The presidential election hinges on Social Networking sites? Maybe.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122456174919853363.html (referenced article is half way down the page)

According to a Wall Street Journal article posted on Tuesday, both candidates McCain and Obama will turn to social networking sites as a place to woo voters. I find this fascinating from a voter perspective. In a (fairly) close election, swaying independent or undecided voters one way or another could represent a dramatic shift in the outcome. Given that many voters feel like their vote doesn't matter, receiving attention through these sites might help change their view on voting.
A company called Rapleaf, did some research on social networking sites, focusing on the sites popularity in certain "swing" states. In Iowa, Facebook and Yearbook.com are most popular and are sure to garner the most attention from the candidates. In Wisconsin, Bebo Inc. is the most popular. Close to home for us, New Hampshire, which has an aged voter population, tends to use Linked In. You have to think that if the WSJ can get some of this information for an article, then McCain and Obama are already working on a plan of attack if one hasn't already started.
This got me thinking. I have seen quite a few people becoming friends with candidates on Facebook. In fact, John McCain has 588,228 friends, and Obama has 2,210,799 friends. There is no doubt in my mind that advertising and promoting themselves on social networks will ultimately garner more votes for each candidate, but it also will get more people out to vote as they realize their vote matters.

Cheers,

Matt