There is an interesting article in today's Sunday Boston Globe. Its title is, Politicians See Facebook as Portal. It begins by mentioning that potential presidential candidate John Kerry visited the main office of Facebook. Facebook is an online directory that connects people through social networks.

Politicians want to use the social web to reach the twenty-something generation.

"It feels awesome to have you as a facebook friend!" wrote one University of Tampa student on the "wall" of Senator Evan Bayh's Facebook page. Bayh, an Indiana Democrat and 2008 presidential hopeful, jumped the queue and started his own page months before the political advertisements officially begin.

The 50-year-old senator's listed interests include "Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip Ice Cream," "Apple Pie," and "Football" -- not to mention "War on Terror."

A spokesman for Bayh's All-America PAC, which runs the profile, said a staff member oversees all content on the page. "It's updated pretty regularly," the spokesman, Jonathan Kott, said. "The senator feels it's a way for him to reach out to college students."

Will social networks and the social web play an important role in politics? Click here to read one point of view.

Sincerely,
Alan