Yesterday I began work full-time as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party. I take over a job that, in the past, has only been filled during campaign years. The party has no official presence on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, or any of the other social networks. The good news: its website is created with WordPress, so making it more bloggish won't be difficult.

The other good news is that Tennessee has a pretty robust political blogosphere, and the media here is increasingly paying attention to what's on the blogs and the social networks.

I also have to run the traditional media relations side of things - the press releases, media response, etc., which means setting priorities is very important.

So, my question is, with regards to the online stuff - where should I begin?

I'd love to read TechRepublican readers' suggestions as to where to start, what to do first, etc. Remember, I'm dealing with an almost perfectly blank slate here - using WordPress for the website is the only "given."

Please enter your suggestions here in the comments, don't email them to me, because I think the ensuing conversation might be worthwhile for more people than just me.