Politicking Online : The Transformation of Election Campaign Communications

Of the many groundbreaking developments in the 2008 presidential election, the most important may well be the use of the Internet. In Politicking Online contributors explorethe impact of technology for electioneering purposes, from running campaigns andincreasing representation to ultimately strengthening democracy. The book reveals how social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are used in campaigns along withe-mail, SMS text messaging, and mobile phones to help inform, target, mobilize, and communicate with voters. While the Internet may have transformed the landscape of modern political campaigns throughout the world, Costas Panagopoulos reminds readers that officials and campaign workers need to adapt to changing circumstances, know the limits of their methods, and combine new technologies with more traditional techniques to achieve an overall balance. Technology and the modern political campaign : the digital pulse of the 2008 campaigns / Costas Panagopoulos The technological development of candidate websites : how and why candidates use web innovations / James N. Druckman, Martin J. Kifer, and Michael Parkin Closing gaps, moving hurdles : candidate web site communication in the 2006 campaigns for Congress / Girish J. "Jeff" Gulati and Christine B. Williams Trickle-down technology? The use of computing and network technology in state legislative campaigns / Chapman Rackaway Do campaign websites really matter in electoral civic engagement? Empirical evidence from the 2004 and 2006 post-election tracking survey / Hun Myoung Park and James L. Perry Clicking for cash : campaigns, donors, and the emergence of online fundraising / Costas Panagopoulos and Daniel Bergan The impact of email campaigns on voter mobilization : evidence from a field experiment / David W. Nickerson Mobilizing the mobiles : text messaging and turnout / Allison Dale and Aaron Strauss Online political advertising / Michael Cornfield and Kate Kaye "Under construction" : weblog campaigning in the German Bundestag election 2005 / Steffen Albrecht, Maren Lübcke, Rasco Hartig-Perschke Mobile democracy : text messages, voter turnout, and the 2004 Spanish general election / Sandra L. Suárez Bloggers at the gates : Ned Lamont, blogs, and the rise of insurgent candidates / Kevin A. Pirch Voters, MySpace, and YouTube : the impact of alternative communication channels on the 2006 election cycle and beyond / Vassia Gueorguieva "Friend" the president : Facebook and the 2008 presidential election / Allison Slotnick The political impact of Facebook : evidence from the 2006 elections and the 2008 nomination contest / Christine B. Williams and Girish J. "Jeff" Gulati Conclusion / Costas Panagopoulos. "Of the many groundbreaking developments in the 2008 presidential election, the most important may well be the use of the Internet. In Politicking Online contributors explore the impact of technology for electioneering purposes, from running campaigns andincreasing representation to ultimately strengthening democracy. The book reveals how social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are used in campaigns along with e-mail, SMS text messaging, and mobile phones to help inform, target, mobilize, and communicate with voters. While the Internet may have transformed the landscape of modern political campaigns throughout the world, Costas Panagopoulos reminds readers that officials and campaign workers need to adapt to changing circumstances, know the limits of their methods, and combine new technologies with more traditional techniques to achieve an overall balance"--Book cover