New Orleans mayoral campaign a-twitter with new technology
by Stephanie Grace - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

As a mayoral candidate in 2002, Ray Nagin did something unprecedented. During candidate forums, the self-described "technologist" would scroll through his BlackBerry, pull information stored in old e-mails and use it to dazzle his audiences with his supposed grasp of details. At the time, nobody in New Orleans had seen anything like it. Today, of course, gadgets like the one Nagin carried eight years ago are ubiquitous. But a whole new generation of cutting-edge technology and applications have not only hit the campaign trail, but have heavily influenced the race's dynamics. For those following the race the old-fashioned way, here's some of what you've been missing. In some ways, Web sites like You Tube are acting as levelers, allowing candidates with big imaginations but little money to get attention without having to buy expensive television time. James Perry used this technique to make an early splash by posting a shocking but funny expletive-laden ad, which went viral. So, briefly, did a biting spoof of Mitch Landrieu's video announcement. None of his opponents claimed credit for the parody -- in fact, its appearance led to a flurry of fingerpointing -- but it got lots of hits before disappearing. The Internet also offers plenty to voters looking for substance. No regular person, at least not one with any outside responsibilities or interests, could have attended the many forums that have crowded candidate schedules. But in almost every case, one or more bloggers have live-tweeted almost every question and answer, allowing anyone logged on to Twitter to follow along. The candidates have been tweeting too, often linking to favorable news stories or promoting their next appearances. One day Nadine Ramsey invited supporters to dial in to her prayer line each morning at 6:15.