So it turns out that President-Elect Barack Obama has chosen Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to head up the Democratic National Committee.  Are you wondering why you should care?  With 20 million supporters through e-mail lists and the social networks, the information is an internet marketer’s dream come true.  So if you were an online Obama friend/supporter then it becomes really important to you, because it is no longer Barack Obama you’ll be friends with online… but rather Time Kaine.

Considering they’ll be prying the Blackberry out of Obama‘s hands, the President won’t be able to maintain his campaign social networks since legal restrictions won’t allow his White House to contact the people on those lists directly.  What do you think he’s going to do with all his Twitter Followers (the same account was hacked last week since laying dormant since the end of the election), Facebook Friends, and his own social network at MyBarackObama?  Turning over the information to the DNC is a logical answer, but is it the right thing to do?

All of a person’s information, in theory, would be available to both national, state, and local Democratic organizations for their use.  I for one truly don’t want to be spammed by my local Democrats.  I think its important that the DNC recognize the reasons for Obama‘s success… a grassroots foundation, enthusiasm built at the base around the concept of community, the integrated use of community contributions… and while that information may have been vital to him it may not necessarily help the rest of the party who have not started from the ground up.  Of course Obama’s model is one I think the DNC (and RNC for that matter) should look to replicate, but I don’t think its one to just take.  The Republicans for years have maintained databases of supporters… and what exactly did that get them?  An electoral pummeling.

Obama, don’t turn your friends into cattle and sell them by the head to the DNC.  Instead, keep that information for yourself, and when its time to commemorate your library and send everyone on those lists an invite.  They’re the ones who gave you what you needed when you needed it… not the DNC.

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