A really interesting idea came to my attention today: using the name of your home Wi-Fi network to reach out to your neighbors about the political candidates you are supporting.
A fellow Democratic activist in Northern Virginia came up with this idea of changing his home wireless network ID – and even on two separate bands – to advertise for the Democratic candidate for the Governor of Virginia (who I also support) – Virginia State Senator Creigh Deeds.
Below is a screen shot of his two networks. The three connections visible are the Virginia Democratic joint ticket “Deeds-Wagner-Shannon” (who are running for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, respectfully), the second is a neighbor’s who I’ve blocked out for privacy, and the third is focused solely on the top of the ticket:
Grassroots activists like me have had problems hitting the doors in high-rises because of security and other reasons, making them largely inaccessible. Yes, we worked on digital door-knocking before, and yes, you can do targeted Facebook ads, etc. In 08, for the Arlington County Democrats, I worked on a mini-precinct captain system, called Building Ambassadors. It was designed to empower individuals in targeted high-rises to reach out to their neighbors via flyering (if allowed), bulletin boards, building email lists, and whatever else was available.
But most people don’t want to disturb their neighbors, and this simple switch doesn’t require any direct interaction whatsoever (or money). An ever increasing electorate relying on the internet as their source for election news in conjunction with the prospective influence of your neighbors personalizing their political preferences means this could have some real possibilities.
And what about a campaign website as your wireless network name also? Like I said, it’s a really interesting idea – with an extremely personal and localized reach potential.
