As we approach the 2008 election it’s important to realize that the netroots, comprised of blogs and social networking websites, are not something to be scared of, to avoid, or demean. Instead, these community websites, and the millions that comprise their audience, can be a powerful asset for progressives working in issue advocacy organizations, labor unions or political campaigns. This memo makes the case that all parts of the progressive family must engage the netroots, through the blogs and social networking websites, both in the long-term by increasingly integrating them into our work, and in the short-term with six recommendations that can be implemented immediately.

The netroots are the online activists who are working to revitalize a Democratic Party that will further a progressive agenda. Unlike the conservative ideologues who have held power for most of this decade, the people-powered netroots herald a much-needed return of non- dogmatic pragmatism to our politics. And that's good news for America, because if we don't provide leadership, the solutions to the world's problems will be decades in the making, or won’t come at all.

Last year, heading into the 2006 mid-terms, I wrote a NPI memo focusing on just the blogs. In this updated memo, I’ve added the development of political activism upon the social networking websites in discussing netroots outreach.

The world of social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, Eventful, and others, has once again altered the political playing field. With even more community members than the blogosphere, these websites allow organizations to reach out to millions more people. In contrast to the highly partisan blogosphere, the social networking sites are not all about politics. However, as the 2008 elections heat up, the sites are engaging their communities in the presidential election, and activists are emerging that will prove valuable to progressive organizations in targeting youth, who comprise a disproportionate majority of the community members on these websites, for political action.