In August, I discussed how avoiding technology can be costly and dangerous and how McCain was a self-described "illiterate" when it came to the Internet.

Well, that illiteracy has cost the McCain campaign dearly. Money is pouring into Obama's war chest and much of it is coming from the web. Obama's campaign announced earlier this month that they have received money from more than 100,000 people including 50,000 Internet donors -- more online donors than his chief Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, had total donors. And it is growing.

A quick look and it is easy to see why. The campaign sends out provocative video which can be easily be forwarded to friends and family. There is even a feature where you can upload your entire address book and send the page out. Before you exit the site there is the "ask" for money. It's not a big "ask," just five bucks. Many people think nothing of that contribution. Then you receive periodic e-mails from Obama with a personalized greeting.

Slick? You bet. Whether you agree with his politics or not, Obama gets it. He knows how to connect with the public -- especially the under -50 crowd. He recognizes the power of the internet and how to use it effectively. He is the first candidate to really use the World Wide Web to build his coalition and long-term voter loyalty. As his data base builds, he will have direct access to voters to solicit information, money and opinions. He will be able to promote his agenda and get an immediate "read" on voter reaction.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Barbara Bartlein is the People Pro. Receive her FREE e-mail newsletter. Sign up at The People Pro.

The Daily Deal for Sunday, April 27, 2008

I went into work Friday and set my lunch box down next to an advertisement that caught my eye right away. It claimed that you can turn used cell phones into real money. After researching the offer a little bit, I've determined that it sure looks legitimate to me. Pace Butler Corporation claims it will buy your used cell phones for cold hard cash.

The company website is clear and simple. The process works in four easy steps. Just gather the cell phones that you want to sell, print out a prepaid postage shipping label, box the phones up and ship them, then get a check. The company states that your check will be issued within four business days.

Many of the phones on their payment list will only garner you a few dollars, and some only pay .50 cents. However, there are models which will get you as much as $50. You can check out their payment values on this list (PDF file). Just a few of the higher paying models are Motorola's Q9m and Q9h, each paying $50. If you have a Nextel i580, that model pays $30. The LG CU515 and CU575 each get you $35. There's a whole range of the Blackberry 8000 series which will net you anywhere from $10 to $50 apiece.

Nowhere on the website did I see mention of cell phone condition as a requirement for payment but I assume that they want the phones to be all in one piece. They also offer assistance with cell phone collection drives and will help you with cell phone collection fund raisers. If you just want to find out where to send your dead cell phones to keep them out of the landfill, they have a link to help with shipping 3 or more phones for recycling.

I think Pace Butler is really in step with responsible consumerism and assuming that it's completely legitimate, I believe this whole concept is an extremely timely idea.