For state and local campaigns my advice is to focus on generating content and then grow it from there. Pick a few things and do those well. The essentials probably include: a regularly updated website with a blog, campaign ads and event videos on youtube.

The campaign should focus on creating good content and putting something new online each and every day. After that volunteer activists can push the content out across social media (digg, myspace, etc.).

The pitch to candidates is:

Traditional media won't cover your campaign consistently or fairly. Paid media is expensive and gets saturated. This is your chance for unfiltered access to voters.

Put it all out there on the web. Let social media do its magic. Online activists can promote your candidate if you give them the tools.

There are tools which allow you to 'do it all' with minimal input.

Stay tuned for more.
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Well, it depends on how local, and on which blogs. For instance, if you're a candidate for city council, it may make sense to have your own blog, but then, it might not. Anybody who's going to look at that blog is probably hooked into the local city blog(s) (if applicable), or will find the information they need on your website itself. So it might make sense just to put information on the local blogs rather than starting their own.

What about other tools?

Well, personally, I find it hard to believe that anybody would need or want up to the minute updates on their local candidate from something like Twitter. Facebook and/or MySpace might make sense, but it depends on the district. I have a friend who ran for State Senate in RI and just having an aesthetically pleasing website was enough for people to label him as "tech savvy," and it would be a waste of resources to try to find people on the internet rather than in more traditional ways. Again, it depends on the district.

One thing I've long thought is that state and local blogs are a great way to flesh out ideas that you simply cannot flesh out in other media. TV & radio are restricted by time, print by space. But the beauty of blogs -- especially on the local state level -- is that you can take a given issue and really sink your teeth into it. You can spend as much time as you like writing the post, have whoever you want on your staff or in your family proofread and edit it before you say something stupid, and it's only limited by how much you think people are interested in reading. Your blog posts must be punchy, yes, but I've gotten the sense, at least over at Blue Mass Group that people really are looking for quality content. That some candidates basically use statewide blogs to post press releases, or vague statements that sound vaguely progressive is a shame. They're really missing an opportunity.

One thing I would warn state and local candidates is to scope out the blog to get a sense of the community and tone before they post. I can recall a couple of candidates -- who I will not name because it's during this election cycle -- who basically seem to have a vague sense that the netroots are what's "hip," and they should make sure to post something, and then they don't engage in the community that has been built at all. That, too, is a shame.

I don't know how it is in other states, but I agree that blogs at a local level (city or smaller) for a candidate aren't worth the time.

Here in Mississippi I find many who don't know what a blog is or how to use one so they would not be reached.  Local races are also less likely to be voted on by younger voters who do blog so the relavance is even smaller.

If there are (pro dem) local blogs already the candidate should make themselves available to the writers, but otherwise I don't see it as worth the time to personally blog.

I blogged for a candidate last year, and I'm the communications director on a local VA race. I don't think campaign blogs are a great idea if you can't get a community going. Blogs and their networks are institutions, and campaign blogs just latch on and home to get their content into the rest of the stream.

Some people check in to get updates on the campaign, but mostly you can do that with a regular campaign site. Campaigns should have their volunteers write about the campaign on the blogs they already read and comment on.

You don't have to "own" a blog to use blogs. Of course, maybe I'm being optimistic. My area of Virginia is blessed to have not one but two community blogs at our disposal. On top of the statewide blog RaisingKaine we also have Democratic Central, devoted to progressive blogging in central Virginia (which is my region).

It's not big, but one day my dad just decided to start paying the 15 bucks a month for a soapblox account. every local democratic community needs a community blog. I think MyDD should help make that happen as the 50-state network gets fleshed out.

