Do-It-Yourself Political Advertising

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Internet is rapidly changing politics. A perfect example are the online advertisements and spoofs from the 2004 election.

The most popular by far was JibJab. By spoofing both sides, JibJab made a bipartisan effort to poke fun at the mudslinging of Bush vs. Kerry.

Internet advertisements work because they are relatively cheap to make and they cost virtually nothing to distribute. Television ads, the accepted standard in the media industry, can cost up to hundreds of thousand of dollars. Distribution via television also costs loads of money, of which media consultants take a cut.

Internet ads do not have to be professionally recorded. Half of the advertisements in the IPDI directory were done by kids in their basement. (Be careful, most of them don't work). I thought one of the most creative ads was the Cheney is Alive ad.

Internet ads are taking the power out of the hands of media consultants. Anyone with a camera and a good idea can make an ad. If you're flush with cash or if you're on a tight budget, you can still make an effective internet-based ad. By removing the middle man and the high powered consultants, internet advertisements are helping our democracy in the same way personal letters from a campaign worker helped in the 1950s and 1960s.

But make no mistake. Internet ads are also dangerous.

Internet ads are famous for their lack of accountability. While most TV stations have to abide by legal regulations, there is no governing body for the internet. People can post blantantly untrue ads and distortions that many people will believe are fact.

One of the worst offenders in 2004 - on either side - was an ad by MoveOn.org that compared Bush to Hitler. MoveOn faced intense media pressure, but refused to relent. This ad is still recalled by Republican critics of MoveOn.

If someone where to create an internet ad like the famous LBJ ad "Daisy," it might have the power to swing an election.

Let's just hope it's true.