Shouting From the Digital Rooftops

Originally posted at LibertyJuice.com

Our country’s battle for independence was a fight which extended well before the first shots were fired and drops of blood fell. In the years before the Revolutionary War there was a concerted effort on the part of America’s Founding Fathers and fellow patriots to influence the hearts and minds of their fellow Americans and unify the colonies and their inhabitants under the banner of revolution.

In an 1818 Letter to Hezekiah Nile, John Adams wrote of the real American Revolution: “But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was affected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their duties and obligations. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.”

Adams’ point is that without the unity of opinion that was achieved among the colonists, there would have been no nation to free from British tyranny. It was during the 15 years prior to the war that the public opinion was enlightened and informed.

This end was accomplished by individuals like you and I taking up the cause of liberty. The conversation that was created transcended the boundaries of class and geography to connect mechanics, merchants, farmers, ministers, land owners, sailors, women, servants and all other members of society.

The tools they used to achieve this goal were the highest technology of their time but consider how it compares to our ability to touch hearts and minds today:

By 1775, there were 38 newspapers in the mainland colonies.  In November of 2009 there were 20,340,000,000 indexed web pages.

Philadelphia printer John Dunlap printed 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th…Over 1 million Americans received Obama’s VP pick via text message (this was the first ever political announcement made through your phone)

Over 100,000 copies of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense were distributed (Market penetration of 5%).  111,212,840 Facebook Profiles exist (Market penetration of 35%).

Today we sit at another revolutionary moment in our nation’s history. It’s one of ballot boxes rather than muskets and Tea parties which involve peaceful flag waving rather than tarring and feathering enemies. The tools that we use to promote our increased liberty are different but the principles which we champion are the same: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

During the Revolutionary era they used Pamphlets while today we use blogs. They spread information by meeting in Taverns and we use Wikis to broadcast information (some of us still meet in taverns…).  The Sons of Liberty and Paul Revere’s Midnight ride spread news and ideas while today we use Twitter and foursquare.

The battle that we are engaged in is one for the hearts and minds of our countrymen. We know from polling that self identified conservatives outnumber liberals 2-to-1 and yet we loose elections and are outgunned in the traditional media as well as online….so what’s the answer?

I’m convinced that our success or failure in engaging effectively online will determine the end result of our movement.  It is no longer a choice whether we should get involved online and in social networks.  The jury has been in for awhile now and conservatives have been well behind the curve.

My homework for you is this: Get on Twitter and Facebook.  These two social networks will allow you to leverage the freedom and speed of the internet to reach the widest possible audience.  You can define your purpose and the scope of your efforts as widely or narrowly as you like but your presence is required.

American Majority has two great guides that will give you all the information you need to become a power user on each of these networks.  These are free resources that American Majority offers to compliment their full line of Political Training seminars.

With American Majority’s Twittivism Guide, you will learn not only what Twitter and tweeting is all about, but how to use it effectively in your activism. Topics include everything from simple vocabulary to hosting offline “Tweetups.” Confused?  Don’t’ worry.  It’s all in the guide.

The American Majority Facebook Guide will walk you through setting up a profile and organization’s fan page.  We will also discuss ways to increase your fan base, “hack” the content on your page, attach other social networks, and much more.

Becoming a powerful conservative voice online doesn’t require you to pledge your life, fortune, or sacred honor, like our Founding Fathers did. All it takes is a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the websites and then begin sharing your love for liberty with your social networks.

Tweet forth and get on Facebook!