social network

 As shown by this past election and President-Elect Obama's victory, the internet and especially the social networks

have become an important part of the political process. This was shown before by grassroots movements such as MoveOn.org, however our defeat in this year's election will brought that point home. So what does this mean for the GOP/conservative movement, and the future? Personally I think that starting now,we will see the GOP,conservative movements and organizations use and pay more attention to the internet world. But what internet world?what part of the internet should be used to promote conservative values/ideas and conservative candidates? Here are the locations,which in my opinion, will play the most important role for the many years to come:

1.Facebook= as some of you may have seen during this past election,most of the presidential candidates had a page on Facebook,however none as well organized,staffed and active as the Barack Obama and the pages supporting him.

2.MySpace=similar to Facebook. Both of the above social networks should be used to the max by the GOP,conservative candidates and movements. There are many options on how to use those networks.However my suggestion would be for us to learn from the success of Obama, and then improve on it,bringing our own vision to online networking.

3.SecondLife=Second Life is a PC virtual world. The website is located at secondlife.com I am sure many of you may wonder why SecondLife.Well the answer is quite simple. SecondLife boosts a large population from all over the world and the US population is heavy. In addition,SecondLife allows to connect to voters on a more personal(gaming) level.It also allows to promote candidates, issues and such 24/7

4.Home=Home is a PS3(playstation 3) virtual world. You can learn more about home at http://www.ps3home.com/ Although designate as a gamer virtual world and although just released in open beta, in playing Home,one can see the potential for all types of activities,including political activities.

 As I prepare to speak at today's "The First 21st Century Campaign" forum, sponsored by Google and National Journal, I can't help but note how much has changed in the less than a decade since the Y2K scare.  

On this site, many of us lament about the lack of progress on the part of our political entities and figures, while the world around them is changing drastically.  At least technology and media are changing drastically. 

About a month ago I created a Facebook group called "1,000,000 Republicans say Democrats don't own the web".  I wanted to use some competitive spirit to demonstrate that there were lots of Republicans engaged online, to counter all the chatter that the Democrats dominate the Internet.

I didn't really have time to promote it beyond inviting my friends, and then like about 80% of Facebook groups, I promptly stopped checking or maintaining it.  However, today I went back, and it has continued to grow (slowly, but growth is growth).

I've thought of trying some experiments there, such as open-sourcing the group (I realize the potential for vandalism, but it would be incumbent on the rest of us to police it), and I'd definitely like to hear others' thoughts.

So, if you're on Facebook, join up and help me with this!