We need to pick a couple of themes for different audiences and hit those themes over and over and over again. It's a basic advertising principle: "people don't live in segments, they just live."

Susan: DFA attendance has fallen off, and that might be because people are working in other organizations. So that's a good way to develop off-line networks, by being involved in groups "the old-fashioned way." We also must remember the people who still don't use computers and don't use e-mails or the Internet. Groups really can't or shouldn't stop calling ... or they need to stress to people that they need to "get with technology" and help with training. Many people have computers at home but they just don't use them. [Sinfonian here: my mother is definitely one of those people.]

Josh: I'm trying to replicate an accidental happening -- an e-mail went out to campaign hosts that each one had to raise $500, and one host inadvertently "replied all" and said to another host, "You're gonna eat my dust." That made all the hosts competitive ... publicly post results and get the competition going!

Brian: you may want to purchase e-mail lists, say, if you have an existing regular address list and you want it matched to e-mails. But if you purchase an e-mail list outright, it's unlikely that the people will connect to you and you're really just spamming them.

Josh notes that online givers are great, but the technique isn't very effective for people who haven't given before. Use the old-fashioned campaign tactics for getting first donations and then you can convert them to regular online donors thereafter.

The session is over ... awards are up next and because I'm co-presenting the awards, I can't liveblog it. But I'll have coverage soon ...

UPDATE (3:03 pm 6/14/08): Alan Brock dropped by Blast Off!'s laptop to encourage you all to visit VoteForAlan.com. If you live in Wakulla County, you get bonus points.

Jefferson-Jackson Day, Session I: Using the Netroots effectively for network-building

Kenneth Quinnell is moderating this session. He's beginning by introducing the Florida Progressive Coalition blog and all of its accoutrements: links to Florida's progressive blogs, the wiki, links about races and candidates, and more.

(The room has filled up a bit -- I think we're up to around 35-40 folks.)

First panel is Susan Smith, Lori Poole, and Josh Koster.

Susan is from Hillsborough County and is active with the DEC there and for DFA Tampa Bay. She tries to use any resource available, including DFA Link. She's also the campaign precinct chair for Hillsborough County and was active in certifying a new club for northwest Hillsborough County. The key, she believes, is getting away from your computer and getting out to meet people.

Lori is the executive director for the Florida Young Democrats, where she's been for a month or so. Previously she was in PR for the Florida Justice Association. FYD is an interesting structure because they have tried to use networking sites like Facebook to capture more people. The local organizations -- chapters -- have been effective in peer-to-peer networking, too. Young people talking to young people directly has been great in increasing turnout.

Josh Koster, a media advisor for progressive concerns in D.C., works on helping down-ballot candidates utilize new media. Many techniques are available for these candidates.

A fourth panelist just arrived after being stuck in traffic: Wendy Sejour, president of DFA Miami-Dade.

l-r: Wendy Sejour, Josh Koster, Lori Poole, Susan Smith

First question: how do you find people? Susan says they're coming out of the woodwork -- phones are ringing and people are getting active. [Note: one woman just took a phone call in the middle of the meeting and is talking at a normal conversational volume. It'd be funny if it weren't so rude!] Josh: the important thing is to get all of your staffeers involved, get e-mail addresses, and engage people the old-fashioned way -- recruit volunteers, get them involved quickly, and then they'll be invested in the race.

Lori adds that they seek out people who are already involved. They send videos that can be played on iPods, establishing street teams, meeting people and engaging in natural conversations with people, and ultimately (they hope) getting them to sign a vote pledge. You have to remember that young people don't operate in the same way as older folks -- they ignore advertising and respond better to alternative methods of communcation. Even using Guitar Hero -- you can have a tournament but as part of it, you're introducing young people to involvement in Democratic politics!

Josh adds that you can target advertising on Facebook very effectively, and they're dirt cheap to boot. Half a million impressions may cost as little as $500. Use the advertising to tell kids that they can early-vote, draw them into a site to collect their e-mail addresses, and more.

Kenneth: I can't tell you how many times I've been to meetings where people say, "Why don't young people get it?" Once you approach things that way, you've lost them. You have to approach them by giving them respect and talk to them on their level -- don't insult them! Lori points out that youth vote in Florida in the primary tripled this year.

