Boston City Council candidate John Tobin teamed up with pioneering video blogger Steve Garfield during his last election. Through the use of a $300 digital video camera and a $10-a-month hosting account, Tobin was able to connect with local voters in a way that would have required hundreds of thousands of dollars in television buys. His short, three-minute or so video clips on the streets of Boston introduced a face, a name and a voice to what usually remains simply an R or D on a voter’s ballot. This type of new media will transform the scope of politics over the next several years, and those who get to it first will end up with a dramatic advantage... Connecting through video blogging or other new social media methods allows a much more transparent and personal message to come across, one that is free of the absurdities of old-school marketing