By the Numbers, Part 5
These new Net figures give a unique view of candidates and their political campaigns.
Posted Monday, June 12, 2000, at 9:30 PM ET
Slate, the Industry Standard, and washingtonpost.com join forces to examine the effect of the Internet on Campaign 2000.
In the confusing past few weeks, millionaire political neophyte Jon Corzine spent his way to success in New Jersey Democratic Senate primary, and newcomer Rick Lazio has suddenly become the one to watch in New York. Once again, the numbers provide a measure of the online political landscape.
1. Unique visitors to the GeorgeWBush Web site for the month of May: 183,000
2. Unique visitors to the Gore2000 Web site for the month of May: 89,000
3. Number of times "e-government" is mentioned on Al Gore's site: 15
4. Number of times "e-government" is mentioned on George W. Bush's site: 2
5. Cost to subscribe to FreeDem, a new ISP offered by the Democratic National Committee, aimed at bridging the digital divide: $0
6. Cost to subscribe to GOPnet.com, the ISP offered by the Republican National Committee: $19.95
7. Time it takes to sign up for FreeDem if you already have access to the Internet: Uncertain—numerous attempts at registration resulted in irritating "field error" messages
8. Time it takes to sign up for FreeDem if you don't have access to the Internet: 4 to 6 weeks
9. Percentage of photos of Rick Lazio on his Web site that show the candidate with his family: 14.3
Matthew Yeomans has covered everything from the dot-com bust to the global oil boom. Today, he is founder of Custom Communication, providing social media strategy and branded content for companies.
Bevin Cummings is an Industry Standard editorial assistant.