The biggest impact from the Internet for Obama from what I have heard is using a web-based canvassing management system to mobilize the grassroots in a coherent way to go door-to-door and report back.

Intensive management of the vote through canvassing has been the hallmark of Irish politics for many years. In many ways Bertie Ahern brought this to a whole new level with computerisation but old stalwarts of the process like Neil Blaney could manage large constituencies on a vote-by-vote basis.

Politics in Ireland is actually a lot more intensive and personality driven than in other countries, for the simple reason that every constituency is a swing constituency and every single vote can make a difference (unlike US states or UK national elections, where in the vast majority of cases individual votes make very little difference to the outcome).