Writers' Strike Move To The Internet

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - With the strike already in its fourth week, the writers on strike have turned to new media to rally their plight.

With lots of time on their hands, the writers have tapped into blogs, short online videos and MySpace and Facebook pages to help them spread the word about their cause.

The Writers Guild of America East and West both have official websites but with the increasing length of the strike, there are several new web sites that have been set up, including one maintained by the strike leaders and another formed with writers from the "Late Show with David Letterman."

One of the most popular online video regarding the strike is "The Office is Closed" by Peter Rader. The Youtube-posted video has been viewed more than a quarter of a million times since being put up. The video's creator had this to say, "We realized we had the opportunity to take the Internet and use it against the companies which are trying to dominate the Internet."

The series of videos, that are all ending with the word "Speechless," has been the brainchild of screenwriters George Hickenlooper and Allen Sereboff. The campaign will be composed of 50 videos including some with Sean Penn, "Ugly Betty" cast, Holly Hunter and others.