BuyBlue.org

BuyBlue.org was a website that attempted to modify the purchasing habits of progressives in the United States. The website's name refers to the political memes "red state" and "blue state" that summarize states' political orientations.

General

The website's editors used public databases and compiled an estimate of political campaign contributions by a company's three highest executive officers, those executives' spouses, the highest executive officer at any subsidiary company, and any PAC registered by that company. The allocation of donations between Democrats and Republicans determined a company's political contribution rating, with higher ratings awarded to companies that primarily donate to Democrats.

The website encouraged users to submit articles that criticize or applaud a company's business practices. The submitting user assigned a binary categorical rating of positive or negative with regards to the company's adherence to progressive business practices as described in the article. The absolute number of articles submitted and each submitted article's rating were used to calculate a company's overall rating. A five-point scale ranked a company's degree of progressiveness or regressiveness according to users' submissions.

The website hosts blogs and message boards designed to steer consumers towards businesses favored by the website, to exert direct political pressure on targeted businesses, and to foster activism among the site's users.

Though this website is geared toward liberals, many conservatives could use it to find out which companies are supporting Republicans, too.

pring 2007 shutdown

As of April 23, 2007, the website was shut down, and the following message was posted at the site:

"Thanks for your support!"

"The BuyBlue team would like to thank you for all of your support over the past 2 years, unfortunately we are shutting our virtual doors."

"We hope that we've been able to educate consumers and inspire people to take action and vote with their wallets. Maybe another group will take up this charge in the future, but for now we can no longer do so."

"Just because we won't be online any more does not mean that the information we provided cannot be found any longer. You'll want to keep the following information sources in mind. Also, BuyBlue Colorado, an independent organization, will continue to remain operational."

This message was also (June 14, 2007) followed by the statement that BuyBlue's data was donated to the organization Advomatic (www.advomatic.com).

The site currently (September 6, 2007) promises to return in a "more partisan and focused" form. The new home page includes the following message:

"BuyBlue 2.0 - Coming Fall 2007You are all familiar with BuyBlue.org and it's mission of rewarding companies that have a triple bottom line of people, planet and profit by providing company ratings based on political contributions data. The new BuyBlue will continue to keep Americans up-to-date on how to best vote with their wallets by supporting companies that support progressive candidates and legislation. But we have some exciting new things in store as well."

Rating categories

*The Labor & Human Rights category covers article submissions from sources such as Sweatshop Watch and the National Labor Relations Board that address topics including sweatshops, unions and union busting.
*The Environment category covers article submissions from sources such as the Environmental Working Group and Greenpeace that address topics including sustainability, ecosystems and resource recovery.
*The Employment Equality category covers article submissions from sources such as the Institute for Women's Policy Research and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that address topics including discrimination, domestic partner benefits, and diversity.
*The Corporate and Social Responsibility category covers article submissions from sources such as United for a Fair Economy and the Council on Economic Priorities that address topics including charitable contributions, community participation, and product safety and product liability.
*The Industry Practices category addresses industry-specific topics.

Officers and directors

*Chair and President Raven Brooks
*Secretary Treasurer Sally Westgate
*Creative Director John Haas
*Board member Julia Ramsey
*Board member Summer K. Rhodes
*Board member Leslie Fera
*Board member Kerry Lange
*Board member Alison Kutler
*Board member Daniel Adamson

