Last I checked, video games have not become a vital communication channel in matters international.

That use of the internet was particularly uninspired but made for a flashy headline. His campaign has been far more net savvy than that from the start, he's done an excellent job of using it to address that audience, not just the gimicky things that get coverage.

It seems like a big false alarm. What if half the television airwaves were like a do it yourself car wash--except it cost $2 million instead of $2 to use the tools? We might get our broadcast of raw facts over such a medium, but we'd still turn to the media owned channels for the analysis that most of us are often too busy to do ourselves. To my mind, it's not a story until it's wrapped in at least the illusion of context and criticism. It's just a press release.

Which is exactly what Obama's done right with the internet. He hasn't attempted to force people who don't want to use it into using it. He continues to interact with traditional media just as effectively as he would without the internet. But he's supplementing it by presenting himself online in ways that the people who prefer that outlet appreciate.

If you're not the type that cares about internet communication, you're not "missing" anything by not seeing it. And if you're not the type that cares about traditional media, you're not missing anything either.

Well, I've now signed up on the Obama web site and the McCain web site. Bring it on.

And what exactly would your criteria for judging the results be?

Since we tend to vote for candidates who make us feel good about ourselves and the positions we hold, I guess I would have to vote for the one whose use of the Internet to run his campaign makes me feel best about myself in my relation to the Internet.

But are you someone who regularly uses the internet for information gathering beyond adaptation of traditional media (i.e., more than reading news sites as you would read a newspaper)? Are you comfortable and accustomed to following blogs, social networking, or online activism?

Keep in mind, Obama's online campaign is not designed to lure people away from traditional media onto the internet. He is simply trying to reach those who already prefer it and has done a more than admirable job of structuring his message online to appeal to them. So just jumping in as someone not in that target market may not be a particularly accurate way to judge the effectiveness.

re: the Obama VP text message - I heard praise for it's brilliance in bringing even more people to his website to sign up for it. Old marketing ploy but it brought more eyes to his message, and added to his contact list - how much that results in votes and dollars, I don't know but it probably created somewhat of an uptick in that regard.

Even though I'm a yellow-dog Dem, on the level, you have to do what you know is best. It has to be so frustrating, BDBopper. Here's to happier days for you.