Allow me to preface these posts by stating that this is not a political blog, and this post does not reflect any partisan bias or opinions. The sole intention is to discuss yet another area that technology and social networking are changing the rules of the game.

The 2006 Congressional races generated more buzz and global awareness than any other midterm election I can consciously remember. Clearly there were hot button issues, such as Iraq, that bubbled at the forefront of this attention; however, underneath all of it we saw, what I believe, was the true beginning of the Internet and “Web 2.0″ emerging as a medium for communicating and monitoring the candidates and their platforms.

With the 2006 Elections barely over, we’re already seeing preparation at both the constituent and candidate levels for 2008. The 2008 campaign cycle will be different than any other we’ve seen. The emergence of “netroots” followings and anti-followings will require politicians to adjust their long tried and trued campaigning tactics. From the looks of it, some of these early contenders clearly “get-it”, while others obviously never will.

One of the first to understand the power of leveraging the web to relate and communicate to the masses was Barack Obama. Long before the hysteria around his impending Presidential Race, Obama was one of the first Senators to blog and podcast about his initiatives in Washington. He also makes his speeches available on the official Senate website. As an Illinois resident, I certainly appreciate this forum of information exchange. It’s truly no wonder that he’s become an international sensation.

I also have to note that it was fairly obvious, at least in my opinion, that Obama was gearing up for more than just book sales in late November when web searches on his name started yielding Google Adwords directing you to his website.

The next to demonstrate the importance of netroots engagement in this race was John Edwards when he invited bloggers to his announcement speech in New Orleans. One thing that strikes me as really cool is the “RSS Central” on his website. WOW! Most politicians can’t even spell RSS…

Quickly following suit was Hillary Clinton with her webinar and live chat series. These were advertised on political blogs for a week or so before hand, and in true Internet marketing spirit there was an email capture to register for the event. I signed-up for the first webinar, and despite the fact that I didn’t attend I still received a “Thank You Email”. Ms. Clinton would benefit from a better CRM solution. What I should have received was an email offering me a link to view the archived event. Oh well, she still has time to get the minor details right.

Some other notables on her website include the Guest Blogger contest, the “Build Our Base” link to enter in the email addresses of your friends and family (this one could actually backfire if people feel like they’re getting spammed). Hillary’s 2.0ish site is even complete with a way to sign-up for a fundraiser code and track how much you’ve raised online. Lastly, even her “Let the Conversation Begin” launch theme conjures up images of the social networking craze…

There are even signs that the actual political parties themselves are getting the bigger picture:

-The Republicans’ Official Site has postings to be a volunteer campaign eStrategist. They also give you the ability to create a turnkey fundraising site of your very own. Seems like a novel way to raise money AND drive web traffic.

-The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) Website touts a “DCCC Live!” section, featuring Online Chat sessions with Key Party Players and downloadable speeches. DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen has even committed to hold monthly conference calls with bloggers and DCCC netroots supporters.

Without question, how the 2008 political contenders leverage these new tactics will have a significant impact on their success. Despite all this, the elections will not be won by the Internet alone.There are still far too many voters unreachable by these methods. This means that candidates will still have to maintain their legacy media tactics.

The key element to success in 2008 will be the candidates’ ability to execute two simultaneous campaigns. One by utilizing the Internet and Guerilla 2.0 tactics; the second by executing the old mainstream media (MSM) approach.

Next-up, I’ll discuss how voters are using their online presence to steer the course of the elections. 

-Chris