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Screenshot style image of MyBarackObama.com MyBO platform from 2008 Obama campaign
MyBarackObama.com was the 2008 campaign social network built by Chris Hughes

MyBarackObama.com became my research rabbit hole after I realized every modern campaign copies it. I wanted the original specs.

Before Twitter ran politics, Chris Hughes built MyBO in February 2007 as a Facebook-like hub for Obama volunteers.

It wasn't a donation page. It was a full social network that let supporters self-organize, and it rewrote campaign playbooks.

MyBarackObama.com (MyBO) was the official 2008 Obama campaign social network built by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. Launched in February 2007, it signed up over 2 million users who created 35,000 groups, planned 200,000 events, raised $30 million, and made 3 million calls in the final four days.

Table of Contents

1. What MyBO Actually Was

Why confusion happens: people think it was just BarackObama.com.

Takeaway: MyBO was a separate social network, not the main site.

  • Launched just after Obama announced in Springfield, Illinois, February 2007.
  • Built at estimated cost of $2 million with input from Hughes.
  • Functioned like Facebook for volunteers: profiles, blogs, groups, event tools.

2. Who Built It and Why

Why confusion happens: credit goes to "Obama digital team."

Takeaway: Chris Hughes was the architect.

  • Hughes left Facebook in 2007 to become Director of Online Organizing.
  • He applied Facebook's community genius to politics.
  • Goal: teach supporters to self-organize instead of top-down control.

3. Core Features That Mattered

Why confusion happens: modern tools hide the innovation.

Takeaway: MyBO invented campaign infrastructure we now take for granted.

  • Personal fundraising pages: 70,000 people raised $30M peer-to-peer.
  • Event creation: users planned 200,000 offline meetups and canvasses.
  • Groups: 35,000 volunteer groups by interest or location.
  • Phone tool: internet virtual phone bank made 3M calls in last 4 days.
  • Content: 400,000 blog posts and 400,000 YouTube videos uploaded via site.

4. The Numbers That Shocked Consultants

Why confusion happens: stats get rounded up.

Takeaway: 2 million accounts changed scale.

  • 2,000,000+ profiles created by Election Day 2008.
  • Compared to McCain: Obama had 4x Facebook friends, 23x Twitter followers.
  • 14 million hours spent watching Obama videos on YouTube, driven by MyBO shares.

5. How It Changed Organizing

Why confusion happens: people credit Twitter.

Takeaway: MyBO shifted power to volunteers.

  • Before MyBO: campaigns used top-down email lists.
  • After MyBO: supporters could match donations, recruit friends, run phone banks without HQ.
  • It became the prototype for distributed organizing used by every campaign since.

6. Why It Disappeared

Why confusion happens: the URL redirects now.

Takeaway: It was sunset after 2012.

  • Post-2008, DNC took over data. MyBO evolved into Organizing for America tools.
  • By 2012, functions moved to Dashboard and later to proprietary platforms.
  • The domain now redirects to Obama Foundation – original code is archived.

7. How to Study It Today

Why confusion happens: no live site to click.

Takeaway: Use archives and books.

  • Search Wayback Machine for my.barackobama.com 2007-2008 snapshots.
  • Read "Yes We Did" by Rahaf Harfoush and "The Facebook Effect" for inside build details.
  • Watch Hughes' interviews on GovTech about creating the platform.

Comparative Matrix

Problem Immediate Root Cause Quick Fix
Thinking MyBO = BarackObama.com Similar URLs MyBO was social network at my.barackobama.com
Assuming Twitter won 2008 Later narrative Check stats: 2M MyBO profiles vs 3M Facebook friends
Can't find the site Shut down post-2012 Use Wayback Machine or Wikipedia screenshots
Crediting Plouffe alone Manager gets press Read Hughes' role as Director of Online Organizing

Pro-Tips & Edge Cases

  • Study the phone tool. In my experience, the 3M calls in 4 days is the most overlooked feature. It was an early VoIP virtual call center – precursor to modern dialers.
  • Look for the $2M build cost. For a presidential campaign, that's tiny. Hughes reused Facebook patterns instead of custom enterprise software.
  • Track the data flow. MyBO connected to Facebook via early API in March 2007 – one of the first political cross-post integrations.

Common Pitfalls

  • Calling it a blog. It had blogs, but the power was groups and events.
  • Ignoring the timing. MyBO launched before Obama officially declared – it was built during the exploratory phase, not after.
  • Overstating Hughes. He designed it, but a team of engineers built it. Credit the architecture, not solo coding.

FAQ

What was MyBarackObama.com?

A social networking site built for the 2008 Obama campaign where supporters created profiles, raised money, organized events, and made calls.

Who created MyBarackObama.com?

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, serving as Obama's Director of Online Organizing, led the design and launch in February 2007.

How many people used MyBO?

Over 2 million accounts were created by Election Day 2008, with 35,000 volunteer groups and 200,000 events organized.

Is MyBarackObama.com still active?

No. The platform was retired after the 2012 campaign and now redirects. Archives exist on the Wayback Machine.

Why was MyBO important?

It pioneered distributed digital organizing, letting volunteers self-organize online and offline, a model now standard in modern campaigns.

Sources: Wikipedia Social Media Use by Barack Obama; GovTech profile on Chris Hughes.