A social media role in governing?

[Commentary] The SOPA and Komen protests are further examples of the power social media can exert on organizations and governments.

As is the Tea Party movement; its formation and power is also closely linked to social media. The ability of the Web to help campaigns raise money, recruit volunteers and disseminate information on a targeted basis is well documented. Then-Sen Barack Obama mastered this in 2008 and is investing heavily in a new and improved version in 2012. But what interests me more than the use of this medium on campaigns is its potential implications for governing. President Obama tried but failed to convert his social media campaign army into a force to pass his agenda. The next President should pay more attention to this conversion. It is potentially a new way of breaking gridlock and imposing an agenda.