Sarkozy's new site, http://www.discosarko.com, features the typically straight-laced interior minister boogying down to "Staying Alive." The site is part of an effort appeal to a younger voting bloc as well as to collect contact information from potential supporters. It asks visitors to leave e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers so they can be reached ahead of the April-May presidential vote.

Segolene Royal's supporters, following an example set by the extreme-right National Front party, opened an office in "Second Life," a virtual world where users create avatars, buy land, build homes and do business.

"Come in large numbers and you'll find me there," Royal said in an online video posting to inaugurate the virtual headquarters, which drew a steady stream of visitors last week.

Additionally, both camps aim to have collected at least 1 million e-mail addresses each by polling day.

"The whole goal of collecting e-mails is to bring the campaign to life and, most of all, to bombard our supporters in the last days, telling them, 'Don't forget to vote, get people around you to vote,'" said Arnaud Dassier, whose company manages part of Sarkozy's cyber-campaign and created the "disco sarko"  site.

'Le Web' Plays New Role in Politics