NETROOTS NOTORIETY "IRL"

Mainstream media is often the counter-argument to the netroots community, but every once in a while a blog or diary catches national attention. The power of the netroots community is bringing like-minded people together to hash out issues, choose a candidate and fund a cause. The millions of people in these communities don't always agree, and seemingly jealous news outlets tend to report more on these feuds than they do on their success.

Some Hillary Clinton supporters have gone on what they call a "strike" against DailyKos, a left wing blog site, saying that they showed too much favoritism towards Obama. ABC News asked Markos Moulitsas (The Kos in DailyKos) for comment. He responded, "First, these people should read up on the definition of 'strike.' What they're doing is a 'boycott.' But whatever they call it, I think it's great. It's a big Internet, so I hope they find what they're looking for."

Moulitsas is strongly opinionated and stirs controversy on a regular basis within the DailyKos community. Don't like something Moulitsas said? Wait half an hour and read the next post or read one of hundreds of diaries elsewhere on the site. Chances are you'll find someone who agrees with you.

Usually it's the top tier netroots founders like Moulitsas who are published in national media, appear on "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report" or are seen arguing with CNN pundits.

But every once in awhile, a blog the size of BlueOregon gets picked up and dissected by local media. Willamette Week named Kari Chisholm, co-founder of Blue Oregon, the renowned title of "Rogue of the Week" late last summer. The dubbing was for "excessive use of bullshit in his mud-slinging" against Democratic Senate candidate Steve Novick at BlueOregon. Chisholm maintains a job as a media consultant with his company Mandate Media, who happened to be working with Jeff Merkley, Novick's contender for the Democratic nod.

BlueOregon is a community of many contributors and Chisholm is definitely not the only voice participating. Like DailyKos the number of contributors on Blue Oregon far outweigh a single voice from the crowd.

Instances like Caroline Guiliani finding her way onto Obama's Facebook page, Obama's large Facebook group of supporters, McCain's MySpace TV videos, and big fundraising days usually make the mainstream media. But the truth of the matter is that these communities are not for the media, they are for the citizens. It's not Kari Chisholm or Markos Moulitsas who control the communities; it's the citizens. And that's the real definition of the netroots: for the citizens, by the citizens.