A Network Intervention

Thousands of independent Web developers have added Kerry-Edwards promotional images to their sites in recent months. But the images link to a website that at worst will simply be shut down and at best will remind people of a bitter defeat. Carry Onward! is an attempt to regroup and sustain the relationship among these various sites. Website developers are encouraged to convert their Kerry-Edwards images to Carry Onward! images. The database associated with this project will carve out a subdivision within the Web that is known to have supported Kerry-Edwards in 2004 — a head start for winning the media campaign in 2008 and beyond.

Transforming Link Rot into Fertile Ground

Rather than let the media alliance that developed during the Kerry-Edwards campaign fade away, this new network can be used to channel the energy into a media format that has a lasting impact on the political process. In asking people to link back to the Carry Onward! site, this project takes advantage of the way many search engines rank Web pages. By including a long list of site titles on the Carry Onward! homepage, the linking strategy creates a search engine magnet that will draw people into the network of sites. Those who join the list will be contacted prior to the next election cycle to begin coordinating a more effective grass roots media campaign in 2008.

Carry Onward! is a project of Altport.org, an independently run new media initiative to counteract the influence of concentrated media ownership.

http://altport.org/carryOnward/