Encounter with Nicco Mele; Web Spinner

The master of Howard Dean's website is doing more than just raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds.

By Neil Swidey, Globe Staff, 10/5/2003

You're the 26-year-old webmaster for Howard Dean's presidential campaign. How did you get there?

I've been involved on the Internet end of a lot of political things. I was the webmaster at Common Cause and most recently worked at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. I went to a Dean "meetup" in New York City in March. I was blown away by how they used the website to get people there and involved. I joined the campaign in May.
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We've been told before how the Internet was going to transform politics. Why should we believe it now?

This time around, the Internet is much more ingrained in our culture. With people shopping and paying bills and doing everything else online, it's natural that they get more involved in politics through the Web. Everything we do is aimed at connecting people to other people near them, so they can take actions offline. The Internet is just a new tool in grass-roots organizing.
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If Dean wins and asks you to be...

The webmaster general? If asked, I will serve my country.
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2003/10/05/web_spinner/