A group of Ryerson students are following how Canadian political parties are using the internet and what kind of results they are getting. The results are varied. Ottawa Citizen:

Ryerson University professor Greg Elmer leads a group of six graduate students in producing Infoscape, a study of how the political process is being affected by new media and the Internet, particularly blogging, social networking and video sites. At their site, infoscapelab.ca, the group posts weekly bulletins ranking the most-watched YouTube videos that focus on a party leader, noting new Facebook groups connected to the campaigns and pointing to interesting or controversial websites.

Most of the parties have embraced online campaigning, says Mr. Elmer. They can’t afford not to if they want to look current and competent.

“Purely on a symbolic level, it’s important to communicate that you’re up on new technology,” says Mr. Elmer.

The Infoscape group had a dry run at this kind of research last fall, when they studied how blogs and videos were being used by candidates and supporters in last fall’s federal Liberal leadership race. They found that bloggers played a pivotal role, leaking information and stirring trends. Candidates began actively courting bloggers, trying to sway their content.

Not so in the Ontario election.

“In the provincial campaign, bloggers aren’t playing a very important role,” says Mr. Elmer. “They’re not breaking stories and being sought out by the parties and incorporated into the campaigns, the way they were during the Liberal leadership race, which was a coming-out party for bloggers. In Ontario, we’ve reverted to the usual communications use of media in a very controlled fashion by the parties.” The Liberal online campaign is the most traditional of the main parties, Mr. Elmer says. By creating ToryTube.ca to highlight every Tory gaffe they can get on video, the Liberals are using new media for the old election war-room tactics of “pointing out the flaws and mistakes of the other side,” says Mr. Elmer.

Infoscape Lab