I have more friends than Barack Obama
- September 7, 2007 4:03 PM |
- By Ian Johnson
by Jesse Brown, CBC Radio
Ever hear the story of the regular Joe who built one of the world’s most influential political fan pages and then lost it to the candidate he idolized?
Joe Anthony registered Myspace.com/BarackObama in 2004. By April of 2007 Joe had more than 160,000 “friends,” all dedicated to supporting Democrat Barack Obama for U.S. president.
But Obama didn’t support Joe. His campaign seized control of the site and accused Joe of shaking them down for cash. Joe says it isn’t true. So what really happened?
Find out Thurday on the first feature documentary for CBC's new radio show Search Engine, "I have more friends than Barack Obama", produced by Jeremy Gans. (Broadcast times: CBC Radio One, Thursday Sept. 13 at 11:30 a.m., repeated Tuesday Sept.18th at 3:30pm in some areas, or listen to the podcast.)
For now, here's some background on the story by TechPresident.com editor Micah Sifry, who will also appear in the doc.
About the Authors
- Tara Kimura
is a multimedia producer for CBCNews.ca.
Categories
All News blogs
Most Commented
Most Recommended
Tech Bytes
Most Commented
Most Recommended
Recent Entries
- Universe hates Higgs boson, Chicago Cubs
- By John Bowman, CBCNews. A physicist working on the Large Hadron Collider doesn't think much of the theory that the universe is sabotaging the project to prevent the discovery of the Higgs boson. Might as well say that Nature hates... Continue reading this post
- Large Hadron Collider goes Back to the Future
- By Peter Evans, CBCNews.ca. Two respected physicists have put forward the theory that the Large Hadron Collider's stated aim of finding the Higgs boson might be so abhorrent to nature that mysterious forces are traveling back through time and sabotaging... Continue reading this post
- Multi-touch concept for desktops: 10/GUI
- By John Bowman, CBCNews.ca. I'm a fan of alternative ideas for human-computer interaction, so this video caught my attention. It shows an idea for a ten-finger touchpad interface and associated changes in the way a computer would handle multiple windows.... Continue reading this post
Comments (6)
Joe started up something as a volunteer and then wanted CASH!
And now he's doing a documentary for CASH!
It's all about CASH!
I'd rather be finding out how the candidates plan to keep America safe than waste time listening to such a childish documentary. CBC may have shot itsself on the foot.
Utter nonsense!
This shouldn't be a complex scenario. Myspace is a privately held website with a TOS that allows them to take any action they deem appropriate in a situation like this.
Mr. Anthony wants to be re-numerated for the time he invested in building up a web page built off Baracks' popularity..
I think that move was nothing more than a gamble. If Joe wanted to get paid for his efforts then he should have drawn up a formal contract with Baracks' team before he set off to work.
Case closed.
I'd be interested in finding out how one goes about seizing a MySpace account. Certainly the MySpace TOS allows itself the right to deny access to the account, or simply grant access to someone else. But really, in a world where online privacy is becoming a major issue - especially with regard to MySpace, I'm surprised that the company would give in to the campaign.
As for wanting cash ... wouldn't any of you? I sure would!
Actually, Michael, CBC is a Canadian station, and therefore isn't directly associated with American politics. The reason behind them airing this story is purely on a journalistic level, not a redundant attempt of pointing out the moral decay of American politics. So what if it IS about money? It's still an interesting topic. If not, you never would have looked this up in the first place.
I thought I'd chime in on this just to clear a few things up.
I was never paid a cent for any interviews or documentaries. I never asked to be paid for them either.
Before the campaign got involved with Myspace, and before they first contacted me, I was approached several times by those wanting to pay me to sell t-shirts on the site, place banners, etc., and I turned down every single offer. This was never about money.
I participated in this documentary so that my side of the story would be heard.
I sacrificed a great deal of my personal, professional, and social life to make that community such a success, and I certainly don't I deserve any of these negative comments.
Take a listen, and you all know where to find me should you have any questions.
-Joe Anthony
The Business Student should learn the proper business language... the word is remunerate.