I spent most of last night watching the Democratic election returns roll in, with the TV tuned to MSNBC but the sound turned down low, and my laptop in my hands, watching for live reaction and commentary on the event as it unfolded. Twitter, which has now become the web's virtual water-cooler, was my main guide, but while it was fun, I want more. The world live web is arguably already here, perhaps what we need to do is stitch it together a bit better for political events.

New technologies that may impact '08; one GOP consultant's Amazon wishlist; a relationship between online video and fundraising?; a peek at Election 2024; McCain's catatonic blog; the non-existent link between experience and presidential greatness; YouTube expands YouChoose; MoveOn gears up for '08; Mindy Finn on her Romney role; and a new networked investigative resource.

I have noticed that my list of MySpace friends doesn't grow linearly. You can't just go to the last page of your "friends" to see who's added themselves to your train.

New "friends" seem to get added and sorted at random. I am assuming it is a ruse used to maximmize pageviews and thusly ad revenue. Still, it lends itself for some unplanned and quite humorous comingly of people who may have never met outside your list.

Salon has a very interesting article today by Lindsay Beyerstein of Majikthise on why she turned down the job that Amanda Marcotte briefly held with the Edwards campaign. She also addresses what she thinks is a major flaw in their online strategy: by making bloggers "official" you remove most of the value of their independent, outsider voices.

Describing herself as having been hired on as a "part-time technical advisor," Melissa McEwan has posted on her site, Shakespeare's Sister, that she has left the Edwards campaign. McEwan has been the focus of attention for the Catholic League's Bill Donohue and the subject of piles of news stories and blog posts -- though, in many cases, as something of an afterthought to criticisms of Edwards' former blogger Amanda Marcotte. In leaving, McEwan gives credit for her resignation to "individuals who used public criticisms of me as an excuse to unleash frightening ugliness, the likes of which anyone with a modicum of respect for responsible discourse would denounce without hesitation."