Question: how many e-mails is too many? For example, Jon Ausman sent me (the questioner) too many e-mails about the delegate issue! Susan says she only does one a week, just because she doesn't want anyone to ask to be removed from a list. Wendy agrees, and her organization does a weekly update on Sunday nights to prepare for the week. Josh adds that you should send e-mails only when it's important, and using the direct mail template (with a lot of action items and fluff) isn't good -- real people don't respond to that.

Question: how do we fight smears? Lori: best way is one-on-one, not so much by e-mail. One of the problems Democrats have message-wise is that we don't frame responses well -- we have to frame things appropriately: Instead of saying "Barack Obama isn't a Muslim," we should say "he is a man of faith who wants to work with people of faith and take on the social issues that faith embraces." Josh adds that if someone believes Obama is a Muslim, they're beyond help anyway -- write them off. Instead, make the opponents think the smears are a waste of time. If you see a smear ad, call them and say, "Thanks for running that ad -- I just gave your opponent $100." That will make them think. Kenneth: we just ignore right-wing blogs, rather than give them traffic. Josh: if all else fails, hit back twice as hard on something else. And use VoterVoter.com, which allows you to do very small, very focused media buys.

What about using Facebook? Josh says it's not all that great because people use it for parties and birthdays, not so much for political organization. Lori suggests using it for advertising, though (which Josh did say is helpful, earlier), as well as for reaching people who have their own social networks ... so if you want to have a successful Facebook site, you need to involve people who already have strong networks themselves, because you can reach friends of friends or maybe one degree farther. Josh adds: if you are doing Facebook, the person in charge of it must be in college or nearly so -- "must be from Facebook generation."

Kenneth suggests political social networking like that operated by Progress Florida or Democrats.com.

Comment from audience: remember that 40% of Facebook users now are over the age of 30. Also, it isn't your list -- so you need to get people to connect with you beyond just Facebook, or you'll lose them. Josh says: if you're going to connect with someone on Facebook and you're organizing, make sure you get to them by phone as quickly as possible -- keep in mind that Facebook should be only an introductory step. Lori: if you use an ad, maybe the point of your ad is "come to this event to do something fun," but once they arrive, capture their information to use later.

Josh advises everyone not to buy e-mail lists, ever. There are spam risks and other problems. So build your own list and do it the old-fashioned way -- collect addresses at events, then follow up quickly so they interact with someone soon. Maybe you get a donation, maybe you just get permission to keep them updated via e-mail. Kenneth adds: when you send that first e-mail, include something to which they have to respond, so that you know they've gotten the e-mail. Lori recommends linking up your website, even if it's not good, so that there's more ways to communicate. Josh: if you have a dynamic, exciting candidate, pay to get people to your site by using Google's AdWords.com ... you only pay for people who actually click on the ad.

Question: regarding ads, what's the average cost per hit? Josh: well, you will have to start by spending $5 a day and figure out what it's actually costing you. Lori: the way the ads work is that you buy words and they search, say, "Democrat Miami-Dade." If the words match, your ad might show up, and the more you spend, the higher your ad appears. Big search words like "mesothelioma" or "Barack Obama" are expensive, so maybe try using less expensive words. Rick Spisak adds that you can cap your spending for ads, plus you can limit the ads by location and so on ... Lori points out that when you cap your spending, essentially you're testing whether you're getting your money's worth. If you cap it at $100 and you decide it's not working well, then you're only out $100. Josh says there's a "halo effect," where even people who aren't clicking on your ad right away are seeing your ad, and they may come back to you later.

As a legal matter, says one audience member, you may have to provide a disclaimer under state law ... but if it's a non-candidate ad, says Lori, you're treated differently. Rick Spisak also recommends buying your competitor's name as a domain name or in ads or something ... it could work nicely.

Next panel will be on integrating online with off-line activities, and the Florida Netroots Awards will be announced at 2:30.

