Some thoughts on the divergent uses of technology by the McCain and Obama campaigns, from the Berkman Center's Gene Koo:

The Republicans' use of the Internet as a marketing space rather than a networking space reflects their strategic emphasis on the "air war" over the "ground war." This is a mistake, not only because a similar strategic calculation put the Democrats on the defensive for the past several decades, but because the Internet is NOT broadcast television or radio.

Yes, the Web has proven powerful for fundraising, but its greatest power is in relationships, not transactions. The McCain campaign is essentially ceding that function to surrogate networks, which is probably as smart as if the Obama campaign let MoveOn run its Internet efforts -- it's a mistake.

And:

Any grassroots organizer (even the ones who have fewer responsibilities than mayors) will tell you that databases are the root of all organizing. They may not use the word "database," but back in the day, organizers took special care of their stacks of index cards with supporters' key info.

The key point made at the end of this piece is distinguishing between a typical networking site and a campaign site: Facebook et.al. encourage socializing, not action. The pyramid structure and action-bias of MyBO is impressive; I am waiting to see if the iPhone app will allow the campaign to push reminders to volunteers the same way that organizers do turnout calls or other tactics to ensure that people show up to phonebank or canvass.