Comments on: Obama Hijacks MySpace Page

By: Barack Obama Jacks The little Guy - SlickDeals.net Forums

Barack Obama Jacks The little Guy - SlickDeals.net Forums — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:08:22 +0000

[...] Response from the guy that developed the MySpace page: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/arc..._myspace_page/ quote The campaign got involved in February and although at first it was very exciting, it quickly became clear that they just had no interest in me or my involvement. They only wanted to take control of the profile and get on with it. I bit the bullet for a while and kept working for the good of the campaign, but they quickly went from passive aggressive, to aggressive, and then eventually just rotten and dishonest. For the past few weeks, the campaign decided it would be better if they just took control of the profile and we decided to try to come to some agreement. By this time, I didn’t have quite as much respect for the campaign guys, and frankly felt like I was just being used. They knew about this profile the entire time, and really just waited until it got enough media coverage and friends request so they could step in and bully me out of it. The last few weeks were just insane. They kept scheduling phone conferences with me, I would wake up early that day after barely sleeping the night before, I’d take time off work, etc. and each after another would be postponed at the last minute. This went on for weeks. […] Finally, Chris from the campaign emailed me, indicating that Myspace needed my consent to give them access to the profile. I replied that Mypace did not have my consent to grant access to the profile to anyone. An hour or so later, I was blocked from the profile and the content was altered to redirect traffic to the new, “Official” profile. Myspace has in fact granted access to the profile without my permission. This was not about money and I don’t believe that one person who has interacted with me via the Obama profile over the past couple of years would be able to say that my efforts were anything but sincere. This was about holding a campaign to their message, about acknowledging my work, and taking this community seriously. I think I did the right thing. I wanted a fair outcome for everyone, but unfortunately that’s not what happened. In fact, I think this was enormously offensive to both me and the Myspace community. I could understand Myspace/Newscorp doing this, but didn’t think Obama’s campaign could have the audacity to do such a thing. Apparently the message here is, as an individual, if you have too big of an impact, you’re just a liability. This is how Obama lost my vote, and one of his strongest supporters. [...]

By: Jerrad Anderson

Jerrad Anderson — Thu, 03 May 2007 19:54:53 +0000

Perhaps the best way to get through to Mr. Obama is to use the medium of choice against him.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/jerradanderson

I didn't just sign up to create a blog and post that message. I've had that account for months and even gave $20 to his campaign. Perhaps he didn't need to pay the $49k for the site but there is no way that bullying someone into giving something for free is the right move.

By: Tlaloc

Tlaloc — Thu, 03 May 2007 16:48:54 +0000

While it seems like a dumb PR move I wonder, isn't this effectively the same as court rulings that have stripped domain names from "poachers" (people who grab domain names that match big companies in an attempt to force them to buy the name at an inflated price)?

I've tended to disagree with that move by the courts but if the precedent is there it seems like this is the right move for Myspace to take.

By: Steven Taylor

Steven Taylor — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:49:18 +0000

At a minimum this creates a back PR story for the Obama campaign--and a pointless one at that. There had to be a way to make Anthony happy and still get want they needed.

It shows, as you infer, that many people still do not understand the influence and significance of the internet.

By: World and Global Politics Blog

World and Global Politics Blog — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

warns that this comes at a price: the ability of network owners and others to censor political speech. He notes controversies over the removal of Michelle Malkin videos, the John McCain “bomb Iran” video, and the . More problematic, though, is the ability of a

By: memeorandum @ 3:35 PM ET, May 3, 2007

memeorandum @ 3:35 PM ET, May 3, 2007 — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

+ Discussion: digg, Althouse and Outside The Beltway