It's very likely that your classmates use the Internet on a daily basis. It's also very likely that this same group of people is more technologically-savvy than older generations. Welcome to the modern age of technology, where anything can be found with the click of a mouse and going anywhere without your personal, pocket-sized library of music is unheard of.

As campaigning for the upcoming gubernatorial election begins to speed up, candidates are looking toward new forums to reach Michigan residents.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm opened a new Web site Monday in an effort to connect more intimately with her constituents. In addition, Republican candidate Dick DeVos has been using the Internet to show video web logs.

Although the Internet is not a universally accessible forum for citizens, it is an available source to spread information, and it should be used. By bringing their campaigns to the Internet, the gubernatorial candidates are speaking to a different kind of supporter.

Of course, people who use the Internet for research probably also watch television. But there are people watching television who are not concerned with political commercials. From propaganda to mudslinging, there are times when we all wish political commercials would end. By bringing campaigns to the Internet, candidates are reaching out to a more politically concerned audience.

It takes no effort to watch a campaign commercial. You don't control what channel or what time the commercial comes on. But with Internet campaigning, constituents must actively search for a candidate's Web site, and therefore have greater power over their knowledge of the candidates they support and oppose.

In utilizing the Internet to aid campaigning, the candidates are acknowledging a possibly younger, more Internet-inclined audience. Candidates are focusing on the people who are using the Internet every day, from college students to stay-at-home parents.

While college students are in class all day the Internet becomes a forum for everything, from finding research data to checking e-mail. It seems almost inevitable that these people who actively use the Internet on a frequent basis will begin to use it as their source for political research also.

As technology develops, there are few times when it is a bad idea to embrace the new advantages that come along.

The gubernatorial candidates will be reaching out to the most active and informed constituents by utilizing the Internet for campaigning.