This post is more interesting than the election itself:
For starters, we’ve got a Facebook chart tracking the daily count of how many “friends” each of the candidates are garnering, and a Technorati chart showing how often their names are being mentioned on blogs.
What do these numbers mean? The web is both a great barometer of interest in politics as well as an organizing and communications tool. Friending someone on Facebook or writing about them on a blog are both indications of organic interest in a candidate.
In the case of the Facebook, the interest being expressed is clearly positive, and a smart campaign understands the value of connecting with such people in the online communities where they already congregate.
In the case of blogs, a mention can be more of a mixed blessing, though it’s safe to infer that a higher number of mentions means greater intensity of interest. (…)
One additional note, if you’re interested in digging in further on how the web is affecting the Canadian election. Check out NetPrimeminister.ca, a new site that is aggregating blog content, YouTube videos, Twitter comments and Flickr photos documenting the race. The Hook, a new political blog from TheTyee.ca, is also a great place to follow the ins and outs of the race.
