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Category: Charles Pugh

Charles Pugh: King of Facebook and now the council

Charles Pugh's thorough thumpin' of the competition Tuesday may have surprised some who thought his money troubles would have thwarted his ambitions for council president. But it shouldn't have surprised anyone on Facebook, where Pugh is so popular a single page can't contain him.

Last year, Pugh had to create additional Facebook pages because of onerous rules that limit accounts to 5,000 "friends" apiece. At last count, Pugh needed three accounts -- Charles Pugh Pages One, Two and Three -- to contain his 10,000-plus virtual buddies. Another 17,000 users are "fans" of Pugh.

One of accounts includes video titled 'The 5,000 friend-limit SUCKS!!' in which Pugh sticks his face in a web cam and details the suckitude of the Facebook friend limit.

Contrast Pugh's online popularity with that of Kwame Kenyatta, who has 64 fans, or JoAnn Watson, whose "1,000 Facebook Activists in Support of JoAnn Watson" group actually has 143 members, and it's perhaps little wonder that Pugh kicked some serious electoral patootie on Tuesday.

A techie who wants to make the city wi-fi, Pugh gained kudos throughout the race for waging what could be Detroit's most sophisticated social-networking and guerilla marketing campaign. His team used Bluetooth technology to blast text messages to crowds directing those with multi-media phones to campaign videos.

And Pugh is all over the Internet. Unlike his exuberant, occasionally giddy and apparently dormant MySpace page, his Facebook accounts reveal standard fare: Photos galore, videos and "Go Get 'Em!" messages from friends and a penchant for DISREGARDING NORMAL RULES OF PUNCTUATION 2 MAKE A POINT!!!!!!!! Such as his latest entry:

Charles Pugh is amazed that ELECTION DAY IS HERE!!! It's time to change Detroit!!! Vote CHARLES PUGH for Detroit City Council. Change your profile pic today to my pic!! And join us tonight at Seldom Blues at 8 pm for the Victory Party!!! Thank you, Detroit. NOW GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!