Starting on Tuesday, March 1, 'American Idol' viewers will be able to use Facebook to vote for their favorite contestants. With the help of online voting, this could be the season that viewers pick the next Carrie Underwood! Country's one clear shot is Top 24 contestant Scott McCreery, the humble but talented teenager who has consistently blown the judges away with his deep voice and high morals.

Simon Fuller, the show's creator, says, "We have been wanting to do online voting for several years, and now Facebook has offered us a secure solution and we are ready to go. The show has always involved a high level of engagement with its viewers through texting and phone voting, and it's great to expand on this tradition."

Voting in the past has only ever used texting or calling, but it is very expensive for the show to offer a toll-free number to call as it requires more people and more technology. Online voting could make a huge impact on viewers' engagement, according to Facebook's Jackie Cohen: "The cost savings would be huge, although apparently some of that is paid for in the form of free advertising; still, if the studio can give out less free advertising, that’s more airtime to sell to paying advertisers." She adds, "Adding Facebook voting would likely foster more participation in the voting."

Besides using Facebook, fans can still vote the old way -- through text message or by a phone call. The limit for votes will be a maximum of 50 votes per show, per account.

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