14 DAY TRIAL // The elections coming around have aroused an ocean of upheaval between the two big parties, so all the major Internet companies have decided to do something about it, in order to get some of the cash that has been and will be put in play for every candidate to have its share of publicity.
First came Google that brought a Mashup showing the contributors to the campaign, the amount they contributed and their locations. They decided that it wasn't enough (and it really wasn't), so they came forward with a gadget that showed all the locations of stops in every candidate's election campaign, complete with coverings via newspapers and video. Yahoo! thought to go the extra mile and make a serious site on the whole deal, and it rolled out its "Dashboard" a few days ago.
AOL couldn't stay behind, so it came today with its own widget, named "Hot Seat" and it will feature daily political poll questions from some of the biggest political bloggers on the Internet, among which The Huffington Post, Time's Swampland, Slate, The Politico, Crooks & Liars, Power Line and Captain's Quarters. It will also feature answers to the questions from the major presidential candidates and will be displayed on all AOL News, Elections and Political Machines pages, as well as participating sites that are outside the AOL network.
"2008 is going to be the first truly 21st Century election, with more and more of the campaign waged online", said Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of "The Huffington Post". "Thanks to the Internet, the public has the ability to become more engaged in the electoral process - and in a national conversation about the issues that matter most - than ever before. By bringing together candidates, bloggers, opinion makers, and voters from all across the web - and all across the ideological spectrum - 'Hot Seat' has the potential to promote a new and exciting kind of debate. The Huffington Post is delighted to be part of this innovative new feature."
We are also delighted to see AOL joining the race for the political dough from the traffic and wish them luck.