It's also interesting to note that the number of respondents who identified the Internet as their primary source for campaign news was 18 percent in 2004 (78 percent chose TV and 39 percent newspapers), suggesting a heightened interest in the presidential race over Congressional races. The Internet certainly won't be ignored in the coming presidential race. Already it’s being used to distribute campaign information for potential presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, John McCain and others. (Obama's use of online video to speak to voters is particularly interesting.)

Among the study's other interesting findings:

• A growing number of Americans used e-mail to discuss political information.


• Younger broadband users tend to favor the Internet as a source for news over newspapers.


• Web sites are playing an increasing role in dispensing political news, with information portals, issues-oriented web sites, blogs and comedy/satire sites all in the mix.


• It also shows that around 23 percent of those who used the Internet for political purposes created or forwarded online original political commentary or politically related videos, once again demonstrating the place user-created content has in the conversation.

None of this is particularly new to people who have been implementing web-based tactics in their communications initiatives, but it does reinforce those tactics. For people not using web-based tactics in their communications initiatives, it should be one of several wake-up calls.