As it comes down to the wire for the November 2 election, do you still find yourself in the undecided column regarding the 2004 presidential race? Have you made up your mind, but want to figure out how the other side is doing? Want to try to talk someone over to your point of view?
You're on the Internet already, so take advantage of its wealth of resources to manage the election.
For instance, if you're interested in the presidential candidates' stand on technology issues, PC World submitted questionnaires to both sides to find out. Read our results.
More generally, if you want to see an up-to-the minute map of which states are trending blue (Kerry) or red (Bush), go to Electoral Vote Predictor 2004. This terrific site has links to all sorts of election information, including political humor. It has a liberal bent (for instance, it features an extensive list of "Dump Bush" sites), but if you stick to its more factual offerings, it provides a wealth of information regarding the Electoral College, voting information, guides to media sites that discuss politics thoughtfully, and of course guides to finding the ever-popular political blogs.
Bloggers Everywhere
Why are blogs so fun to read?
"I think it's the personality" that makes blogs popular, says Glenn Reynolds in an e-mail. Reynolds runs instapundit.com, a political blog that gets between 200,000 and 300,000 hits per day.
"People like something with personality, and the corporatization of big media has drained most of the uniqueness from their products," adds Reynolds, who is also a University of Tennessee law professor and a columnist for the UK Guardian newspaper.
Indeed, many blogs do reflect the personality of the author. Unlike newspapers or TV news, which try to convey a sense of impartiality in their reporting, the whole fun of reading a blog boils down to reading someone's unique take on an issue or event--whether you agree with it or not.
Brian Cook, 21, an avid blog reader and political science major at Yale, says bloggers announce "here's where I stand and here's my take on things" and allow a debate to spread from there among their audience.
"The nice thing about the blog is everyone gets heard," Cook adds.
But with thousands of blogs floating around cyberspace, how can you make sure you're not reading the paranoid ramblings of an X-Files devotee?
A Starting Point
For a good starting point, Feedster.com, a search engine specializing in blogs, has developed a politics section that provides links to the most up-to-date blog election news.
Feedster generates the links using a technology called Feedpaper, which uses RSS feeds, and a "pretty carefully set variety of parameters" according to Scott Rafer, Feedster's president and chief executive officer.
Those looking for even more personalized news delivery can actually create their own customized Feedpaper news site through Feedster that would be updated throughout the day. The service requires a free registration.
Users enter the links of RSS feeds and customize the design for their site, and Feedster generates a URL that publishes the RSS feeds in a Web page. The service also provides a JavaScript link that users can add to personal Web sites to link to the news page.
Rafer says customers can also blacklist certain feeds and screen for profanity.
Getting More Specific
Readers who already know what kind of commentary they're looking for might prefer to go directly to sites than a search engine. Here are a few starting places.
For political talk from insiders, you can read journalists who supplement their usual columns with blogs. Andrew Sullivan, a columnist for Time and The New Republic, has andrewsullivan.com, which specializes in election politics and issues.
Joshua Micah Marshall, who writes for The Hill and Washington Monthly, provides talkingpointsmemo.com for readers who prefer a liberal standpoint.
Readers interested in more give-and-take between writers and readers should check out Reynolds's Instapundit, the Daily Kos, the BuzzMachine, or Eschaton. All four sites provide provocative links and regular posts, and have a robust readership that debates issues frequently by commenting on posts.
