A number of sitting TDs . . .including Louth's Seamus Kirk, Donegal's Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher and Dun Laoghaire's Barry Andrews . . . have all signed up to the service.

Their sites aim to entice youngsters to vote for them using tools such as videos from the party's latest ard-fheis and lists of their achievements. They all feature the same prominent Fianna Failbranding based on its electoral campaign.

Unfortunately, the move is likely to backfire: the sites are as dull as dishwater and, on one level, reinforce how remote many of the country's politicians are from the state's young voters.

This is reflected by the sites of Kirk and Gallagher, which feature them posing stiffly in their business suits surrounded by college students. The message seems to be: we really know people under 30, honest.

In fact, it is unlikely that Kirk et al have had much to do with the sites, which are probably the work of the party's small band of youth activists, who, unlike the politicians, realise how important the youth vote could prove to be in the election.

MIS-STEPS TOWARDS NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING AS WELL as Bebo sites and YouTube videos, the next election is likely to spawn numerous negative campaign websites, the first of which appears to be www. missteps. ie, which aims to knobble the current coalition's re-election prospects using the web.

Although its creator protests that he's not engaging in negative campaigning, his explanation of the site's purpose is revealing.

"The intent is to bring together various stories, details and media clips which add up to evidence that no-one in the government can bring themselves to admit that any mistakes have ever been made."

"In essence it might be viewed as a one stop shop for all things wrong with the government. After all they're doing enough talking about all the great they've done, someone has to remind folks that it hasn't been 100% good times."

Like Fianna Fail's Bebo sites, it's primitive stuff. The site is poorly designed (although its creator is working on it) and many of its points are confusing. What are points like "failure to provide community supports exposed by empty pubs" meant to mean?

It's unlikely to swing the election but future, more advanced sites of its ilk are likely to play a more prominent role in influencing public opinion in future elections, particularly as, unlike in the US for instance, political parties and their supporters cannot use television to attack their opponents here.

POLTICIANS ARE 96SHEETS TO THE WIND ANOTHER tool that the parties definitely won't be able to use during the campaign, in Dublin city centre at least, is the 96-sheet size admobile, which has been an inadvertent victim of Dublin City Council's attempts to cut traffic congestion in the city.

The council's recent ban on fiveaxle trucks from entering the city during the day effectively rules out the use of the admobiles in large parts of the city.

Advertisers can still theoretically use the vehicles in the city centre between 7pm and 7am each night, but this would be a pointless exercise due to the vastly reduced number of people who would see them at that time.

According to marketing firm Precision Media, the format was particularly popular among film distributors who used it to promote the releases of major Hollywood blockbusters.

Publius is away