Important Question: What Next for The Fieldhands site? Jump In Here.

[Janey Laird]

Please take a moment and add your voice to a discussion of What Next for The Fieldhands site. After all, it wouldn't be much a Fieldhands Community Organizing Oriented type site if it did not need, want and require all to give ideas and thoughts to move it forward.

Ask yourself things like:

What suggestions would enhance the value of The Fieldhands site for you? For others?

Is the site fine the way it is or could it be better?

What fixes or improvements could be made to the site? Think about content, the technical aspect and layout too.

Then, add your responses below.

[Allan Brauer]

I have been thinking about what role the Fieldhands site can play going forward. One topic that I have been wondering about: Plouffe has been talking about Obama 2.0 and how the Obama organization will be using its database of supporters to mobilize people in support of legislation, etc. Here's a video interview with Lois Romano of the Washington Post. I'm having no luck embedding it here, so follow the link.

I wonder if part of what we need to do is see how that rolls out and what it offers, and that may help us see where we can fit in around it. We may want to shadow the Obama organization and have parallel conversations about which causes and issues we do or don't support and choose to engage.

[Janey Laird]

Allan Brauer said:

I have been thinking about what role the Fieldhands site can play going forward. One topic that I have been wondering about: Plouffe has been talking about Obama 2.0 and how the Obama organization will be using its database of supporters to mobilize people in support of legislationdiv>

Interesting idea. Thanks Allan. I know I would like to hear your ideas and input on this as it gets going.

[Kathleen Hargan]

You said: 'I wonder if part of what we need to do is see how that rolls out and what it offers, and that may help us see where we can fit in around it. We may want to shadow the Obama organization and have parallel conversations about which causes and issues we do or don't support and choose to engage."

Allen, I followed your posts on the Field, and believe I'm correct that you are in the SF bay area? I'm very interested in understanding/figuring out how the Obama model of organization can be applied to our very real social issues here in the Bay Area.

[Tonya Hennessey]

Hey folks,

I don't have all the concrete ideas yet in terms of how to respond and what we can do individually and collectively...but one thing that comes to mind is countering the rabid right-wing attacks on President Obama that have noticeably started this week. The Culture Wars remain in full swing, and conservatives (politicians and pundits like Rush Limbaugh in any case) are in no mood for bi-partisanship, and rather looking to sabotage and continue nasty business as usual.

One thing I think is important on a simple, one-to-one communication level, is finding those friends and family that surely are around most of us that really are afraid, resentful, buying in to the right-wing talk radio incitement, and finding ways to talk to them, slowly but surely break down the hype, the smears, the myths. I've been impressed at how fast Obama is moving on so many fronts -- not all perfect, but a hell of an improvement -- and the "scare machine" is gearing up hard. Gitmo, the al-Arabiya interview, even green jobs and infrastructure projects!

But, as with so many things, exposure to people and ideas can make a lot of difference in shining light. I'm down for finding ways to communicate and persuade, at the personal, letter-to-the-editor, public and political advocacy levels, etc, to support this administration, counter the reactionary BS, and build/ensure greater public understanding of the issues at hand and the approaches being taken.

Some folks really are scared (as well as downright racist); and I believe we can help build bridges for greater support.

Anyway, some general thoughts for now. ;-)

Tonya

[Suzy]

I'm thinking about this question too. No 'answers' but grateful for the discussion here. I'm grateful for this open forum, and hope that we can continue to use it to support each other in individual efforts, as well as coming together as we did during the "AP Campaign." I was especially inspired by the comment Russell made on The Field about his work with:http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/CampCourageArmy
I hope Field hands will continue to let us know what their respective groups are doing locally, and how other Field hands could support them. When I posted here last summer about problems I was having with Al's former website 'boss' - the response was fantastic!
I love how Al uses The Field as a 'teaching' tool - and always appreciate learning how other Field hands respond to those and what they are doing. I don't know how much the Obama Field Organizers can share - but I'd LOVE to hear about their experiences during the campaign.