The news is buzzing today as Fred Thompson has quit "Law & Order" in order to launch a presidential bid. He has also indicated he plans to use the internet extensively in his campaign. In a blog post to Pajama Media last week, Thompson wrote, "So, I hear you all have been talking about me." And thus begins his online conversation with voters. Clearly, the tone is intimate and personal, just as a blog post should be.

And it seems he really does understand the power of the internet to transform politics.

"Whether or not the Internet can elect any particular candidate in any particular race, it’s clear that all of you and our many friends across the blogosphere and the Web are part of a true information revolution. That’s why so much of my effort has been focused on talking to Americans through this medium. By empowering individuals and building communities, the Internet provides a way of going around the inside-the-beltway crowd to reach people in numbers unheard of not that long ago."

Right, said Fred. He gets this element of the internet very well. The internet is a way to connect directly to the people.

But is Thompson, as Bob Krumm argues, "the first political candidate to truly understand the revolutionary changes brought by the internet to politics?" I think not. He may be the first Republican to really get it, but there is strong evidence that Obama and Edwards get it, too. And don't forget Howard Dean. And what about Utah Democratic candidate for Senate in 2006, Pete Ashdown? He used a wiki to invite voters to help him formulate his policy platform.

But while Thompson understands that social networks and blogs allow candidates to speak directly to the voters, it remains to be seen whether his message works in these communities. If, as I have often argued, social network strategy works for public interest campaigns much better than private interest campaigns, then Thompson may face a campaign with a split personality. His social conservative platform is likely to work well among online conservatives because they can internalize his goals. But his pro-business platform will have a tougher row to hoe. To the extent this platform is about improving the bottom line profits of big business (oil, pharmaceuticals, auto manufacturers, insurance, etc.), he will be hard pressed to get online communities to take those goals as their own.

And while he may try to compartmentalize those two tracks, it is unlikely online communities will allow that to happen. If anything, they will shine a bright light on all aspects of his campaign, regardless of how he tries to frame it.

In the end, the measure of how well he gets the internet depends on how well he understands that he cannot tightly control his message in an online environment. Can he successfully embrace and manage the chaos? Time will tell.