John Edwards was the first top-tier Democratic candidate to announce his run for President in 2008. So far, he has led an impressive effort online. Edwards website is filled with engaging content. All videos are posted on YouTube, pictures on Flickr, and his MySpace and Facebook profiles are prominently linked on most pages (he even has RSS set up on the site). What is interesting about Edwards social networking strategy is that he has a profile on virtually every site on the net. Little known sites like 43 Things, Ning and 20 (20!) other little know sites get a lot of attention on this site. Clearly they are taking the “lets throw everything against the wall and see if it sticks” approach. Since legitimate presidential campaigns have legions of volunteers and interns, this approach should be used by EVERY campaign. John Edwards is clearly one of the few candidates that get the web as it’s used in 2007.

Another impressive thing about Edwards online strategy is his aptly named “One Corps.” Created as a way to get people more involved, this group allows people to take action in their communities not just to help get Edwards elected, but to make a difference (though let’s be clear, this was done to help get Edwards elected). From collecting food for a local pantry to pushing for energy independence, the One Corps is connecting Edwards supporters across the country. This is going to be extremely useful in the coming months.

The one negative I will say is that I have not seen an Edwards email for quite some time. With the focus so early on in this presidential race, I would have expected Edwards to continue his aggressive email strategy (in January-February I was getting weekly emails it seemed). Where did these go? There have been studies done that show if you do not email your list for over a month, it has a negative impact on your future results.

Overall grade: A

Up tomorrow: US Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)