Warning Sign: BarackObama.com Is Melting Down

I just did this a few minutes ago. I went to BarackObama.com and then I clicked to go to the dashboard. It took more than three and a half minutes to load up. I have had this problem for over a week now.

That is not a good thing.

Well, it is a good thing. This means many many people are visiting BarackObama.com, which is exactly what we have wanted to happen all along.

But it is not a good thing at all that the pages are taking so long to load. Or maybe it is not all the pages, just the dashboard for an active volunteer like me who is currently ranked 38th overall. That is a great ranking. I am thinking there are close to half a million people who have signed up at the site by now. I know the number was 300,000 months back.

I am ringing alarm bells.

This can not be forgiven. We as humanity already figured this out more than a decade ago even at a mass level. This is not rocket science. This is not expensive. You just increase the bandwidth substantially.

That is all.

At this rate the site is going to crash on January 4. That can not be allowed. We work so hard to get people to come to BarackObama.com. The greeting has to be a good one for when they do show up.

This is still a TV election. 2008 is not an internet election yet. But it is an internet election to the hard core. BarackObama.com is that space where the volunteers congregate.

This has to be taken care of now.

If there is even a single crash any time between January 3 and February 7, I am going to lose respect for the people at the Chicago headquarters for the first time. This absolutely can not be allowed.

You don't go on vacation when it is harvest season. January is harvest season. We worked so hard to get here. Most people will never see Barack Obama in person, most people will not go to an Obama event, most people will never meet an Obama volunteer, let alone an Obama staffer, but many will go to BarackObama.com as and when they finally get interested.

That interest will spike on January 4 after our Iowa victory. And to let the site crash even for a minute would be as good as sending our candidate off on a world tour in January. You are not needed in South Carolina, go see the world.

This is not complicated engineering at all. I am surprised I am even having to bring this up. Obama 2008 otherwise has been an organizational marvel. How did this escape attention?

Is it possible that the top staffers don't log into BarackObama.com several times a day? What's going on?

BarackObama.com is your office if you are a staffer or volunteer. That is where you go. You go elsewhere later. You go to an event later, after you first go to BarackObama.com.

Jack it up all folks. Purchase so much bandwidth the site flies through January just fine.

Don't you let it crash for even two seconds.

And make the loads fast. It should not take me three and a half minutes to load up my page on BarackObama.com, it should take two seconds, maybe three. And my broadband is actually slightly faster than normal cable broadband. This is not good. This is not good. This is not good at all.

December 18: Crash The Party

Video: 2006 Elections Victory Party 53 min - Nov 7, 2006


December 18: Crash The Party

Holiday Party brought to you by the New York State Democratic Party, DL21C, and other progressive organizations in New York.

Tuesday, December 18th
8:30 pm
Taj Lounge
48 W 21st St.
B/D/F/V/1/N/R to 23rd St.

$7 suggested contribution at the door. RSVP in advance to Marie Parker at mariep@nydems.org / 212-725-8825. There will be a cash bar.



New York State Democratic Party | www.nydems.org
Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century | www.dl21c.org
New York Democratic Lawyers Council | www.nydlc.org
New York State Young Democrats | www.youngdemsny.org
Democracy for New York City | www.dfnyc.org
The Daily Gotham | www.dailygotham.com

DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll

Video: 2006 Elections Victory Party 53 min - Nov 7, 2006




February 1,2,3,4,5: Crash The City

• Make your own flyer, I made mine.
  Photocopy for 5 cents a piece, you can fit two to a page.
• Purchase a weekly metro pass. Unlimited rides.
  
• Take a week off from work if you have to, if not, just put in the evening and weekend hours.
  
• Take day off on election day.
  
• How many flyers can you give out? If it is cold, stay underground.
  
• Spend about two minutes with each person you give out your half page flyer to. Don't just give out. Make a point to connect.
  
• Bundle up volunteers. The exercise is more fun when done in small groups of two or more people.
  
• Overall, be seen on every train stop in the city all week.
  
• Be visible. Wear Hope buttons.
  

"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.)
"Sorry, I can't vote."
"In that case, will you please pass on the flyer to someone who can? Thanks."



"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.)
"What is happening on February 5?"
"The New York primary."
"I thought that was later."
"This year it is on February 5."



"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.)
"I am voting for Hillary."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes."
"Even after January?"
"Yes."
"I respect your opinion, but you can keep the flyer, in case you change your mind."



Video: 2006 Elections Victory Party 53 min - Nov 7, 2006