Zack goes to Kerry

Zack Exley of MoveOn.org has signed on as director of Kerry's online organizing efforts. This is great news for us Kerry supporters. Zack is smart, focused, passionate and fun to be around.

Over the course of the Dean campaign, Zack changed his mind - a political guy capable of changing his mind! - about the importance of using the Net to enable supporters to self-organize and connect. He's come to think that there's value to that, but his heart and his mindset remain centered on using the Net to do the bread-and-butter of campaigns: raise money, get out the vote, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, I was on a panel that "debated" Zack and a guy from RightMarch.com. I argued that using the Net to let us supporters connect is part of the bread and butter of campaigns, especially when the campaigns are going to bomb us back to the stoned age with Wal-Mart style ads. So, while I'm thrilled that someone as talented as Zack is going to be directing the Net side of the Kerry campaign, I'll be very interested in seeing how seriously the campaign takes the task - the opportunity - of using the connective power of the Net to generate enthusiasm for the candidate.

(A good sign: Cam Barrett is helping the Kerry campaign figure out what to do with their online activism tools.)