According to a press release today from Ron Paul's campaign, since the GOP presidential debate five days ago, the congressman has
1. Placed a close third (with 18% of the vote) in a post-debate poll on Drudge.
4. Became the third most-mentioned person in the blogosphere, beating out Paris Hilton, according to Technorati.
5. Produced a video that became the most-viewed political one and 8th most-popular on YouTube.
6. Been featured, by popular demand, on the front of Digg.
7. Generated so many bulletin posts on MySpace that site owner, News Corp., blocked all additional posts about Paul.
8. Became a "most searched" term on Google and Yahoo!.
9. Saw a quadrupling of daily visitors to RonPaul2008.com.
I confirmed the first three statements by hyperlinking them. Anyone care to confirm the other six?
Update: My techPresident colleague, Josh Levy, confirms #6—"Ron Paul is everywhere on Digg," he writes—and concludes, "Despite his lackluster official Web presence. . . . Paul is a good case study of how the Web can sweep up a candidate and make him their own, with or without his help."
Update: Todd Zeigler analyzes and applauds Paul's Digg surge, which he conjectures is a backlash against the MSM. I agree: UGC like Digg represents the nexus of grassroots mobilization and antiestablishmentarian democracy. For evidence, look no further than an editorial in Tuesday’s Post: "Voters trying to sort out their presidential choices aren’t helped by debates cluttered with the likes of . . . Ron Paul."
The other thing is, as Paul's online supporters are reaching a tipping point, why does his campaign Web site remain so bare-bones?
Previously, I laid into Ron Paul for his communications problem, and I scolded Jim Gilmore for his shoddy online operation. Both these guys are squarely in the third tier of candidates, but I'm convinced that if they gave their e-team the resources and money each needs, they'd be thankful for the increased press and their enhanced ability to influence issues.
Update (5/10): Dave Weigel points to another Paul-winning poll, this one from Pajamas Media (though we should note, as PM does, that more than 200 votes came from the same IP address within about an hour).
Also, the blog of U.S. News has picked up the story.
