Joe Trippi's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

I just finished The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, by Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign manager Joe Trippi.

My overall impressions: For those of you looking for good literature or a how-to manual, you won't find it here. But as I mentioned previously, this book is a great first-person story of the power of the Internet (and blogs specifically) to mobilize a huge community into a wave of activism. Even more than that, it's a people-power manifesto. Trippi argues that the grass-roots power of the Dean campaign, which was impossible four years ago and is still a novelty today, will be the unstoppable force of regular politics and business within the decade. So you better get ready to listen to the people, or else prepare yourself to be yesterday's news.

MeetUp.com plays a big role in Trippi's story. Originally meant to bring together monthly knitting groups and Chihuahua clubs, MeetUp.com became the logistical force organizing rallies of thousands of Dean supporters all across America.

Another cool site I learned about from Trippi: Sign up on grid.org and you can donate your computer's unused CPU-time to help find a cure for cancer. Wow! I will never think of screen savers the same way again.