In an effort to begin getting the word of my campaign out on social media, I decided to reach out to the Reddit community today. Specifically I was only intending to reach the /r/Austin/ subreddit, but the conversation seems to have spread far beyond what I anticipated.

I posted a link to my website around 11:45am with the following Reddit title: I'm running for State Representative in District 46 (east Austin, north of 7th). I'm pro-pot, pro-gay, pro-open-internet, oppose the TSA, and oppose the NSA. Here's my website. Soon after posting the link I left my office for lunch.

A few messages trickled in while I was eating and I quickly answered them. Twenty or so minutes past that and something started happening that I would have never expected, a full-blown AMA organically developed.

I've always wanted to participate in an AMA and having now completed one can definitely say I enjoyed the process. I had the opportunity to personally converse with more than 600 people. Thankfully I am a pretty fast typist (10fastfingers puts me at 117 WPM) because it was the only way I could provide ongoing and thorough answers to all of the questions pouring in.

When it was all said and done I had answered more than 400 questions, had more than 20 people offer to volunteer themselves to the campaign, drove almost 5,000 people to the campaign website, and even raised several hundred dollars.

The AMA is currently the 29th highest post in /r/Austin/ of all time.