Zack Exley, who knows a thing or two about Internet campaigning, has a post titled “Don’t hire an Internet person.” No, he’s not suggesting tha campaigns give up on the Internet. On the contrary. Every day, he says, he gets calls asking for recommendations for an Internet person for a campaign.

“No, don’t hire an Internet guy,” I say. “You need to make your senior leaders, campaigners & organizers responsible for the Internet just as they’re responsible for everything else. The Internet is the biggest, greatest opportunity you have—so why would you outsource it to some Internet person you’ll just stick in a closet anyways?”

He concludes: “Everybody knows it’s time for a changing of the guard. To stop thinking of yourself as an Internet person is one way to help make it happen.”

Of course, campaigns still need people with Internet-specific skills, from the technical to the politcal-organizational. The Internet is different and requires people who understand it deeply. But Zack’s right to insist that the Net not be treated organizationally as a silo. And that’s as true for many businesses as it is for politics. [Tags: zack_exley politics ]

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