This week News Corp.’s MySpace.com announced the Internet site Impact Channel. The site features voter registration information, job postings, news, videos and–perhaps most interesting of all–presidential candidate profiles. Eleven 2008 presidential hopefuls currently have profiles on the site and have begun the social networking competition over who can amass the largest number of Internet friends. So far Barack Obama tops the list with his friend network–not surprising given his popularity with the younger generation as evidenced by the myriad Facebook groups dedicated him.

Rudy Giuliani is the only candidate so far who has chosen to set his profile to private–meaning only those who choose to be his online friends have access to his information. This is an interesting choice; it adds an extra step before Impact Channel users reach Giuliani’s message creating “private” publicity for the candidate. Perhaps it will entice more people to join his friend network in order to gain access. We will have to wait to see whether his strategy is helpful or detrimental to his campaign in the long run.

For more on the 2008 candidates check out PodZinger’s Presidential Hopefuls channels at www.podzinger.com.