Blogging and Hyperlinking: use of the Web to enhance viability during the 2004 US campaign

This study focuses on the online campaigning of presidential candidates during the 2004 US presidential campaign. A random sample of the front pages of the websites and weblogs (‘‘blogs’’) of George W. Bush and John Kerry was collected between Labor Day and Election Day 2004. These pages were analyzed in order to examine both candidate blogs and websites in terms of online fundraising, hyperlinking practices, and concentration on certain political issues. Results suggest that candidates more frequently use websites than blogs as fundraising mechanisms. In terms of hyperlinking, the Bush and Kerry campaigns were likely to confine visitors to the bounds of their websites by providing links to content within the overall site, but also linked consistently to outside, advocating sources. On the other hand, candidate blogs were more likely to provide directives to external links. Regarding issues discussed online by the campaigns, results suggest marked differences between the most salient issues in candidate blogs as opposed to candidate websites.