As the presidential election in America rolled on in 2008, British political leaders watched in awe and envy as Barack Obama mobilised an internet army.

The Democrat's campaign team employed the web like never before to raise half a billion dollars to fight the Republicans, from 6.5m donors, having collected more than 13m contact details along the way.

Obama's team took advantage of video sharing site YouTube for free advertising and Facebook to bring activists together, spread campaign messages and build a network of support.

E-mail and mobile messaging were also employed and the Democratic candidate seemed to make an effort to be seen using his Blackberry.

Across the Atlantic two years later, the Brits have picked up some of the tricks – with varying success – and learned a few of their own.

Social networking site Twitter allows users to upload messages of up to 140 characters which can be read by all.

Tweets might include a link to a larger article, blog or picture or just be a one-line message.

Senior figures from all the UK's political parties use Twitter and have followers in the thousands.

Gordon Brown has appeared in several YouTube videos, including one during the MPs' expenses scandal that was so comical it became an instant "hit", spawning a multitude of spoof versions.

Then there is LabourList, set up by the party as a website where supporters can debate and read articles and blogs by left-leaning commentators and politicians.

In many cases, though, it has been individual MPs who have gone about utilising the web – including Loughborough's Andy Reed, whose blog is well established.

He said: "I have a blog, a Facebook site and am on Twitter and they are all interlinked.

"The internet is modern, it's up-to-date, it's fresh and, most importantly of all, it's live.

"The other day when I was voting on the Digital Economy Bill, for example, I was letting people know online what was happening as it happened, so in that sense it really opens up democracy.

"For MPs it also bypasses the press and gives us a chance to have a direct link with people.

"On the blog, I'm able to put all my own news up and react to my constituents."

The Tories, too, have toyed with ways of trying to harness the web.

WebCameron was an experiment in which short films of the Tory leader doing everyday tasks – cooking, for example – while talking about policy were posted.

They have also been more innovative. When Alistair Darling launched the "boiler scrappage scheme", the Tory web team immediately bought up the phrase through Google's pay-per-click advertising system.

It meant that within moments of the Chancellor having said the words "boiler scrappage", anyone Googling them would find a link to a Tory document rebutting the scheme on the party's home page.

But Iain Dale, who runs one of the best-read UK political blogs, said none of the parties was yet to fully realise the web's potential.

"They have not got it yet, but they are moving in the right direction and have learnt a bit from the way Obama did things," he said.

"The Tories have set up MyConservatives site, for example, which allows candidates to set up their own mini-sites from which they can raise money.

"The Liberal Democrats have something similar, but it was done seven or eight months ago when it should have been done two years ago."

So, rather than the internet and social networking sites being used successfully by parties as a way to influence, could it instead be working in the other direction – handing power back to the people?

When Alistair Darling made his budget speech three weeks ago he announced a 10% rise in cider duty.

Within minutes, ordinary people had made angry comments on Twitter and a Facebook site was set up to oppose it.

The next day newspapers picked up the story and it was not long before David Cameron was pictured drinking a pint of cider.

Last week, as the parties negotiated what would make it through Parliament before it was dissolved, the tax rise was dropped.

Web expert Dr Stuart Price, of De Montfort University, said the revolution was not here just yet.

"It's possible an issue might get raised on the internet and may then gain momentum," said Dr Price.

"But it seems to me at the moment that the internet narrative is led by other news and becomes a commentary on what else is happening.

"Take the picture produced two years ago of the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, holding a banana.

"It was an image that through commentary came to represent the idea he was not fit to lead the Labour party.

"That kind of visual thing is more likely to generate interest on the web."

The Obama campaign's use of the internet, a new medium, meant it was compared to John F Kennedy's use of televised debates to beat Richard Nixon in the 1960s.

Yet here, this is the first year we will have televised debates between our party leaders during an election.

It may be the three leadership debates prove much more decisive than the internet.

What is even more likely, Dr Price says, is that the impact of the televised debates will be multiplied as people use Twitter and blog while watching.

"The leadership debates will provide talking points and that's what social networking is about," he said.

"It's a commentary on sweeping ideas, pictures and perspectives."

The truth is there are lots of different views on how the web will influence the election. What everyone does agree is that it is going to interesting finding out.