Barack Obama went online to build an army of fans The new US president used the net to make 70m people feel they had a stake in his future Holly Watt
‘We just made history. And I don’t want you to forget how we did it,” said the e-mail that flashed up in the inboxes of millions of BlackBerrys and computers across America late on Tuesday. That was how Barack Obama signed off his campaign, e-mailing supporters before he took to the stage in Grant Park, Chicago. Every message was individually addressed and signed simply “Barack”. Few of the estimated 70m people who received the message were surprised at the personal greeting from the man moving to the White House. For Obama’s campaign was a self-proclaimed “movement” with the internet at its core. The web spearheaded a new way of fundraising, identifying volunteers and – most of all – accumulating contact details for millions of converts to the Obama surge. The movement continues. Within hours of his victory speech, a new government website – change.gov – went live. People could write about their experiences of the campaign, hopes for the new government – and apply for jobs. And just as the web was used to bypass more traditional media in the election, it is expected to remain essential in communicating with voters once Obama takes office. “We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I’ll be in touch soon about what comes next,” Obama promised in his e-mail. 'Change has come' - Obama wins in landslideSweeping victory for America's first black president is greeted by tumultuous scenes Watch our video Analysis: Barack Obama's victory is head-spinning stuff
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