The NYTimes > Media & Advertising > Drilling Down/Election Web Sites: Kerry Generates Hits

The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising > Drilling Down/Election Web Sites: Kerry Generates Hits:
"The heated dispute over John Kerry’s war record may not be helping John Kerry the candidate, but it seems to be stirring interest in John Kerry the Web site. According to figures from Nielsen/NetRatings, visitors to Mr. Kerry’s campaign site (www.johnkerry.com) more than doubled in the third week in August, as the charges and countercharges over his service in Vietnam made headlines."

Opposition sites including ScaryJohnKerry.com also enjoyed traffic increases during the debate. The curious exception is the official site for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (www.swiftvets.com), the group that initiated the attacks on Mr. Kerry. As its charges became more widespread, the number of visitors dwindled. It does seem to suggest that the Internet was the catalyst, said Kenneth Cassar, a director at Nielsen/NetRatings. But once mainstream media covered the story, fewer people visited the Web site.

In other ways, behavior on political sites is more predictable. The biggest draw on the Kerry site, for example, is a petition entitled ‘‘Tell George Bush: Stop the Smear Campaign: Get Back to the Issues.’’ …

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/business/media/040830MOSTWANTED.html