For political candidates, the Web is another place to be heard and seen by their constituents. However, unlike traditional print and broadcast media, it offers a more dynamic environment, enabling instantaneous news to be brought to the voters any time. And it is cheap too.

But more than that, it provides a level playing ground for candidates on both sides of the political divide. Everything and anything a hopeful candidate wants to voice out can be put up. No cuts or censors like in the conventional media, where the government and the media companies decide/control what’s good and not to be heard and seen by the general public.

This “free hand” is one key factor that is attracting more political campaigners to indulge in the Web.

The other reason why the 12th general election is seeing more activities online than ever is because there is now a bigger audience in the virtual space. The tech-savvy and Internet user base has grown to some 11 million people and it only makes sense to reach out to this group via a channel they know best.

Many politicians have come to realise that presence on Web sites and getting involved in blogging, podcasting, video messaging and social networking platform is a must if they want to be seen and heard by this tech-savvy population who are potential voters.

Politicians going with the flow of the Web technologies definitely have an added advantage compared to those who still rely 100 per cent on conventional campaigning methods. Comparably, campaigners who continue to focus on conventional methods will miss a huge number of potential voters.

A profile on social networking sites such as Friendster, Facebook or MySpace can create an impact as these are platforms that have millions of profiles and various discussion groups that politicians can use to their benefit. It offers the possibilities of interacting with millions of potential voters and getting feedback.

For instance, Friendster reported recently that in Malaysia, it is visited by over 2.5 million active members per month, making Friendster.com one of the leading Internet destinations for Netizens in the country. It reaches over 28.5 per cent of all Internet users in Malaysia each month. These are compelling enough reasons for politicians to take on to the Net for campaigning.

Although it is true that Net presence did not bring better results for the opposition who leveraged more on Web technologies than the ruling coalition in the last general elections in 2004, the fact that cannot be ignored is the influence the Internet has on the younger generation.

Online campaigns might not decide the next general election results but sidelining the Web completely can be damaging for politicians in the long run.

For now, e-campaigning can remain a sideshow for politicians but in future general elections, it will need to take centrestage as the computer-literate generation gets more involved in the political arena.