Rapid spread and growing popularity of such means of communication as the Internet, its universality and planetary scale once more remind both the leadership and the ranks of the SDPU(U) that the party has to act and win in new, rapidly changing social conditions. All that no so long time ago seemed so progressive, reliable and secure today looks like the "past epoch", something transient that can be ruthlessly labeled "morally out of date". United social democrats and Ukraine enter the 21st century - the era of post-industrialism, total dominance of masses, information flows and technologies, the era in which nothing can be done without the Internet.

The world web makes previous means of information and communication old-fashioned. The typewriter was succeeded by the computer, "paper" mail, by its electronic analogue so that now people in Donetsk and Symferopol' can read about an event that took place in L'viv only an hour before. The Internet and computer made our lives mobile, high-speed and saturated with information and curtailed geographic distances to the minimum.

New possibilities offered by the Internet make the SDPU(U) formulate such principles of its strategy in the web that, on one hand, would allow the party to take full advantage of these possibilities and, on the other, would make it possible to eliminate information and technological lag that has become a chronic disease of Ukrainian political parties.

Tool principle

For the SDPU(U) the Internet is one of the tools to influence political processes taking place both in Ukraine and abroad via electronic mass media, sites of the party and electronic versions of its numerous projects. This principle presupposes clear understanding of the aim and tasks of the project.

The Internet is the most efficient way to propagate information about the activity of the party at first hands, both in the capital and in the regions. Everything that its leaders and party organizations say and do can be sent to Ukrainian and international audience practically on-line.

The Internet is the cheapest and economical tool of the SDPU(U) political and information influence.

The Internet is the best way to conquer the hearts and souls of Ukrainian young generation, whose better intellectual and dynamic representatives cannot conceive their lives without virtual reality. The Internet is a possibility to find supporters among the youth and propagate the SDPU(U) image as a modern European party.

Unlike Ukrainian electronic mass media, Ukrainian parties are represented on the Internet rather poorly. And first of all, the quality leaves much to be desired. Ukrainian party and political Internet is still a vacant niche, and to fill it one must develop new territories, in which we, the united social democrats, are trying to gain top positions.

Principle of aim approach

The SDPU(U) is aware of the fact that different audiences need varied approaches, special ways of communication and presentation of the information. The projects the united social democrats are planning to realize are numerous and varied and were designed to meet the needs of different special audiences. For example, the information published on the sites of the party and its leaders can be interesting to both party members and supporters and to the people who made politics their profession (politicians, political scientists and journalists). They should be able to receive general information about the SDPU(U) and the more updated one at the same time. The latter is given in the section "news" developed by the information agency. If these conditions are provided, the SDPU(U) can count on a constant Internet audience.

If we analyse the contents of the sites of Ukrainian political parties and their leaders and regularity with which they are updated we come to a distressing conclusion that their owners do not understand how powerful and important the Internet is. Taking this approach as a norm they make creation of the their reader's audience practically impossible. Unlike them, the SDPU(U) cannot afford to neglect the needs of its special audience and will do its best to satisfy the "information hunger" of those who want to receive updated, full and high-quality information about the activity of the party.

Principle of information space extension

For the past decade since our country gained independence the number of politicians, political scientists, businessmen and journalists who investigate, follow and analyse the events taking place in Ukraine has increased. And they all need adequate and impartial information to better understand political and economic processes taking place in our country.

The SDPU(U) as one of the leading Ukrainian parties having a great influence on political life in Ukraine is undoubtedly in the focus of attention of the above mentioned "research audience". And the Internet, that knows no limits or distances, is the best way to explain it the united social democrats' stance on some urgent issues of the country's political life and the essence of their political and legislative initiatives. The SDPU(U) provides such information by creating for external audiences sites of the party and its leaders with clear meanings, images, interpretation and languages. Developing such Internet projects it extends party niche of the Internet and at the same time extends its presence in global information space.

Principle of systemic use of resources

The Internet is by nature mosaic. The most efficient are the resources interrelated with each other and serving to resolve common tasks. Any attempts to create total supraresorces are doomed to failure. They cannot be used.

Party Internet space should be united. All for one and one for all - that is the first rule of all party sites.

General structure of the Internet space of the party can be presented as a star with the main site of the party and its leaders in the center and the sites of key projects and regional organizations of the party on the periphery.

All the sites of the party are interrelated so the structure of their correlation can be presented not only as a star, but also as a specific network where each of the projects supports and publicizes all the other. Solving its own task, each Internet project helps to solve the tasks of other projects, and every new project is a logical sequel to the previous ones.

Internal communication principle

The Internet is a connecting-link between the party and its members and the most efficient means of inner-party communication. It is also the most democratic means of communication. In the old days this function was fulfilled by party press, but now traditional mass media has given way to the Internet.

The SDPU(U) is planning to extend to the Internet the Internet technologies that made a good showing in business and management. The Internet will give the party new opportunities for inner-party communication of a new quality. There will appear a possibility to efficiently modify business party procedures. And the process of information exchange between the party central organs and its regional organizations, between the leadership and the rank-and-file, between the party and its supporters will become efficient to a degree unthinkable until now. The on-line regime is becoming the norm of the party life.

Conclusion

Only successful Internet-activity of the united social democrats and their ascent to leading positions in the Ukrainian political network can prove the appropriateness of the above-formulated principles. We hope to become an engine and example for all the participants of Ukrainian political spectrum in the sphere of developing Internet space, overcoming their sluggishness and information and technological lag. We also hop to set the fashion of a healthy competitiveness and bring the quality of Internet resources to international standards. We wish every success possible to you and to us.