How Obama and McCain are changing the face of political media

Well worth a read is a piece on 10,000 words.net on how technology is changing the political landscape.
The candidate that gets to grips with the new media and connect with the voters will have a distinct advantage in the polls.

Not too long ago, millions of Americans would gather around the television to watch a presidential debate, then discuss it at the water cooler the next morning. Now, millions of people all over the world gather in front of their computers to blog, tweet, chat, upload and download information about the debates as they are happening.

and adds that

The American people are no longer slaves to traditional media and, through the net, are empowered to speak their mind on any number of topics and share their beliefs with anyone who will listen (or read). The anonymity of the internet means anyone can say anything they want from the comfort of their home — even those things that just a few decades ago would have been called treason or warranted social ostracization.

It is strange that we are someway behind this on this side of the water.A warning perhaps to the parties ahead of the next election