BBC: Internet insurgent Howard Dean

[T_i_B]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3394897.stm

In January 2003, Howard Dean's campaign only had $157,000 in the bank, seven members on staff and little name recognition. A year later Mr Dean has broken Bill Clinton's fund-raising records for a Democratic candidate, has an army of energised supporters and has the lead in race for his party's presidential nomination.

What changed? Howard Dean discovered the internet. It is Howard Dean and his campaign manager who have used the internet to vault out of obscurity and into the lead over several more well-known opponents.

After Mr Trippi joined the Dean campaign, he noticed that bloggers were talking about trying to organise using a site called Meetup.com. At the beginning of 2003, William Finkel of Meetup.com decided to set up groups for the campaigns of Howard Dean, John Edwards and John Kerry because their campaigns were generating buzz in political blogs.

Riding a wave of anti-war sentiment, Howard Dean's blog-driven buzz turned into a roar, and Meetup gave his campaign a way to turn his virtual support into a real political force.