Internet ideas:
- utilize local blogs with a built-in audience for local races instead of worrying about building traffic for things like State Legislatures

- make email titles concise and informative to increase click thru

- include one paragraph of text with each link

- buy adwords in the name of yourself and your opponent, they reach general users and put a sponsered link front and center

- target the most respected constituencies early like firemen and nurses, the most respected members of your community create the best word of mouth

- build a library of short form issue videos (less than 5min) on YouTube from speeches and forums

- use your email lists wisely, don't squeeze your list for money every email, make sure your emails have enough content and interest that they don't get lumped in with spam for people with mild interest

General ideas:
- use existing high traffic nodes in your community to leverage your message. campaigning in diners didn't start out as a quaint photo-op - they were hubs of activity. Today it might be an shopping mall, or a chain restaurant.

- do several events specifically targeting 2nd and 3rd shift workers. They are about 15% of the electorate and get about 2% of the attention. If you do a lunchtime meeting at a factory then the equivalent event for the third-shift is a 3AM meal break. It's a smart to devote equal time and resources to these voters. Candidates get secondary benefits with day shift workers by appearing aware and in touch with all workers

- research what intersections have the highest traffic and make sure you have a strong sign presence, research what blocks have the highest foot traffic and do your hand shaking there during  commuting hours and lunch. Don't just go by your gut - this data is available and can help you maximize limited resources.

Website:
I assume everyone realizes they need a website with good content (repeat, good content, not just advertising fluff), with a blog with short, pithy updates.  Websites are inexpensive, expected, and can be setup and maintained by a bright college-intern volunteeer.

Blog:
(See WVaBlue above!)  Blogs can be had for free, and there are millions of high school kids with LiveJournals and MySpace pages who can set things up (if a savvy campaign manager can inspire and ride herd on them).  

Calendar:
The website needs to let interested voters find out where they can see the candidate in person.  Sometimes people will travel quite a distance if they know they can meet your candidate.

Email:
Can be useful (MoveOn uses it very successfully) but MUST be opt-in or else it will be seen as spam and counterproductive.

YahooGroups and Meetups:
In urban areas, MeetUps have quite a following, despite being relatively expensive and offering little more than YahooGroups offer for free.  There are a huge number of YahooGroups which gather people with a common interest (such as the Liberals and Progressives--often the movers and shakers--in a local community).  Get some volunteers to find and cover all of them, monitoring issues, remarks on, and questions for candidates, and do a LIMITED amount of advertising for the candidate.

Using the internet is incredibly inexpensive and gives the candidate total control over the message, unlike traditional media which are incredibly expensive, often send the message to areas outside the candidate's area, and often ignore candidates who do not follow the political dogma of the owner of the media.  The Main$treamMedia can totally shut out your message from their arena...but not your online message.

The obvious difficulty is getting people to find you online and make the effort to listen.  Having volunteers find all the email lists, create all the MySpace, TribeNet, and whatever pages, and coordinate them all together and aim them all back at the main website and blog will give the volunteers something they will enjoy, especially those who are  totally burned out on canvassing, phonebanking, and stuffing envelopes.

I think the idea that there are huge numbers of potential voters who are still not on the internet is outdated.  My eighty years old mother, retired to Florida, is on the net and so is every single one of her friends, all receiving a constant stream of propaganda from Karl Rove's office, pretending to be from some army major somewhere, trashing the liberals...  The other side IS using the internet effectively, and if your consultants are pooh-poohing the idea, then they are telling you that they are not as competent as those on the other side.

We're relatively "new" to blogging (@state and county levels) in Maine; so are experiencing growing pains in that regard.

The state party's portal has always been stale; and we can't seem to convince the County committees (only 16 of 'em) to reach a wider audience (vs. emailing each other via closed discussion lists, or privately).

I concur, re: upthread pertaining to candidates embedding their events (esp. in our vast rural state).

I embedded a public Google calendar for exactly that purpose.

It would be helpful when emailing individuals to include a two sentence blip; then drive the remaining directly to a blog post content to Turn Maine Blue (it's the only vehicle for a two-way discussion)!

Yes, I'm dreamin'.

Two of us who do blog consistently don't own/can't afford a laptop...go figger.

It's frustrating.

ActBlue has been outrageously supportive--major props all 'round; as Mainiacs (Dems included) can be fiercely resistance to any type of change.

