Campaign Trails 2.0

The web continues to play an important role in the '08 election -- giving candidates a way to reconnect with "the people" in ways that they haven't since the arrival of television. Mashable wrote about a new campaign tactic Obama is using that leverages the power of MySpace.

"Barack Obama is ramping up his MySpace presence to include state-specific profiles for communicating more directly with local supporters. What’s more, Obama is reaching out to the community even further by selecting a MySpace user to have dinner with him, and grant them the opportunity to discuss political issues."

You can check out more of Obama's MySpace presence here.

Mass to Niche

Avatar experiences are moving niche: Virtual Lower East Side (VLES).

"The main focus of VLES is very much geared towards the indie music scene. Artists are encouraged to register band profiles and leverage their avatars and virtual existence to connect with fans and promote their events (concerts, etc) using the VLES replica of the city."

"What you are witnessing is a ridiculously-realistic virtual version of New York City’s Lower East Side, a.k.a. the place where every angst-ridden, music-loving teenager (that means you, or maybe you a few years ago) dreams of running away to. This teensy neighborhood is so brimming over with cool bands, fun hangouts and bars, and pretty people."

CityWall

Multi-touch display in Helsinki (located in a central location for all to use)

Goals for the wall:
1.Community: Create awareness for city events and activities
2.Economy: Providing useful, dynamic content for visitors/tourists
3.Equality: Rich media for the masses