Debate Performance By Google Search

Google released some interesting information regarding last Thursday's VP debate. Instead of trying to judge voter reaction, or analyze which way random people swung a frakin' dial, Google has provided a new way to look at the debate: examine what people are searching in real time to understand what people care about.

According to Google's blog posting, people were most interested in finding out what Maverick meant, understanding what exactly Clean Coal is, figuring out what the real spelling and pronunciation of nuclear is, as well as how to register to vote (go here if you haven't). This provides a great insight into what is really important to people, as the average person doesn't search for something unless they are interested in it. But, and I think more importantly, it shows that there are plenty of people that are doing their best to be informed about the issues and make responsible decisions based on their newfound information. People were trying to understand these energy issues instead of just believing what Biden and Palin had to say. They wanted to know who Ahmadinejad is and why he isn't in control of a lot of Iran is he's their president. They also wanted to know what Article 1 of the Constitution really said.

That's all really encouraging to me. I've always had an issue with people voting based on talking points, so the fact that people really want to be engaged in the process this time around is uplifting. People sitting in front of their TV with laptop at a hand's reach ready to help them better understand the issues... that's truly amazing.

Also, don't forget that round two of the Presidential Debates is on tonight. Hopefully, we'll get some more Google Analytics on tonight's happenings. There are a million ways to watch the debate, but for my money, Current TV's streaming Twitter feed along side of the debate is one of the coolest web tech integrations into traditional media I've seen in quite a while. If you have Current, make sure to check it out, if not, you can stream it online at the above link.