Dr Dean has pioneered a new form of internet campaigning (he even used it to consult his supporters about whether he should forgo federal funds).

ECONOMIST: American politics

He left office in Vermont to run for President in 2003, implementing innovative fundraising strategies via Internet grassroots campaigning.

FORBES: Next Week's Guest: Governor Howard Dean

They were warned that to make the most of the internet's campaigning potential they had to accept "losing control" of their material - with the viral "yes we can" pro-Obama campaign last year cited as the best example.

BBC: Tory hopefuls urged to buy up ads

Those Web-driven "money bombs" fueled a growing sense among candidates and consultants that the Internet is gaining importance as a campaigning tool and a political battleground.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Dr Sandra Gonzalez-Bailon, from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), told the BBC that this kind of campaigning was part of a transition period - which Facebook users may take some time to get used to.

BBC: Barack Obama Facebook campaign sees 'likes' soar

Some academics and commentators exult over what they maintain is a long-overdue stable-cleaning, encouraged by a campaigning press and supported by a public increasingly exposed, in the media and on the Internet, to western standards of accountability.

ECONOMIST: Israel