U.S. cable television service MTV and social networking Web site MySpace have announced a joint plan to unite American voters and front-running 2008 presidential candidates in one-on-one Web chats.
A total of 11 one-hour dialogues will be held from September through December on college campuses across the United States. Each event will feature one presidential candidate and be streamed live on both MySpace and MTV's Web site.
Voters will be able to instant-message, e-mail or text message their questions during the discussions, which will also include online viewers' responses to candidates' answers. College students attending the forums will also be able to ask questions.
Confirmed participants include Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Republican Senator John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is scheduled to take part in the first chat on September 27 from New Hampshire.
In July, CNN and video-sharing Web site YouTube held a Democratic debate, which allowed voters to ask their questions via video uploads.
But MTV and MySpace representatives say their Web chats will provide more direct conversation, eliminating what they called consultant-crafted answers.