Obama Takes Over MySpace Profile
This is a real interesting story about an individual who started a profile page on MySpace for Presidential candidate Barack Obama more than two years ago and then just recently, the guy got kicked to the curb and MySpace gave control of the profile over to the Obama campaign. What is even more interesting is that profile has lost a significant number of friends because of this incident. Please see the video below.
I don’t think this is going to be the last time we hear something like this happening when it comes to the web and politics. I am torn over this story to be honest. When I first heard about it, I thought I was going to jump all over the Obama campaign. But now after hearing the story and the issue was the guy wanted money, I am not so sure. If the guy started this profile more then 2 years ago, it seemed to me that he started this because he believed in the candidate, but now all of a sudden he wants some cash? What do you think?
Technorati Tags: MySpace, Presidential candidate, Barack Obama
This seems to be a bit like url parking. And seems shady to me. Everyone is out to get a buck. Not to be cynical on a Thursday.
LINKED PULLED FOR BEING A LITTLE COMMENT SPAM BITCH.
I don’t think $39,000 was asking too much for 2 1/2 years of free labor and 160,000 subscribers. Obama’s team wanted to control the content on the site. Who wouldn’t want to be compensated for having to bend to someone else’s rules? Anthony’s request seems reasonable to me.
I think Obama screwed himself on this one and just to save $39,000 this is a stupid move. With all the press this is receiving it is sure to hurt his campaign.
Matt – Cynical is welcome everyday…
Alex – Next time you come to this blog and bring nothing else other than a link to your own story and blog will be the last time you are posting here. Get a clue and get readers the right way or don’t do it at all.
Sadie – I agree with you that 39K is nothing, but I guess my question is did he start it 2 1/2 years ago for cash or did he start that profile cause he believed in Obama? If it was the latter than I question how you put a price on something and someone you worked and believed for 2 1/2 years.
because they want the control which means he’s losing the right to post what he wants. if they want to censor it, they need to pay for it.
it’s obviously about the $ — the guy even says he’s not for obama anymore, which shows his true colors. no one told him that he was going to ever get paid for having this myspace page, so why does he think he is entitled to cash now? what a sell-out.
This was another BS comment from Alex Hammer with just links to his own blog. I warned Alex in a previous comment that comment spam will not be allowed here. Being clueless, Alex did not listen. So now anytime Alex posts anything on this blog, his link to his site will automatically be removed. Alex, thank you for continuing to show all bloggers everywhere what NOT TO DO when trying to grow a blog.
Cord
I am still trying to figure out on what grounds they could take over the site? The site belonged to this cat who put in the effort. If this were an anti-Obama campaign they couldn’t have given it to Obama so why does he get it when it was in favor of him. Also, the argument that they started to connect to ensure the info was accurate is a bit fishy to me as well. This the world of UGC, the content owner gets to write anything he/she wants.
Shame on Obama, he should have just left it alone, it was working, it was in his favor, and someone else was doing the work. Their desire to CONTROL cost them a good grass roots opportunity.
When will the old guard learn, it is not about control?
As a lawyer I see several things wrong with this. (have been an avid supporter of Obama long before most ever heard of him). I am now reconsidering my own support of Obama after seeing this. Now, from the legal point of view, I say Myspace could be in some legal “hot water”. Even though myspace accounts are free, this does not give the site the right to turn accounts over to other individuals. Shutting the page down maybe, but NOT giving it to someone else be it Obama or anyone else.
This does not look good for Barack Obama, its very tasteless, tacky, and underhanded to say the least. If he or his campaign managers felt the info on the site was inaccurate OR were concerned that it might be, then they should have asked myspace to CLOSE the site not turn it over to the campaign. I see this as internet theft on the part of Obama and his campaign managers. This person worked for 2.5 years to build a supportive page ONLY to have it stolen from him.
I first saw Obama many years ago at the Democratic National Convention when he was literally an unknown and I almost wish I had not saw this video. This is totally out of his character to allow something like this to happen and quite frankly I am greatly disappointed in him for allowing this whether he caused it personally OR allowed his campaign managers to do it. Very unprofessional of the Obama campaign. I may now have to reconsider my vote and support as well.
