Monday, January 07, 2008

What it will mean...

Nah, I'm not talking about the new page of non-partisanship in American politics the hope that we finally have a real, honest candidate for president. I'm not even talking about the whole racial thing. What I'm talking about is what another win by Obama on Tuesday will mean for political web strategy. (Not that these are unimportant, but I'm trying to focus here...)

There is going to be a huge need within American politics for strategic tech-thinkers over the coming weeks and months.

I am not talking about web development. I am talking about strategy - having a member of the senior strategic team on board that can understands and knows how to reach out to blogs, social media, online communities, etc., on par with the media strategist. Assuming things go as they are heading and New Hampshire validates much of what happened in Iowa (including the larger youth vote), political web strategy will finally get bumped up a few notches in importance for all those statewide, Congressional, and even local races underway. The real trouble is that this stuff is so new, most of the entrenched folks to date don't have the background and experience to play at the level needed. And those with the expertise are going to be difficult to find.

The entrenched web developers will get the initial nod, but they will have to be able to stand up to the media egomaniacs that have had the controls for decades. The bulk of the folks that have managed political websites over the past few cycles don't have the chops, nor the vision to sit at the big table. Of course, there are some that will fill the void well. But, an opportunity exists for the strategic tech-thinkers outside of politics already tinkering with new ideas of how to communicate, reach out, organize, and otherwise campaign, to be a part of something real.

So, I would like to open up this blog, myself and my Rolodex to begin helping the aspiring politicos out there in tech-land to come forth and be a part of the revolution. Leave a comment or send me an email with your tech credentials, and a bit about your strategic vision for a campaign.

I am trying to get a seat at the table myself, but my sense is that Obama may open more doors than one...

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