If you're looking for ways to help...

[thisficklemob]

... the campaign still needs you.

my.BarackObama.com can help you find ways to volunteer from where you are, either by canvassing, phone banking, finding events in your area, or getting in touch with your local office. You can make calls from home if you want. (Right now it looks like they're making Get Out The Vote calls to supporters in

Comments

[hiddenw]

I want to volunteer but I suffer from inherent shyness as well so canvassing is out. Maybe maybe phone banking, but I'd prefer to do something else.

Anyone know what else that they might need people to do?

[thisficklemob]

I know they did need people to do data entry at headquarters. I don't know if they need that anymore; they may be in the data-using, not data-collecting stage by now.

On election day (or before, if you live somewhere with early voting), you could do visibility: standing a set distance away from a polling place with a sign. You'd have to stand around with a sign, but not only would you not have to talk to voters, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to talk to voters. *g*

[snolan]

Get in touch with the local campaign headquarters and let them know your issues/preferences. They will need (in no particular order

[hiddenw]

Thank you for the tips. I really do want to be a part of all this.

[anne_jumps]

I'm an introvert too and it's a struggle sometimes to get into it.

[thisficklemob]

*nods* I've been fighting that fear all day. For weeks/months, really. I totally get it. And it still makes me nervous, but the nervousness of making the calls feels better (to me) than the fear that I won't be able to do it.

Should I make an "Introverts Phonebanking Open Thread" tomorrow?

[anne_jumps]

Yeah, why not.

I was more uncomfortable with the "persuasion calls." I am not good at elucidating in a calm way in a discussion why I am voting for Obama and why someone else should too. I'm much more comfortable with imparting information about polling places and whatnot.

I have some friends who are truly afraid of talking on the phone; I'm not, but I am kind of avoidant, and calling strangers does feel kind of intrusive. I'm glad when I can just leave a message, a lot of the time.

[thisficklemob]

I was more uncomfortable with the "persuasion calls." I am not good at elucidating in a calm way in a discussion why I am voting for Obama and why someone else should too. I'm much more comfortable with imparting information about polling places and whatnot.

Exactly this. I couldn't make persuasion calls; I'd be the one going, "Well, how could you NOT?", and that's no good.

I'm a little bit phone phobic, even with people I know. I don't mind them calling me, but I avoid calling them.

And it does feel intrusive; I rarely wanna talk to anybody who calls here that I don't already know. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind getting a GOTV call... I think I'd actually like it... so I'm gonna go with that instinct.

My only issue so far with the Obama site's system is that I don't know how to code things. I'm doing "as near as I can" answers, but so far the two I've done, neither have been quite right.

[koljeff]

You made 'em too, huh? ^_^

Mine and the girlfriend's:

[thisficklemob]

Yup! Mine are in the icon. (The one on the right says 08ama, it may be a bit small.)

Oh, I like! Is the one on the left your own design? (I got my templates from yeswecarve.com.)

[koljeff]

Actually, the one on the left is the girlfriend's: the design was modeled after one from YesWeCarve, except that that one had circular eyes with an I and a heart in them, respectively. Mine's the "vote" one - it might not be that fancy, but a lot of work went into that "O" (since neither of us used templates). But regardless, it was a fun and reasonably productive way to kill a couple of hours!

[thisficklemob]

It was fun! I did both of mine, because I had so much fun doing the first one. And it looks like you did scrape-away carving on yours... I didn't even try to do that.