Matt Lira, Eric Cantor’s new media guru, is travelling Virginia, training party leadership online. His goal: To help congressional staff & party leadership close the internet gap between conservatives & liberals in the state. I ventured to a training he hosted in Richmond last evening and am encouraged that our side is starting to speak to leaders in a very practical way about how to communicate in the modern world.

Here were just a few snippets:

- When writing a blog post ask: What do I read online?

- For only $99 a campaign can purchase an RCA Small Wonder handheld camera and create high quality video for YouTube that doesn’t strain a budget.

- One of the fastest growing demographics among SocNet users are now young people & moms. Coincidentally, both groups are among the hardest to reach on the campaign trail.

- Tele-Townhall meeting are a fun, innovative way to connect constituents with the legislative process. Using a web-based control screen, congressional staff can engage 1,000’s of constituents in a two-way conversation and get invaluable feedback on a tough vote or hot-button issue of the day.

These are just a few things that sparked my interest. Matt Lira has a great way of talking about the intersection of politics and the internet in a way that doesn’t make these newcomers’ heads spin. He offered step-by-step practical advice. As a movement, I think we need to be doing more training sessions like this. We need to break out of Washington and practice what we preach. Train the folks on the ground who are out there fighting every day. Kudos to Matt Lira and to everyone else who’s advancing this cause. I look forward to keeping this up in the future.