DNC vs. RNC: Social media convention comparison

DNC beats the RNC in social chatter

At it’s peak volume the Democratic convention’s official hashtag #DNC2012, drew more than 60,000 posts on Twitter on Thursday September 6th – the same day as the President’s speech. Likewise the peak volume for the Republican convention’s official hashtag #RNC2012 also peaked on the date of Mitt Romney’s speech but with just 19,000 mentions. An alternate hashtag for the Republicans, #GOP2012, took some volume at the expense of the official hashtag, while the alternate hashtag for the Democrats, #DEM2012, drew volume early in the conference but faded by the time their nominee spoke.

Convention word clouds

Democratic Convention Republican Convention

Each word represented in this word cloud represents the volume – the larger the word, the more social posts that mention that word. It literally tells us what people were saying the most during the conventions. The size of each parties hashtag in these graphics indicates both parties were active on social media during their political rival’s convention.

Reporters active on social media

Democratic Convention Republican Convention

These charts indicate which reporters were active, and had some degree of influence, on social media during the conventions. Tony Phyrillas, of the Pottstown, Pa.-based newspaper, The Mercury, is a stand out because he appears to have been equally active on social media during both conventions.

Influential tweeters during the conventions

Republican ConventionDemocratic Convention

Among the most influential tweeters on social media during the convention – Donald Trump was active during both conventions, as was the President himself. The Huffington Post tweeted on-topic more than 40 times during the Democratic convention and about half that number during the Republican convention.

Campaign issues on social media

Democratic ConventionRepublican Convention

The following charts indicate the most discussed campaign issues during both conventions. The top issue during the Democratic convention was “economy” while the top issue during the Republican conventions was “taxes.”

Current state of the social media race

On the tail end of the conventions, both teams are still virtually tied in terms of mentions of social media. Team Obama has seen a slight bounce in the polls on the heels of the convention, but the race is clearly still neck-in-neck.

Continually updated on the Vocus blog:

o 9/4: #Election2012: A Tight Social Media Race as DNC Convention Beginso 8/29: #Election2012: Taxes Are The Number One Issue, Says Social Mediao 8/27: #Election2012: Is Romney Absorbing Ryan’s Social Media Buzz?o 8/21: #Election2012: Which Candidate Has More Social Media Influence?o 8/20: #Election2012 Social Race: Can Social Media Predict the Election?

o 9/6: Guest post : How Much Will Social Media Really Affect the U.S. Election?

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