Long, Uphill Climb

It looks like the Republicans will have a long, uphill climb. I received an email from one of my Republican Senators (he shall remain nameless for now) asking me to subscribe to his e-newsletter. I replied to his email with the following:

Email is so 2003. You might consider social networking for greater affect and engagement with voters. Most folks don't want more clutter in their inboxes. I'm happy to consult with your staff if interested.

I don’t expect an actual reply as the only way I could send this note is through the tightly controlled gauntlet laid down by the Senator’s contact form on his website. Whether he or any others will get it and begin legitimate dialog remains to be seen.

For those of us who use the tools of Web 2.0, this unenlightened approach of e-newsletters and contact forms seems as foreign to us as Web 2.0 must appear to Senators like these. But Robert Scoble just observed the same outcome with key business leaders in a presentation he delivered. And it will take time, but the Obama adminstration’s relative mastery of Web 2.0 should bring about change in business and government and their approaches to their customers and constituencies, respectively; lest they both risk losing them.