In other words, how much did Obama personally pay attention to any of the social media, either in asking that it be set up or supervising it?

I don’t know that I’ve seen any indication in the reporting on the subject. He might have been quite involved in looking at Twitter and Facebook and in Text Messages. Or he may have had a much more hands-off approach, with general guidelines for what he wanted done, and asking those more in the know to go and do what seemed right on behalf of the campaign to do it.

A great leader needs to know more about motivating and empowering people to user their inate talent and experience to move together in a certain direction than about any of the details and mechanics of the movement.

But besides of Obama being a catalyzer that mobilises & motivates hidden energies, I think he also is a great leader who convinced many of us with his simple mission. Change is/was inevitable anyways.

See his speech in Berlin – my mum (66) had called me that day, telling me that she had really liked his speech – and she’s one of the rather sceptic types who wouldn’t buy the usual empty phrases, or even this great patriotism the German postwar-generation still has problems with. And she also isn’t using Twitter or Facebook (although she often reads my blog, asking me questions like “who’s supposed to read all that stuff?”).

So it’s not just the social media tools and empowering people to connect with each other, but also he himself – his good image / the great product – he managed to market wise enough.

I would even want to compare it with the recent PC/Mac adds: if you buy a Mac, you know that your options are limited but that it will work out in the end and empower your creativity (at least that’s what I am told). So, obviously, both Obama and Macs are sexier products to promote than the known alternatives.

Another factor for his success for me is the atmosphere he managed to convey: hope, love, co-operation.
The other side, it feels, only continued building up this atmosphere of fear, terror, danger, threats and so on.

I think the biggest impact his election has is that the public image of the USA has completely changed overnight from very bad to “hey, this is cool!”.

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As for me, I will try to see how we can use this approach for a not-so-sexy product like ecological sanitation projects – the field I am active in.

Kiva Team Obama formed Sep 4, 2008, 1372 members, 3563 loans, $100,950.00 loaned

Kiva Team McCain formed Sep 3, 2008, 118 members, 316 loans, $10,125.00 loaned

Kiva Obama Team is #1 and Kiva McCain team is #32 (out of 2,419 total teams)

People taking meaningful action thru Kiva on behalf of their candidate.