Buttoned-up politicians have landed in an unlikely spot this campaign season — in the sea of bikini-clad girls, Goth music enthusiasts and fraternity party boys who populate the social networking Web site MySpace.com.

“They are doing it everywhere,” said Julie Germany, deputy director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at The George Washington University.

Germany said an increasing number of politicians, including gubernatorial candidate Martin O’Malley, are creating profiles on the site, which boasts more than 100 million members.

Two Anne Arundel County leaders — County Executive and state comptroller candidate Janet Owens and State’s Attorney Frank Weathersbee, who is running for re-election — have profiles.

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“It's a way to reach voters — at least my campaign believes. Why not use it?” Weathersbee said.

Owens’ 26-year-old son, Brendan, maintains her profile and has roped in 1,760 friends on the 62-year-old’s homepage. In her profile, she says she’d like to meet “any and all Maryland residents who believe ‘it’s time’ for change.” There are also streaming photographs of Owens smiling at the Preakness, working at her desk and speaking at awards ceremonies.

Owens’ MySpace friends have posted messages like: “[William Donald] Schaefer may have called you Mother Goose, but his head is as cracked as Humpty Dumpty. You will take it in this close one.”

Weathersbee’s profile is less elaborate than Owens’, with only one photograph and his biography, but Weathersbee said he may add to it in the future.

Political strategists and researchers agree MySpace and other social-networking Web sites can be an effective campaign tool — as long as they are used correctly. That means updating the site regularly and inviting as many local people to be friends — or volunteers — as possible.

“It is a myth to believe that all you have to do is set up your profile and people will come to you,” Germany said.

mmcilroy@baltimoreexaminer.com