• July 10, 2008

John McCain may not be considered the most Internet-savvy pol, but he can now claim an online first: Posting the first poll on LinkedIn.

Still in beta, LinkedIn Polls lets organizations run polls across the social network to get feedback on their business, strategy or research questions. The polling service can be targeted based on members' profile data including geography, industry, job function and gender.

Focusing on energy policy, the McCain campaign's poll question asks: What has the most long-term potential to make gas affordable for Americans? Readers can choose from responses including oil exploration in the U.S., better Middle East relations and smaller vehicles. LinkedIn members will see the poll question at least once this week when they log in to their account.

A LinkedIn spokesperson said both McCain and Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama had previously used the social site for professionals to pose questions on LinkedIn Answers. Obama has run a more Internet-centric campaign overall, raising a record amount in online contributions and gaining strong support on social networks such as Facebook and MySpace.--Mark Walsh