Media Coverage

BuyBlue.org has been covered in the media numerous times, more information can be found via the links below.
*July 30, 2006 - Tuscaloosa News - [http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/NEWS/607300353/1001 Buying blue: Some shoppers research purchases to further political cause]
*June 15, 2006 - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - [http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/14823697.htm Consumers buy with their beliefs]
*May 19, 2006 - United Press International (UPI) - [http://www.upi.com/Hi-Tech/view.php?StoryID=20060519-065844-2977r Globe Talk: Money power vs. the NSA]
*April 22, 2006 - New York Times - [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/22/business/22online.html Wal-Mart Flirts With Being Green]
*March 10, 2006 - Minneapolis Star-Tribune - [http://www.startribune.com/389/story/296217.html Eco-friendly, fair-trade shopping choices getting easier to find]
*February 17, 2006 - The Detroit News - [http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060217/LIFESTYLE/602170415/1005 Shopping with your conscience]
*January 27, 2006 - The Detroit News - [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060127/LIFESTYLE/601270353/1005 Bargains by the barrel]
*December 21, 2005 - VOA News, American Life - [http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2005-12-21-voa26.cfm Christmas Shoppers Guided by Politics]
*November 8, 2005 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05312/602499.stm Information Age breeds boycotts by the score]
*September / October 2005 - Ethical Consumer - [http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/boycotts/boycottsnews.htm Boycott Bush – Everybody’s doing it!]
*August 24, 2005 - The Boston Phoenix - [http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/top/features/documents/04927120.asp Shop at your own risk]
*July 31, 2005 - The Boston Globe - [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/07/31/boycott_mania Boycott mania: As business ethics fall, consumer activism rises]
*June 14, 2005 - San Francisco Bay Guardian - [http://www.sfbg.com/39/37/news_mbna.html The MBNA factor]
*May 24, 2005 - MarketWatch.com - [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B649D9A53%2DF860%2D48C5%2D9B32%2D60C69F6A1C43%7D&siteid=google The color of money: Red states, blue states and credit-card affiliations]
*April 28, 2005 - The Insurance Journal - [http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2005/04/28/54348.htm Turning Politics into Green for Favored 'Blue' Insurers]
*April, 24, 2005 - Fort Worth Star Telegram - "Purchase with a Purpose"
*April 16, 2005 - Tallahassee Democrat - "Which way does your burger lean? Find Out."
*February 15, 2005 - San Francisco Chronicle - [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/15/MNGTKBB73K1.DTL Corporations painted in red and blue, S.F. man politicizes purchasing power]
*February 4, 2005 - East Bay Business Times - [http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2005/02/07/story7.html Web sites target companies for 'red' or 'blue' buyers]
*February 3, 2005 - Reason Online - [http://reason.com/hod/gb020305.shtml Shop the Vote: The Era of One-Click Democracy]
*December 23, 2004 - CNN Inside Politics (TV) - [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0412/23/ip.01.html Transcript]
*December 23, 2004 - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle - [http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/12/23/features/lifestyles/02karin.txt Democrats willing to put their money where their politics are]
*December 23, 2004 - The Detroit News - "Web sites link politics and shopping"
*December 22, 2004 - San Francisco Chronicle Mark Morford's Column - [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2004/12/22/notes122204.DTL Amazon.com Is For Republicans Attention, liberal shoppers!]
*December 20, 2004 - Le Monde - "Les Americains partisans du "Merry Christmas" a l'offensive"
*December 20, 2004 - The Washington Times - [http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041219-113656-8922r.htm Go vote with your wallet this Christmas]
*December 19, 2004 - The Dallas Morning News - "Dems: Does that come in blue?"
*December 18, 2004 - The Washington Post - [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10714-2004Dec18.html Some Put Money Where Their Politics Are]
*December 17, 2004 - FOXNews.com - [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,141910,00.html Spending Some Green on Blue or Red]
*December 16, 2004 - TwinCities.com Pioneer Press - "Partisan shoppers dreaming of a Red and Blue Christmas"
*December 14, 2004 - Chicago Tribune - "Blue voters now urged to buy blue"
*December 11, 2004 - Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Web site sees red over retailers' donations"

External links

* [http://www.buyblue.org BuyBlue.org]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.buyblue.org Wayback Machine archive of BuyBlue.org]
* [http://www.advomatic.com/buyblue?page=1 "The future of BuyBlue.org" on Advomatic.com]