4 Cool Sites to Track 2008 Election Coverage

August 26th, 2008

Sorry for the lack of posting! I’m in the midsts of planning the logistics of my move to Chicago and am rushing to meet a few final project deadlines before I go.

Since I am immersing myself in all things election for the next few weeks, I thought I’d share some of the cool sites I’ve come across while researching online.

1) Perspctv.com

Amber covered this on one of our last CommandN podcasts but I hadn’t gotten around to playing with it until a few days ago and I was really impressed. Perspectv collects over 14 visual web apps to monitor the election news. It not only monitors CNN national polls, but also listens to online news coverage, mentions in the blogsphere and twitter.

You can easily scroll to check out an electoral map, see a timeline of mentions and even get a handy widget, so that you can quickly scan and monitor everything from the convenience of your own blog.

2) CSPAN.org

CSPAN is doing a great job of covering the Democratic and Republican conventions. They have a great list of video highlights for anyone who missed any of the speeches.

I also like their live twitter coverage. It is definitely a great place to stop by especially if you are sad that you missed the convention like I am!


3) Huffington Post- FundRace

This cool google mash up lets you search by name or address to see which candidate your friends/enemies/coworkers/that creepy guy who says he’s a democrat but is clearly lying/ are supporting. You can zoom in quite close and see a list of addresses and contribution amounts that a particular person has donated. You can even transpose a 2004 map so you can see if there are any differences.

4) Google Power Readers:

As a self-proclaimed news junkie I love reading anything and everything about hot issues, and the election is no exception. I’ve often wondered Barack Obama or John McCain read, and thanks to Google I now know the answer! Google has recently introduced Political Power Readers, which allow you to subscribe to the shared items feed from big political movers and shakers. You can now get a glimpse into what catches the interest Obama, McCain (or at least their teams) as well as a slew of political journalist heavy hitters like Arianna Huffington and more!

Straight from Google’s Blog:

Today we’re announcing Google Power Readers in Politics: leading political journalists and both U.S. presidential campaigns using Reader to read and share news. You can read what they read, and see what’s on their minds as they share and discuss news. Each participant has created a reading list with a feed you can subscribe to in Reader (or any other feed reader), and is also publishing shared items. Here’s the list of participants:

Enjoy the coverage! I’ll be posting more soon. Are there any news sources in particular that you can’t live without? Leave them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!

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Well Played: Room Planner raises awarness of street kids

July 2nd, 2008

I came across this site today and have to admit it was quite effective. For one thing,  you don’t really see it coming. At least I didn’t. The site invites you to drag and drop various furniture pieces into a room outline. When you drag it in, it changes into an equivalent object that would be used by street kids. So for example, a dresser turns into a backpack, and couch turns into a bench.

It’s a pretty interesting way to raise awareness about this cause because it doesn’t really push the issue in your face, but rather leaves it up to you to get more information or continue with the planner. There is a discreet “Covenant House” logo at the bottom that gives you the option to donate.

I had one issue with the whole thing.  When you click it takes you directly to a form you can fill out in order to contribute directly. I would have preferred to be taken to a page that outlines some of the programs conducted by Covenant House and some more information about where my contribution would go. I felt a bit of disconnect between the “shock factor” and the “ask.”

What do you think about it?

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