Presidential Hopefuls Doubt Usefulness of Campaigning in <cite>Second Life</cite>

It seems that virtual town hall meetings and campaign offices in Second Life are no longer as en vogue as they once were.

At a new media forum sponsored by Politico and Waggener Edstrom, strategists for Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Rudy Guiliani, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama discussed various types of "e-strategy," agreeing that web-based tactics are vital to modern campaigns, but doubting the efficacy of campaigning in Second Life:

The panelists also doubted the usefulness, for now, of campaigning in the online universe Second Life, in which some candidates have virtual campaign offices. They also wondered how the convertibility of online currency into real cash would translate into politics. How, Henke [media consultant for Fred Thompson] wondered, will campaign finance regulations handle a contribution in the form of imaginary gold doubloons?

The secret to a successful political campaign? It's all about proper use of Lolcats, people. You heard me.

Strategists debate Web-savvy campaigns [Politico, via GamePolitics]