The idea of Post Partisan politics requires a bit of Internet literacy in order to understand why its actually feasible. Most people who object outright to the feasibility of post-partisan politics are people just don’t know what current Internet technologies are capable of doing.

So if you’d like to know the definition of things like “mashups”, “social computing” ” folksonomies” and are otherwise trying to get up to speed on current Internet technology, here’s a reading assignment. You should be able to read through and absorb this over a weekend, or even a single afternoont.

For starters, read these 5 Wikipedia entries:

Now that you have a solid background, here are several key essays and articles:

1. What is Web 2.0 by Tim O’Reilly. This essay comes closest to a complete definition of what Web 2.0 is and is not, complete with interesting comparisons of Web 1.0 companies (Netscape) vs. Web 2.0 companies (Google) as well as Web 1.0 concepts (taxonomies) contrasted with 2.0 concepts like tagging.

2. By the people, for the people, on the Web: A coming of age by Jon Parales. Examines the proliferation of choice, as well as other cultural and economic dimensions of Web 2.0.

3. Web 2.0 by Paul Graham. This essay helps separate the hype from the reality and provides a helpful down to earth summary of Web 2.0 core concepts.

4. Entrepreneurs See a Web Guided by Common Sense by John Markoff. This New York Times article outlines the emergence of Web 3.0, contrasting it with the still fresh conventional wisdom of Web 2.0.