People will always blow things like this out of proportion.
Frankly, unless we know both sides, it’s ridiculous to base our vote on an incident of domain name ownership or the like.
A name online is a tricky thing. And likely an issue of contention. What large company hasn’t had to consider or fight for their domain name? Not too many have escaped that fiasco with all these micro-sites abounding these days. And now we have to remember to secure our name in all of the emerging social marketing sites as well.
Maybe this guys changed his song? Maybe someone from Obama’s group didn’t negotiate in good faith?
Who the hell knows.
But base your votes on policy and character.
If this changes his character, great. But I doubt that very much.
Ah, Cord. I’ve been out of the loop for a while and it’s good to be back and reading your blog.
I’ve followed this story intensely and have had an email converastion or two with Joe Anthony, the guy that started the MySpace profile in the first place. Here’s a bit more info and my take on it.
First of all, let me say that I think it’s fully understandable that the Obama campaign wanted that particular URL under their control. Makes total sense, although Joe Anthony himself did not seem to pose any threat to the campaign in any way shape or form.
Two and a half years ago, Anthony watched Obama make the Keynote Address at the Democratic Convention and became greatly inspired. So he started up the MySpace page. And he diligently managed it the whole time. The profile gradually got more and more friends. Earlier this year, when Obama announced, traffice when up. The campaign contacted him and they developed a good working relationship. They also offered him a job – if he would move to Chicago…something that he had to turn down.
At this point, Obama’s MySpace proflie had about 4 times as many friends as the next closest competitor. And while this was the case, the campaign didn’t ask for control.
At some point, Anthony says the felt he had to restrict access to the profile. He says he had given the campaign the password, but then realized that that was against MySpace’s rules. It may sound odd, but perhaps he was protecting his creation and the commuity he had nutured. I don’t know. But the campaign didn’t get upset.
Then, in March, MySpace decided to start The Impact Channel. They’d need a MySpace profile to represent Obama. Evidently the campaign and MySpace agreed to allow Joe’s creation to act as the one that represented the Obama campaign. Then one day, Obama’s profile was featured under the “Cool New People” profile…causing an explosing of friend requests, comments, queries, and other actitivity. Joe was handling it all. Sometimes 5-10 hours a day.
He then contacted the campaign and asked if, at this point, he could received some sort of compensation. I think that that is understandable. The campaign, now realizing the ‘power’ of MySpace, felt that it would be better to have control over the site. Why they didn’t virtually hire him I don’t know…but a key campaign person told Joe to come up with a figure. A one time fee that would essentially serve as compensation for Joe’s hard work. Joe had no idea what it would be worth but put in more hours thinking about it and came up with $39,000. Essentially that would be for 2 1/2 years worth of work and the 160,000 ‘friends’.
The campaign, which also had no clue as to what it would be worth, saw that figure and was blown away. Well beyond what they had in mind. Did they come back with a counter offer or at least an explanation as to how that was WAAAY to much? No. They simply went to MySpace – without telling Anthony – and said “We want that URL.” MySpace obliged.
Then, as word got out, they began to trash Joe, saying that he was greedy and doing it to cash in. One of Obama’s campaign staffer to Micah Sifry this – on background. So we don’t know who from the campaign said it. But it was untrue, unfair, and unnecessary. A cheap shot at someone who, after being inspired by Obama’s speech and vision, long ago started up a MySpace page and nutured its growth.
I’ve worked in politics and I’ve often partisans or campaign types do whatever it takes to protect their side. The Clinton people did it to those who condemned Bill’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. Karl Rove & Co. do it now.
So, IMO, the campaign, which had every right to want control over the page, did a bad thing…very un-Obama like. They didn’t come back with a counter offer or an explanation as to why Joe’s price was too high. They pullled a power play by taking it over. And worst of all, they unecessarily trashed this idealistic young guy.
KInda Rovian if you ask me.
Shows me that they don’t understand or appreicate social media or what Joe Anthony had done.
Shows me that they were willing to make personal attacks – under the protection of going ‘on background’.
Shows me that their campaign is just like all the others.