Joe Trippi's Killer App

Indeed, many of the campaign's freshest ideas have bubbled up through the Net, says Dean blogmaster Mathew Gross. Making use of Meetup events, such as locally organized leafleting campaigns, or downloadable bumper stickers, T-shirt graphics, and other campaign gear -- even slogans like "People-powered Howard" -- are from supporters in the hinterlands.

"It's like Linux," says Trippi. "The more people collaborate, the more likely we'll build a better thing."

Still, despite the innovation and enthusiasm, Dean faces plenty of hazards on the road ahead. Has he peaked too soon? Will all this online ferment translate into votes? Or do the centrists of the Democratic Party have it right, that a Dean candidacy could be the means of handing Bush a 49-state victory in 2004? And what happens when Karl Rove's "opposition research" minions begin scouring Vermont's Green Mountains?

From Trippi's little corner in the Northeast Kingdom, all is still possible. "If you think there's a hunger out there for a candidate who stands for all the things we've lusted for all this time, then it's jujitsu," he says. "If Karl Rove is Darth Vader, we're Luke Skywalker. Who wouldn't want to have that fight?"

Sidebar: Trippi's {TIPS} for Building a Better Campaign -- or Company

• Design the organization to be nimble from the start. A decentralized workforce can respond to local challenges more quickly if it doesn't have to wait for clearance from higher up the food chain. Be willing to let go of total control.
• Find ways to let supporters -- or customers -- talk to each other. Make it easy to connect, then step out of the conversation.
• Encourage ways for ideas to bubble up from the field. Understand that the more brainpower that is applied to a problem, the better the solution. Unleash the power of the people to be creative.
• Recognize that it's not about the technology. True, you need a basic level of technical sophistication to make things work, but the technology should be in service to the idea, not the other way around.

Linda Tischler (ltischler@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company senior writer.