WASHINGTON (AFP) - The first shots of the 2008 White House race are echoing across the Internet, as candidates take to the campaign trail online targeting tech-savvy young voters while bypassing traditional media.

From blogs, to social networking and video sites to the online virtual world that is Second Life, politicians are rolling out Web strategies in a campaign set to be dominated by cyberspace as never before.

Former first lady Hillary Clinton at the weekend became the latest presidential candidate to announce her campaign in a Web video and on Monday launched a series of online chats.

Last week, rising Democratic star Senator Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) posted a video saying he had taken the first step on the road he hopes will lead to the White House.

Defeated 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards used the backdrop of hurricane-wrecked New Orleans for a Web video launching his own 2008 run.

On Second Life, a fantasy world peopled by some two million computer-generated "residents," politicians are meanwhile creating a buzz holding press conferences and interviews with virtual reporters.

"The Web will be playing a bigger role than ever in the 2008 campaign, so much so that for the first time, it will actually change the outcome of the election," predicted Joe Trippi, who ran Democrat Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign and pioneered use of the Internet to raise funds and rally voters.

Yahoo! News