IP: Democrats Online

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

(Disclaimer, I am on the Advisory Board for this and thus have some non
fincancial interest in it. Happy to give equal time to other parties. djf)


Progressive Community Organizing in Cyberspace


For Immediate Release
19 August 1996


For more information contact: David Lytel 202-462-1996


A new independent political committee called Democrats Online will launch
on Tuesday August 27 with simultaneous fundraising events in San Francisco
and Chicago.  Its Internet headquarters will be at www.democrats.com. The
board of directors of the new organization includes former Clinton
Administration and Democratic Party officials and well-known members of
the Internet community.  The group's purpose is to build a stronger
Democratic community on the Internet by hosting active dialogue and
discussion.


Democrats Online aims at being the most highly interactive partisan
political site built to date.  Drawing from the Clinton Administration and
the Democratic Party's records of achievement, visitors to the site will
be able to create a unique endorsement page that proclaims either why they
are are a Democrat or why they support Clinton/Gore. Once they have built
this "virtual lawn sign" declaring their support, visitors are invited to
call a 900 number and record a testimonial that is attached to their page.
Other visitors may review the endorsements and listen to the recorded
testimonials.


The site also features policy discussions moderated by former public
officials. Among the partisan games available is a "Help Bob Dole Choose
his Cabinet" for which visitors pull the lever of a slot machine and
gamble on who might fill the top positions of a Dole administration.


"We recognize that the official campaign and party sites have to be more
controlled environments," said David Lytel, former managing editor of the
White House Web site and chair of the new group.  "We are loyal
progressive Democrats who feel we can facilitate more dynamic
community-building activities than are currently being offered to
Democratic users of the Internet " he added.  The group also intends to
work to improve understanding of Internet-related issues among Democrats.
The organization will be financed by memberships and contributions.


The new site will be unveiled at 9:00PM CDT on Tuesday 27 August.
Interested members of the Internet and Democratic communities are invited
to a fundraising event in Chicago at the home of Bernardine Dohrn and Bill
Ayers or to an event in Redwood City, CA aboard the motor vessel Emily.


For an overview of Democrats Online send e-mail to: info () democrats com
For details on fundraising events send e-mail to: events () democats com






Attachment: Brief Introduction to Democrats Online


What: Democrats Online is an independent political committee working to
build a better sense of community among Democrats on the Internet. We are
Progressive, reform-minded Democrats who are also working to help our
party better understand the Internet.


How: Unlike many partisan political sites, our online headquarters will be
highly interactive.  It will allow visitors to create a unique endorsement
page that proclaims either why they are a Democrat or why they support
Clinton/Gore.  Visitors will also be invited to call a 900 number and
record a testimonial for their page that other visitors may listen to. The
site will also feature policy discussions moderated by former public
officials.


Where: Our address on the Internet is www.democrats.com or people can send
us electronic mail to info () democrats com.


Why: We're doing this because we believe citizenship and interactivity
have been going their separate ways, to the detriment of each.  We hope to
use active dialogue and discussion online to better represent the
Democratic Party in our neighborhood, to improve the sense of engagement
that Democrats have with their party and to broaden the reach of the
Democratic coalition.


When: Our headquarters will open to the public on Tuesday 27 August with
simultaneous events in Chicago and San Francisco.  Please visit our site
for further details, or send e-mail to events () democrats com.


Who: We are a combination of committed Democrats who have served the party
and the Clinton administration in the past and some of the Internet's most
active and best-known citizens.  For a list of the founders of Democrats
Online and short descriptions of who they are, please send an electronic
mail message to info () democrats com.


      *
     ***              Democrats Online
    *****             Post Office Bos 21689
*************         Washington, DC 20009
  *********
   *******            202-462-1996
    *****             fax 319-8330
  **** ****
 **      ***          info () democrats com
*           *         www.democrats.com