Within four weeks, one man created a Facebook group called "We got RATM to #1, we can get the Lib Dems into office" that grew to over 150,000 activists, making it the largest UK political group on Facebook during the 2010 election. The group provided support for the Liberal Democrats and organized flash mobs and events. It brought positive and viral attention from the BBC, Channel 4, newspapers, and politicians. However, moderating the large group required military-like organization by administrators to manage trolling and debate around campaigning. In the end, the group was mostly successful in energizing support online for the Liberal Democrats during the 2010 election.

1. VOTE AGAINST THE MACHINE
HOW ONE FACEBOOK GROUP REACHED 150K ACTIVISTS IN FOUR WEEKS

2. #SXSEmachine

3. We’ll cover
The background
The set up
The link up
How things got funny
How things got serious
Success

4. Where it all started...

5. One man + Facebook
In March 2010 Ben set up a Facebook group
entitled “We got RATM to #1, we can get the
Lib Dems into office”
The group grew to be the largest UK
political activist group on Facebook during
the 2010 General Election - larger than all
of the political parties combined

6. The set up
Motivated by the progress promised
by the Lib Dems, disillusioned by
the choice of another Conservative
or Labour government and inspired
by the RATM campaign, Ben knew
there was something that could be
done
Within hours of setting up the group
he could see something was
happening and within days a
network of five people - some he’d
never even met - came forward to
admin the page

7. The link up
Over at Lib Dem HQ a tiny team
were working on the social
campaign for the party - under-
funded, under-resourced but ever
optimistic they knew something
special was happening online
The surge in support on Twitter and
Facebook during March and April
2010 had been phenomenal and
Facebook supporter groups were
springing up everywhere
Cat noticed Ben’s and within a day
the two were chatting...

8. Then something
magical
happened
The group was covered by the BBC
in a Rory Cellen-Jones report
Ben and Jon Morter gave an
interview to Channel 4
Ben told The Sun to **** off
#iagreewithnick trended in the UK
#nickcleggsfault trended worldwide
Ben wrote a song about his group
The group organised a flashmob at
Trafalgar Square

9. ORGANISED VIA THE PAGE HUNDREDS TURNED UP - ALL IN YELLOW

10. THE GROUP GREW BY THOUSANDS NIGHT ON NIGHT

11. Then things got super
funny...

12. THIS HAPPENED...

14. SORRY DAVID...

15. THIS HAPPENED TOO...

17. AND THIS

18. And it got serious...

19. Serious stuff
The page had to be operated in a
military fashion, with admins taking
shifts 24/7
The page became a trolling
paradise, but the community kept
them in check
The debate nights, newspaper
polls, PPBs and campaign material
all provided opportunity for the
group to act together

21. Did it succeed?

22. SORT OF...

23. Come say hai!
Ben: @aatlae
Cat: @catturner
#SXSEmachine