Liveblogging the Democratic National Convention

I'm pleased and honored to announce, pending following the official release from the Florida Progressive Coalition (FPC), that I will be a member of the FPC blogger team in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, August 25-28, 2008. The FPC was selected to represent Florida in the first-ever State Blogger Pool, through which we will be credentialed as media and be seated on the convention floor with Florida's delegates.

Although I will be representing the FPC, you will find extensive coverage of the Convention right here at Blast Off!, including as much liveblogging as my fingers and my laptop can handle. In addition, Blast Off! remains under consideration for the DNC's General Blogger Pool, which will be determined soon.

I just want to express my deep thanks and appreciation to FPC chair and Grand Poobah Kenneth Quinnell and the entire Coalition for including this particular DFH and this sucky blog on your team. Kenny, you're right: we're going to have the best coverage of the DNC available anywhere. Count on it.

UPDATE (3:39 pm 5/14/08): For convenience, here is the complete list of blogs chosen in the State Blogger Pool:

ALABAMA- Doc's Political Parlor - http://www.politicalparlor.net
ALASKA - Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis - http://divasblueoasis.blogspot.com
ARIZONA - Ted Prezelski - Rum, Romanism and Rebellion - http://www.rumromanismrebellion.net
ARKANSAS- Under The Dome.com - http://www.underthedome.com
CALIFORNIA - Calitics- http://Calitics.com
COLORADO -SquareState.net - http://squarestate.net
CONNECTICUT -My Left Nutmeg - http://myleftnutmeg.com
DELAWARE - TommyWonk - http://tommywonk.blogspot.com/
DEMOCRATS ABROAD - Democrats Abroad Argentina - http://www.yanquimike.com.ar
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA- DCist.com - http://dcist.com
FLORIDA - Florida Progressive Coalition - http://flaprogressives.org
GEORGIA- Tondee's Tavern - http://www.tondeestavern.com
GUAM - No Rest for the Awake - Minagahet Chamorro - http://minagahet.blogspot.com
HAWAII - iLind.net: Ian Lind Online - http://www.ilind.net
IDAHO - 43rdStateBlues.com - http://www.43rdstateblues.com
ILLINOIS- Prairie State Blue - http://www.PrairieStateBlue.com
INDIANA- Blue Indiana - http://www.blueindiana.net
IOWA - The Iowa Independent - http://iowaindependent.com
KANSAS - EverydayCitizen.com - http://everydaycitizen.com
KENTUCKY - BlueGrassRoots - http://www.bluegrassroots.org
LOUISIANA - Daily Kingfish - http://www.dailykingfish.com
MAINE - Turn Maine Blue - http://www.turnmaineblue.com
MARYLAND - The Center for Emerging Media - http://www.centerforemergingmedia.com
MASSACHUSETTS - Blue Mass. Group - http://www.bluemassgroup.com
MICHIGAN - Blogging For Michigan - http://bloggingformichigan.com
MINNESOTA - Minnesota Monitor - http://minnesotamonitor.com
MISSISSIPPI - The Natchez Blog - http://natchezms.blogspot.com
MISSOURI - Fired Up! LLC - http://www.firedupmissouri.com
MONTANA - Left in the West - http://www.leftinthewest.com
NEBRASKA - New Nebraska Network - http://www.NewNebraska.net
NEVADA - Las Vegas Gleaner - http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com
NEW HAMPSHIRE - Blue Hampshire - http://www.bluehampshire.com
NEW JERSEY - PolitickerNJ.com - http://www.politickernj.com
NEW MEXICO - Democracy for New Mexico - http://www.DemocracyForNewMexico.com
NEW YORK - Room 8 - http://www.r8ny.com
NORTH CAROLINA - BlueNC.com - http://bluenc.com
NORTH DAKOTA - NorthDecoder.com - http://www.northdecoder.com
OHIO - Ohio Daily Blog - http://www.ohiodailyblog.com
OKLAHOMA - DemoOkie - http://www.DemoOkie.com
OREGON - BlueOregon (blog) - http://www.blueoregon.com
PENNSYLVANIA - Keystone Politics - http://www.keystonepolitics.com
PUERTO RICO - Jusiper - http://jusiper.blogspot.com
RHODE ISLAND - Rhode Island's Future - http://www.rifuture.org
SOUTH CAROLINA - CracktheBell.com - http://www.crackthebell.com
SOUTH DAKOTA - Badlands Blue - http://www.badlandsblue.com
TENNESSEE - KnoxViews/TennViews - http://www.knoxviews.com
TEXAS - Burnt Orange Report - http://www.BurntOrangeReport.com
UTAH - The Utah Amicus - http://utahamicus.com
VERMONT - Green Mountain Daily - http://greenmountaindaily.com
VIRGINIA - Raising Kaine - http://www.raisingkaine.com
VIRGIN ISLANDS - Democratic Party of the US Virgin Islands - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/democratvi
WASHINGTON - HorsesAss.org - http://www.horsesass.org
WEST VIRGINIA - West Virginia Blue - http://www.wvablue.com
WISCONSIN - Uppity Wisconsin - http://www.uppitywis.org
WYOMING - Hummingbirdminds blog - http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com

