An excellent article on the so-called YouTube effect on US politics. While it's short on analysis, it pulls together the best of the recent examples. Highly recommended.

In a related area, the verdicts on the first CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential primary debates are now emerging. There's a decent analysis by NPR's Robert Smith (audio) which basically asks whether this was a gimmick or real innovation, and, indeed, whether the web made any difference. The candidates came across much as they do in traditional TV debates. The unpredictable elements came from the user-submitted videos and the post-debate discussion on the YouTube site.

See also some useful video highlights on the LA Times site. The Republican equivalent will take place in September.

[An earlier version of this post was published on the New Political Communication Unit blog]