Use of Internet to Raise Funds, Organize Rallies May Be Common in Future
By Brian Faler
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, February 20, 2004; Page A12
Howard Dean's presidential campaign ended this week much as it began: lagging in the polls and nearly broke. But along the way, the campaign used the Internet in sometimes radically new ways -- a legacy that experts predict will live on as they try to divine the lessons of Dean's innovative if, ultimately, unsuccessful bid.
Was it the political equivalent of Pets.com, the widely mocked Internet start-up from the late 1990s that ran on little more than hype? Was it a glimpse into the future of campaigning -- a blueprint that other candidates will someday adopt as a matter of course? Or was it something else entirely?
Few quibble with Dean's success raising money online. The former Vermont governor entered the race a virtual unknown, with little in the way of a national fundraising network. But he raised $41 million in 2003 -- much of it online -- eclipsing all his Democratic rivals and breaking former president Bill Clinton's party record for money raised in a quarter.
His success has been attributed to any number of real-world factors: his straight-talking persona, his opposition to the war in Iraq, the favorable media coverage he enjoyed much of last year. But experts also credit his campaign with developing savvy online fundraisers -- essentially online telethons that posted their goals alongside urgent deadlines and icons counting the donations as they came in.
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55846-2004Feb19.html
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