Redes sociais e participação política na esfera pública.

The article analyzes the use of online discussion boards on Brasil's 2010 presidential elections, and evaluates the challenges and possibilities in this emerging public space. The analysis was based on the history of the communication channels; political communication, public spaces and political marketing. The results allow us to infer that the new information technologies (emails, spam, virtual communities, websites, etc.) present true challenges to political party and institutional communication, as well as new demands in treatment of internal and external communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]