Online Social Networking and Politics

Politics has the power to divide people but it also has the power to bring people together and create progressive ideas and discussions from local to global political issues.

Getting Involved without Leaving Your Computer Chair

If you are looking for a site to read about politics and have an urge to contribute or be involved with articles, Political Grind is your answer. This website allows users to read bipartisan editorial articles from the eleven staff writers that touch on a plethora of issues. Political Grind also plays host to users who want to write their own articles and add their own flavor to the website. Also, because this is a blogging site, users can give and share comments on posts.

Touchy Subjects

This website does write just about political leaders in the governmental and social world. The Political Grind focuses on all things political and gives viewers an array of articles and topics to choose from. Just to name a few here are a few examples of topics that are covered:

• Campaigns
• US Economy
• Environment
• European Politics
• Middle Eastern politics
• Social Issues
• Religion
• Legal Issues

Why It Works

Political Grind works well because it is very user friendly. The site is easy to navigate and it is simple to look up political topics as well as archived articles because of the links in the side bars. Also, this site very clearly shows articles posted by the staff and articles posted by contributing user writers. I enjoy reading articles from this website because of the different views that all of the writers have. I also enjoy reading comments and thinking about the ideas that users have about certain subjects and topics.

Political TV on the Web

If you prefer watching video about political talk rather than just reading articles online, I suggest you take a look at The Bleepin Truth. This Tampa, Florida based cable television show is streamed online and is available for all to see. Chris Krimitsos, the Executive Producer of The Bleepin Truth has put together a strong cast of characters that are solid in their political views and are passionate about their opinions.

Each episode features a new guest and a politically controversial or debatable subject that the cast discusses. Previous show topics have covered

• Religion and politics
• Political party debates
• Gay Rights
• President George W. Bush's time in the White House
• Military Issues
• Environmental Issues
  

The show is informative as well as entertaining. The Bleepin Truth is vibrant and full of energy and has a semblance of the old TV show Crossfire in each episode.

Information is Power

Politics1 is a website dedicated to informing American voters on controversial and highly debatable issues and political party ideals and characteristics. This website is handy if you are overwhelmed by politics but would still like to be involved with the political process and want to exercise your right to vote.

Politics1 provides links to Conservative, Liberal, Libertarian, and Radical websites. They also have a list of political issues that explain both sides to every issue to help you relate to an issue and create an opinion on it. For example, by clicking on the Abortion link there are links to websites that explain reasons to oppose abortion and reasons to support a woman's right to choose.

I like this website because it is simple and easy to understand. It takes away the overwhelming overload of political information. Also, this site is unbiased and it provides an easy to use and categorized a ton of information about politics. Politics1 is an example of true democracy at it's finest.

A Guidline to Your Vote

If taking a survey is not your style to figure out what political candidate you like, I found a website that displays a chart of all the 2008 Presidential nominees' political outlook. This site is called 2008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issues. With this site you can quickly and easily look at a table that tells you what major issues Presidential candidates support or oppose.

I like this site because all of the candidates' views are listed right next to each other and it is easy to compare and contrast each candidate and learn a little more about the lesser known nominees.

The only set back to this site is that in some cases there is more than a simple yes or no answer about an issue. The site highlights this issue and encourages viewers to go directly to a candidate's website if there is any missing information or uncertainty.

"But Who Do I Agree With?"

This many be a question you are asking yourself with so many candidates running in the primaries. With so many nominees to choose from it is easy to get confused on what candidate you should vote for and who fits your political outlook. I found a site called Pick Your Candidate. This website has a survey that asks you how you feel about social, legal, domestic, and international affairs. Don’t worry, there is no writing necessary. How you feel about a particular issue is chosen through a pull-down menu that rates your outlook on the subject. The results are then calculated and a new page will pop up and show you which 2008 Presidential candidates match your perspective on politics, social issues, and international concerns.

I told a lot of my friends about this site during our political debates on who should be our next president. Most of my friends that thought that they were going to vote for one person decided to support a different candidate after taking this test. This site is easy to use and gives you a chance to second guess what presidential candidate you would vote for and gives you a direction on who to vote for if you are undecided.

WANTED: Al Gore Back in the White House

I came across an interesting website that was above and beyond the Democratic nature of this country. This site is dedicated to drafting Al Gore as President of the United States.

DraftGore.com is a grassroots organization that is trying to petition Al Gore to run for President. Supporters of Gore have created a large web based community (Over 100,000 strong) to support Al Gore and convince him to enter the 2008 Presidential Race. They are trying to recruit Gore enthusiasts by advertising, selling merchandise, keeping up-to-date news on Gore, petitioning, and writing letters to the Democratic Party and Mr. Gore himself.

This site is like nothing I have ever seen before. This site is an excellent example of the pursuit to the Democratic configuration that the United States claims to be seeking. It makes me feel thankful that we live in a country where we not only have the right to vote for our leaders, but also the freedom to nominate them as well.

Politics Through the Eyes of College Students

CampusProgress.org is a website that is getting college students involved with politics. This website engages people by giving them many opportunities to either get involved or to just read up on current politics. This site is different than an official website of a politician because it is a non-partisan website that invites all political viewpoints to join in and voice their opinion on issues that matter.

This site allows users to interact through:

• blogging

• contributing to website whether it be through writing articles, drawing political cartoons, or giving a commentary on audio or video
  

• attending or hosting events

• offering internships, jobs, and club membership.

I like this website because it focuses on young adults and appeals to me by speaking of progressive politics that involve peace, college affordability, and global warming issues just to name a few. I also like that the site is run by students, for students and many of the issues that appeal to my peers also appeal to me as well. The site also offers students a different take on politics through the Arts and Culture page that shows political issue through film, TV, comics, books, and music commentary.

But, mostly I like this website because it gives politics a rich and inviting culture and takes the blandness and insipid nature out of the word "politics."