US presidential hopefuls to meet on MySpace

Social network site MySpace will hold a series of virtual "town hall" meetings with candidates in next year's US presidential elections.

The site, owned by media-mogul Rupert Murdoch, aims to encourage its millions of members play a role in the political process.

Throughout the campaign many candidates have used the potential offered by the internet to reach a wider and younger audience.

The venture with MySpace is the latest effort by the 2008 presidential hopefuls to reach a wider population of voters on the Internet.

Due to the popularity of MySpace with 18-24-year-old's the site is seen as a key vehicle for reaching younger audiences.

Several contenders in the 2008 presidential race first announced their candidacies on the Web, while others contine to use text and video blogs to exchange ideas with voters on sites like YouTube.

Candidates including Hillary Clinton, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama are among a dozen participants who will individually visit university campuses and field questions from attendees and MySpace members online.

The meetings will be held from September until December.

MySpace members will be able to submit questions from the comfort of their own homes by sending instant messages and can watch the event live online.

"Our users will have the chance to get direct answers to the questions they want to ask unfiltered," MySpace Chief Executive Chris DeWolfe said in a statement.

The news comes after MySpace launched a section to give presidential candidates their own page on the service and connect directly with potential voters.

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