Former governor Mark Warner has been called a lot of names in his political career, but luddite isn’t one of them. From founding what would become cell phone giant Nextel to being one of the first politicians with his own blog, Warner has always been on the cutting edge of communications technology. So it comes as no surprise that he recently became the first 2008 presidential contender with a page in Facebook.com.

Like MySpace.com, Facebook is a social networking website that allows users to set up a profile where they can tell a little bit about themselves, post photos, and connect with other users by asking them to accept their “friend request.” Originally started by a Harvard undergrad as a way for college students to connect, the site recently expanded to allow anyone to join.

In his profile, Warner calls his political views “moderate,” and lists his interests as “small towns that are working to get it right” and “getting things done.” His favorite movies are Field of Dreams, North by Northwest, and Saving Private Ryan. And although he claims he doesn’t watch much TV lately, he does recall Hill Street Blues and Star Trek as past faves. He also proudly displays his picture with U2 frontman Bono in his photo gallery.

So far it seems Warner is being received well. At this moment, he’s received 52 posts on his virtual “wall,” and all are of encouraging and complimentary, with the exception of one poster who is “disconcerted” that he hasn’t heard Warner talk foreign policy, and another who calls the former governor “a nerd” for listing best-selling science fiction novel Dune as one of his favorite books.

This Facebook appearance comes on the heels of Warner holding a online town hall meeting last month using a computer game called The Second Life. That event featured a computer-generated avatar that looked and sounded like the former governor– the only difference being that the digi-guv could fly.

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