The Dean Example: Blogging in an "Echo Chamber?"

Was it just another case of a dot-com bubble -- the Dean campaign's army of bloggers, its ingenious meeting up software, and its impressive online fundraising?  A recent story in the LA Times considers what the recent slump of the Dean campaign means for the future of politics online.  Several high profile bloggers -- John Perry Barlow, Clay Shirky, Doc Searls, and the Berkman Center's own Dave Winer -- weigh in on this question.  The bloggers agree that the campaign made some missteps and faced a problem in public perception.  As Winer explains, "There were a lot of people who thought it was about dating."  The bloggers also agree that, while the Dean experiment may not succeed in the short-term, in the long term, the Internet will continue to have a powerful influence on American politics.  (Photo credit: John Pettitt, DeanForAmerica.com)