O papel dos Social Networking Sites nas eleições americanas

Nos EUA, a nova arena dos candidatos presidenciais, durante a corrida para as eleições de 2008, é um Social Networking Site como o MySpace, o Facebook ou o LinkedIn.

O artigo
The social networking election
Sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn have found a new audience consisting of political junkies. But will they be able to cash in?
By Jeff Cox, CNNMoney.com contributing writer
September 12 2007: 2:47 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Consider the Web site LinkedIn a late entry into the already crowded 2008 presidential race.
The professional networking site, kind of a MySpace for the white-collar crowd, kicked off its campaign this week with an event featuring Democrat Barack Obama, who signed on to communicate with the site's 13 million members.
Obama on Wednesday posed a business-related question to LinkedIn members related to his efforts to defeat New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and others vying for the Democratic nomination. (His question: "How can the next president help small business and entrepreneurs survive?" to which he received 135 answers by mid-morning Wednesday.)
For the Illinois senator, his debut on LinkedIn gives him the chance to connect with movers and shakers in the business world. And for LinkedIn itself, Obama's decision to partake in the often lively forums on the site gives it a boost of street cred in a new and growing niche for online social networks - as a well-traveled political town hall that could provide a strong revenue source in the future.

in CNNMoney.com - Technology