Going digital: a lifeline for the unions? - There are some 2,700 trade union websites worldwide, according to latest estimates. Many of these are highly sophisticated affairs, furnishing activists with in-depth bargaining information and up -to-the -minute accounts of industrial disputes. Technophiles in the labour movement hope that new technology, bringing with it innovative methods of organising and communicating with members, will be able to reverse years of decline for the unions. We weigh up the potential benefits arising from unions' use of new technology, including: a direct relationship with members and non-members; improved communication with members; more effective campaigning and organising; democratising union structures; greater internationalisation; and creating "virtual e-unions". Our review investigates the claimed benefits by means of e-mail interviews with trade unionsists and labour commentators, a visit to a major union conference on the internet and an analysis of key union and labour organisation websites.