Facebook: profiles, groups, networks and...campaigns?

TheFacebook.com, the ever more popular online college social sphere gets more interesting every day. The most recent transaction I personally encountered on the highly addictive forum was an invitation to join a political campaign group. True, it's only a AS board of directors position, but I was surprised none the less. It was someone I know from class last quarter and I didn't join for the obvious reason that, while I think he's a great guy, he is a liberal who will only encourage more liberal-cause spending. I won't name him on here, but I will point the reader to the latest issue of The Western Front in which reporter Peter Jensen wrote about one candidate getting in trouble for something his campaign group did on the facebook.

The campaign group for Tony Russo, a current member of the AS now running for president, used some official AS trappings and violated the election code. Yes, this is also someone I won't be supporting for much the same reasons I named above, never-the-less, I am interested in whether candidates are able to make much of a difference on an online community that is known not a little for its frivolity.

I'll just have to keep my eyes open and see how large the campaigns grow.