I’m subscribed to a number of 2008 presidential candidates’ email lists to see how each is using to organize their online supporters. For the next 500 or so days, I’m going to follow and analyze the content, tactics, and strategy of the candidates’ use of email.

Today, June 30, is the end of the fundraising quarter. Every campaign has been ramping up their efforts to bring in money online. Barack Obama’s campaign smashed its goal of 250,000 donors for the year, and Hillary’s campaign just sent out an email stating a goal of raising $100,000 online in the last 24 hours before the end of the cycle.

But so far, the most curious campaign has come from John McCain. I signed up as a member of McCainSpace, John McCain’s MySpace clone. So, I cannot say for sure that the campaign’s email strategy is different for anyone signed up on the campaign’s website from that for members of its social networking site.

This morning, I got an email from McCain’s campaign manager with the subject line, “Just one more thing…”. Look at what was inside (click to enlarge):

McCain’s campaign announced in an email earlier this week a goal of raising $3 million online in the last week of the quarter. And every Friday, the campaign sends the McCain Update: a weekly newsletter that culls quotes from prominent supporters, positive news articles, and a whole lotta spin. I question the wisdom of doing one email a week without something for the recipient to do, but that’s for another post.

To wrap up the fundraising quarter, John McCain is already focusing his online activists on the general election, and operating under the assumption that Hillary is going to be the nominee. It would be interesting to understand the list segmentation (e.g., if this email targeting Hillary was sent to the whole list, as opposed to if it was sent to only to McCainSpace members, who are likely to be more partisan and dedicated Republicans, or at least, reliably anti-Hillary), because this is a pretty bold move if this was sent to the entire list.

Other candidates are focusing their activists on the candidates themselves, attempting to build solidarity and community through stories and goals. Granted, McCain beat his announced goal; it just seems weird to me, as an observer, to both put Hillary out as the assumed Democratic candidate, and then to go negative on her after breaking that goal – a bizarre interjection in a space that usually stays fairly focused and positive around this time.

It will be exciting to see what worked for whom over the next several weeks. Everyone has a lot to gain from a successful online program, but several could also lose big. I’ll continue to monitor this space & medium for the race.

Disclaimer: the views expressed here are mine and mine alone, and are certainly not those of my employer or those associated with the organization or anything else. Kloveyoubye.