Webing The Election

Tonight those of us who are political junkies aren't just going to be watching the news--we'll have our laptops and browsers fired up to see the on-line dialog as it develops. If you're not familiar with that, here are some tips from The Omnivore for Watching--Webing--The Election.

First Things First
The polls will close around 7:00 PM Local time and we should start seeing results around 8:00 PM (7:30 EST polls close in OH and NC). If it's not close and Obama wins VA and OH then we will have a pretty good idea of whom our next president is before 9:00 PM. On the other hand, if it's razor-thin it could be weeks. We'll have to see how it plays out. Also: don't believe any 'exit polls' before 5:00 PM--that's when they get released and security is tight.

If you want to understand why it's all important that Romney win a few specific states, look here: This is a NYT tool that shows the various "paths" to a winning 270 EV and which states Romney has to tie up in order to take the white house.

It's Less Intimidating In Person

1. Twitter
There is simply no substitute for Twitter when it comes to political dialog. This isn't 2008--right now, this is where the conversation is taking place. How does Twitter work (if, uh, you don't know)? You create an account and then follow people. I recommend:

• Larry Sabato (political scientist)
• David Frum (semi-republican commentator)
• Mark Blumenthal (poll-master. If the polls turn out to be badly wrong you'll want to hear what he's thinking)
• Nate Silver: if the polls are wrong you'll DEFINITELY want to hear what he has to say.
• Erza Klein: Smart commentary from the left

You can also watch the Votizen Live Feed here: http://live.votizen.com/ This shows tweets only from registered voters.

2. Live Blogging

There will be several people "live blogging" the election. This is where you have a blog post and you update it frequently as new information comes in in real-time.Several people are live-blogging it and I would go with Andrew Sullivan. Although partisan and left-wing, there will be no one better to watch if Romney is winning it--and if Obama takes it, Sullivan, whatever else you may think of him, can be fairly insightful. I will be looking for his LB.

The Omnivore might be doing it too--but I'm sick: so don't count on anything.

Live blogging will run from 8:00 to 11:00 PM--and hopefully we'll know something by then.

3. Open Threads

All the major blogs will have "open threads" where users are posting their thoughts. I am going to suggest Hot Air as the blog to watch for this. They are right-wing, reasonably feisty, and highly invested. If Romney is winning and you like Romney you'll be among friends. If Obama is winning and you like Obama you'll get to watch heads explode. 

4. Online Scorecard

If you want to pop over and see what's happened you can use the NYT Online Scorecard. It will also have some form of live coverage. You should also check out America's Finest News Source with blockbuster information you can use like "How To Avoid Unbearable Facebook Bullshit On Election Day."

5. Conventional TV

However good the web is, you can bet our TVs will be on. This article does a good job of summing up the choices. Notable:

• At 11 PM Comedy Central starts analysis with John Stewart. Probably worth watching whoever wins.
• ABC News is broadcasting from Times Square
• CSPAN: Starts at 8--live coverage without a bunch of bullshit (we hope)
• CNN: No holograms this time--but (a) they start at 6 PM and (b) they have reporters in all the battleground states for some on-the-ground reporting.
• Fox News: This is going to be huge for them and they do a good job with it. They'll have Sarah Palin doing commentary.
• NBC Nightly News: They will be broadcasting from 30 Rock and will have a map on the ice that turns red / blue.

Good luck out there.