Big announcement later today

I don't want to steal any thunder from my friends and colleagues at the Florida Progressive Coalition, so I'm waiting for them to make the announcement. But big things are afoot there and here ... so stay tuned.

UPDATE (3:16 pm 5/14/08): See above.

Smells like patchouli

That aroma coming from Tampa is from a gathering of progressive bloggers and activists from all over America's Wang™ meeting to discuss, you know, liberal stuff. We even have (or had) two candidates for local office joining us, which is nice. Always good to know that bloggers are considered legitimate ...

I'll keep you posted, since I know you're riveted to the updates ...

Florida Netroots Awards: nominations are open

The Florida Progressive Coalition has announced the first annual Florida Netroots Awards. Go over there and nominate your favorite bloggers, writers, and candidates for the awards.

Here's Kenneth Quinnell of the FPC:

The purpose of these awards is to recognize the best of the best in the blogging and netroots activism community in Florida. The process will work like this:

1. Between now and Monday, nominate your favorites in the categories below. You may nominate multiple choices in each category and you may nominate yourself. Nominations are open to the public. You can put them in the comments here or e-mail me at quinnelk@hotmail.com if you want your nominations to be kept secret.


2. I’ll compile the top nominees and create a ballot that places everyone in the appropriate category. Then you’ll have until Thursday to vote for the winner in each category. Voting will be done via the same process.


3. The winners will be announced Saturday, October 27 at the Netroots Conference in Orlando at the FDP state conference. They will also be announced in various blogs and such.

That’s it. Please participate in both the nomination process and the voting process. The more people who participate, the better and the more accurate the results will be. Forward this message to everyone you know and steal this post and put it on every blog you can. If you do post it elsewhere, please let me know about it so I can count any responses you get. On to the categories. There will be one winner in each of these categories, but nominations are unlimited.

1. Best National Blog: For blogs written by Floridians that covers primarily national politics.


2. Best State Blog: For blogs about statewide politics in Florida.


3. Best Local Blog: For blogs about city/county/regional politics in the state of Florida.


4. Best Media Blog: For blogs written by journalists at Florida publications.


5. Best Professional Blog: For blogs written by state or local political parties, candidates or party operatives in Florida.


6. Best Party Website: Best Florida-wide website associated with a political party or political party unit (such as a caucus or coalition).


7. Best Candidate Website: Anyone running for statewide or local office in Florida can win this one.


8. Best Local Party Website: This one is for Florida DECs, clubs or local chapters of statewide caucuses or coalitions.


9. Best Interest Group Website: Any Florida-based nonparty activist, charitable or grassroots group is eligible for this one.


10. Best Writer: Anyone whose writings is published at any of the above websites is eligible for this one.


11. Netroots Candidate of the Year: The Florida candidate at any level who has best incorporated the Netroots into her/his campaign and done the best job of treating Netroots activists as valid constituents and not just another group of people to exploit.


12. Netroots Activist of the Year: The individual who has done the most to advance the goals and activities of the progressive Netroots in the state of Florida.


13. Netroots Organization of the Year: The organization that has done the most to advance the goals and activities of the progressive Netroots in the state of Florida.

So, what are you waiting for? Either go to the post or e-mail Kenneth and nominate away. Today's the last day for nominations!