Thus far, Rep. Tom Allen & Chellie Pingree have been the most supportive & receptive, re: dynamics of blogging (and I continue to recruit folks to frontpage--I simply cannot afford to blog for hours on end to the degree which I perceive would be efficious, sans financial compensation).

In addition, I concur that candidates need to get over the notion (parties and county committees, too) that an ongoing barrage of "contribute here" donor-fatigue based email pisses people off (I've unsubbed from countless lists, as a result of what I perceive as inbox slutting).

I'm frugal as hell w/my money; and will be damned if I'm supporting some hotshot D.C. Beltway consultant.

Not everyone attends municipal and county Dem meetings...they either don't have the time (family and work schedule commitments), or the officers are idiots (and have burned too many bridges)--I'm moreso interested in reaching our majority of voters (unenrolled status--no party affiliation).

Esp. for Tom, up here in CD#2--it outrageously moreso conservative (and is Collins's childhood and present residential "turf").

We desperately want her OUT!

Overall, we're in "building mode" @TMB.

Cheers, & thanks for listening~

I think this is a great idea. I have written a series for our local Democratic party(DFL - Minnesota), here is an outline of what I think is good. I have expanded notes on each of these ideas. Here is what I would say to each candidate:

0) Start early.

1) First ask, who am I?  First find your core values, and how all your proposals link back to those values. Speak in value sandwiches of value-proposal-value. Find a metaphor, a framing that totally triumphs the Republican metaphor. Drop Republican metaphors entirely (left/right/moderate fear/war etc) and never ever respond within a Republican metaphor (framing). Develop different versions of the basic speech. Develop a story arc for your whole campaign. Speak from the heart, speak simply and connect with your audience.

2) Second, find the core people of your campaign. At the beginning of the process, find the opinion leaders, the innovators, the people able to cause political earthquakes and personally ask them to believe in you, your values, your dreams and in your campaign. Each one of these people should represent a powerhouse of change and political influence. Take the time and effort to persuade them. Not just persuade them, make them true believers, be united in goals, dreams and spirit. Note that the people that you should avoid is permanent political campaign losers who speak the old ideas of triangulation, left/right/moderate, polling run campaign, etc. Look for energy, core values, ongoing commitment to working for the common good.

3) Now from your core group, take the most time available 10 people and send them to Wellstone training. Take the next weekend, make a plan and a beginning campaign organization. Send yourself on a speaking tour. Send other good speakers on your behalf on tours and go everywhere. At every point, recruit more people. Be a strong grassroots campaign, relying mostly on ground work. With a core group of people, recruiting more people, who are recruiting more people, you should now be at significant growth. Say thank you often.

4) Create excitement and use innovation to have fun and grow momentum. At this point, you will start getting the negative onslaught from the other universe. Always respond from your framework, from your metaphor, from your story using hope and dreams. Show courage and bravery. Numbers will now fluctuate. Stay positive, be the hero that everybody wants.

5) The long stretch: Thank the volunteers, nourish your people and stay in there for the long stretch. Using grassroots plan to reach out to every person in someway three way. Now is the time to use the tool of inoculation, inform your supporters that about negative campaign expectations and that media is biased.

6) End game. Keep yourself looking and sounding good - self care is more important than that extra stop. Look the leader, be the leader. Back to speaking values heavily. Work and coordinate with other campaigns for the best cooperative effort, especially the GOTV.

7) Round 2, win or lose, thank everyone and have a second stage campaign based on information and issues for people to transition into, which either helps your official political representation or your unofficial political representation as the loyal opposition. Leaders keep on going.

And finally I would say to the candidate, if you believe in a progressive dream and are willing to risk all for this dream, knowing that standing up for progressive values may not be politically easy, then you are my hero and I want unite on campaign of working for the common good, together.

Most of my ideas coming from applying the concepts of the book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell, which I heartily recommend.

(Will be cross posted on MNBlue)