Election season is always an exciting time of year. But with our busy schedules today, it can be hard devoting our full attention to even something as important as a presidential election. Good news, though: The internet’s largest social networking sites are providing you with some great new tools for catching up on the presidential horse race, even as you search for videos of jump-roping dogs and check out funny tweets. Take a look at how your favorite sites are handling the 2012 election.
Traditionally, the best political coverage comes from your television. But what to do if you’ve cut the cable cord to save money or simply don’t have time to lounge on your couch? Good news: YouTube has you covered with its new YouTube Elections Hub.
The channel will feature a number of videos from candidates and campaigns themselves, as well as independent coverage from major news outlets such as NBC News, Al Jazeera, Univision, The New York Times, and more. You’ll also be able to live stream coverage from the conventions. It’s a great way to catch up on current events, one two-minute video at a time.
If you just can’t get enough of politics online, you should also make a point of checking out Twitter’s election coverage. Specifically, the site offers “The Twitter Political Index,” a measure of how often — and how positively — Romney and Obama are talked about on the social network. (As of Aug. 22, Obama scores 20; Romney is at 16.) You can also follow your favorite candidate on Twitter. Barack Obama’s Twitter handle is @BarackObama, and Mitt Romney is @MittRomney. You can also follow VP candidates Paul Ryan (@PaulRyanVP) and Joe Biden (@JoeBiden).
Rival social network Facebook is teaming up with CNN for its election coverage, and the pair has created an app to help you get in the election season spirit. Called “I’m Voting,” the app asks you a series of questions about your political leanings and views, which you can then choose to share with your friends. You can even pick the specific candidate you’d most like to rub on your body. It’s a great way to learn which of your friends have political views you find abhorrent, leading to numerous scuttled friendships. Good times!
You can also download the app onto your mobile device, which can be used as a second screen while viewing CNN election coverage. That way, you’ll be able to share your opinions with CNN directly and respond to on-air polling questions.
…and the rest
This is 2012, and the world is more connected than ever before. You’d better believe that if there’s a social network, your favorite candidate is on it. Think you can’t get your political fix on the photo sharing social network Instagram? You’d be wrong. President Obama (@BarackObama) is sharing pictures with his followers on the app, and Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) is too. You can even find your favorite candidates on Pinterest. A quick search is usually all it takes.
[Image credit: Green vote button via Shutterstock]
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Fox Van Allen is an LA-based freelance writer specializing in the subjects of science, technology, fitness, and video gaming. You can follow him @FoxVanAllen. Tecca is a next-generation personal electronics information and shopping service. We bring together the web’s leading content, commerce, and community features to provide comprehensive solutions for consumers’ ever-growing technology needs. Think of us as that tech savvy friend who helps you when you have questions about what to buy, what to pay, how to make the most of you already have, and when it’s time to upgrade. Get to know us on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
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