Always like to share brilliance, particularly when it appears on AP:

For a generation that’s come of age with shows like “American Idol,” the idea of creating a countrywide political phenom from the ground up is right up their alley. And this year’s presidential election is giving them that chance.

The days of authoritative, hierarchical campaigns are waning. Now reaching the masses, particularly the younger masses, means putting the power in their hands.

Thousands of messages flooded Meredith Segal’s inbox in 2006, responding to her Facebook petition to get Barack Obama into the presidential race. “I was absolutely amazed. What I was most amazed about was the number of messages I got from young people saying, `I want to do more.’”

“This campaign has been a campaign about regular Americans getting involved,” said Segal, 22, a senior at Bowdoin College in Maine. “This is a very real movement.”

Campaign spokespeople are no longer the only ones delivering the candidate’s message, said Pete Snyder, CEO of New Media Strategies, which specializes in online and word-of-mouth marketing. “It’s not one press secretary, it’s hundreds or tens of thousands if you look at all the comments out there on blogs. It’s a much more collaborative way to run a campaign.”