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Will Obama's iPhone App translate into votes?

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Mike Nobil gives the Obama iPhone app a test drive
We are kicking the tires of the Obama iPhone App this week. The application is interesting in many ways but what will its true impact be?

First the numbers:

  • 14.000,000 iPhones will be sold by end of 2008 (Goldman Sachs)
  • 4,183 active Obama iPhone users (according to our Obama app)
  • 19,021 calls have been made on the iPhone app to talk about Obama (again, according to the app)
  • 100 calls have been made by the "Top Caller" for Obama (everyone loves a high-score)

 

The other features of the Obama app include:
1. the location of the closest local Obama HQ to the iPhone
2. ability to sign up for email and SMS campaign updates
3. local and national campaign news feeds
4. campaign events in your area (which seems pretty geographically broad as I wouldn't drive to Cape Cod for a event)
5. campaign videos and photos
6. talking points for Obama's position on about 24 issues
7. a "donate now" button that automatically calls the donation hotline

Except for the phone-banking features, most of these features are included on all but the most rudimentary campaign websites.

My big question is, what sort of information is the Obama application collecting from my iPhone? Is it capturing names and phone numbers of those people you call? Is it raiding my address book? The application doesn't have any privacy information which really scares me!

IMPACT
In terms of a campaign's view of the world, their goals are to capture
1. supporter contact info
2. volunteers,
3. donations,
4. good press, and
5. votes.

In terms of #1, depending on the privacy features of the app, it may be great at stealing all your contacts and adding them to the Obama database.  I have yet to find a privacy policy on the app that tells me if it is or isn't doing such a thing.

Regarding volunteers, hey I downloaded this tool, I must there for want to volunteer to make calls. I give it a thumbs up for #2.

Political donations...  If someone is willing to make calls for Obama then, I would have to assume that they have already donated via other means. If anyone has data on donations made by iPhone, I would love to hear about it.

Number 4 is a slam dunk, the press loves the confluence of "mobile gadgets" and politics. I bet there have been thousands of articles about political organizations leveraging the power of phone texting. I can't imagine how political texting has garnered a single vote but the press eats it up. They are going to love this app.

Lastly, voting is were the rubber hits the road for campaigns. Will all these Obama supporters actually vote? If the iPhone app developers were smart, this app should turn into one big get-out-the-vote tool on election day. It should notify the user of the closest polling station, it should give the users repeated reminders to "vote now!" and it should provide a steady stream of election day news.

Election day could be the greatest opportunity for this application. From my own political views, I hope the Obama development team didn't think this far ahead.

posted 6:13PM 10/07/2008 by eNilsson Blog Team

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