The American Way: At Least, the Way It Should Be

Okay, so you've seen the Facebook and MySpace groups promoting various politicians and causes, but have you joined the social network for your favorite politician yet? No? Well, it's time you got on top of that!

Presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has created a venue where his already strong base of grassroot supporters can gather, take shape, grow, and communicate. Is this just a cheesy attempt at being the social networking guru of politicians, or is this what politicians need to do to be successful? I'm thinking it's the latter.

While I wasn't shocked, I was definitely surprised when I saw one of my friends had left a comment on my Facebook wall saying, "Why don't you have a profile on the Barack site yet? I just tried to friend you to discover you weren't there. Sad..." Just another example of how social networks are interlinked and such a powerful tool for promotion, even for politicians.

The Obama site really is innovative, but it's also practical--why didn't anyone think of this before? I mean, hello! A website that allows you to organize fundraising, find events, talk to your friends, join groups and discussions with others, start your own blog--all surrounding something you have in common--a politician you want to support! The site doesn't just make sense for supporters, it makes sense for Obama. Think of all the information he has about his prime voters, all at his fingertips, on the world-wide-web for all to see.

Smart, very smart.