January 3, 2012
Mentions on Twitter being used to gauge candidates' momentum
The Washington Post is tracking Twitter mentions as a gauge of the support for candidates for president in the United States.
I’m not so sure about this. A controversial statement — such as Rick Santorum saying he would bomb Iran — could generate a lot of buzz, but not necessarily a lot of support. In fact, many of the mentions could be from opponents jumping on this statement to cast Santorum in a negative light.
On the other hand, name recognition alone has been known to win many an election — unfortunately.
Link: Twitter Indicator Could Trump Polls for 2012 Election Measurement