Although I kept my TV tuned to CNN all evening, I also followed election activity and results online. Below are a few tools that I used, but I would love to hear what others followed as well:

Five Thirty Eight

Five Thirty Eight illustrated “citizen journalism” at its finest. By providing insights and statistics, FTE allowed viewers to follow the data as well as make sense of it. Its three-person operation made presidential, senatorial, and house predictions throughout the day and into the evening. 

Video Your Vote

Video Your Vote allowed users to share their voting experiences with the world via personal videos. VYV featured an interactive map indicating where videos had been uploaded and what they pertained to, such as “Voter Intimidation,” “Notable Voter,” “Polling Place Problems,” etc. This access to actual voter experiences created a sense of transparency to the election, knowing that real
people everywhere were experiencing the same things I had.  

Twitter Vote Report

Much like VYV, Twitter Vote Report encouraged Twitter users to tweet their experiences with specific hashtags, such as ”#wait:120 meaning that the wait time is 120 minutes.” These tags were then aggregated and mapped, showing users what voting experiences were like in real-time. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, this election utilized social media in a way that was never done before. Therefore, tools such as these come as no surprise. It is exciting and overwhelming to consider the depth to which media can proceed-especially with politics as a catalyst. 

What role do you see social media playing in the political sphere, as this country moves forward?

UPDATE: Per the comments below, check out Change.gov to see how Obama is already implementing technology into his administration.

While watching the Presidential Debate on Thursday evening, I discovered yet another social media tool to aid in my viewing. I frequently read updates on the Huffington Post during debates and speeches, but as you all know I am a Twitter advocate, and was excited to find the specific election Twitter feed. By simply leaving my window open throughout the debate, I was able to read insight, comments, and critiques from people all over the world. Unlike my own personal feed, the election feed displays tweets from anyone that makes a political comment, rather than simply friends and colleagues that I follow. In addition, at the top of the screen, updates from both political candidates are posted, as they both have members of their campaigns Tweet for them everyday. How tech savvy of them

I urge you to check it out. It’s a great way to see what other people are saying about the campaign and candidates as well as an example of how Twitter works if you are new to it.