Internet Campaigning and Participation.

This paper explores the use of the Internet for promoting participation in the 2004 election. The online mobilization efforts of the websites for all 68 major-party candidates for the U.S. Senate were systematically analyzed. The evidence suggests that candidates are using websites to promote credit card participation, voting, and volunteering. The research formalizes the concept of plagiarized participation, whereby would-be participators are encouraged to present the words of others as their own in support of a cause. Providing frequency counts and text examples, this paper gives a systematic view of Internet campaigning for grassroots and Astroturf support. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]