Technology's Impact on Politics

In preparing for the April 16 MIT Enterprise Forum Event on "Technology's Impact on Politics" at the Bellevue Hyatt, I've been doing some calling-around and a little research. Here are some thoughts based on my conversations. I'd like to know your thoughts, too. Some of the fun organizations that I've contacted are http://www.technet.org/ and http://blueutopia.com/.

I keep thinking that offering "political infrastructure" as a service may be valuable. I see that being delivered as a hodge-podge of already-existing technologies rolled into a service. ie I don't think there's any reason to re-invent the wheel here. Maybe there's unfulfilled need in the market for campaign service companies where candidates or causes outsource their whole campaign to achieve their goals through crowds. But do businesses have incentive to deliver services specialized in politics only? I kinda doubt it. Politics is obviously a very cyclical business, which is a downside for businesses. But I do think that there is a ton that can be learned from observing the way the political process works. ie how do communications, campaigns, and groups form and work together to achieve the goals of the candidate or cause? Maybe the political process is a model for businesses to learn from as they discover how they, too, can use technology to build their brand and achieve their goals.

MITEF Volunteering

I'll be volunteering with the MIT Enterprise Forum of Seattle. The two events that I signed up to support are "Information Transparency" and "Technology in Politics". I'm excited to learn more about these areas, develop some skills, and meet some people.