Politics Still Raging on the Web

In the wake of President Obama’s election in November, there was a sense of anticlimax among the left-leaning media covering the event.

There was also at least a vague sense of a clock ticking.

After all, a number of liberal websites that were floated on the tidal wave of interest in the 2008 election -- like the Huffington Post and Daily Kos -- owed their rise to disillusionment with the Bush White House.

How would these sites fare in the post-election world, now that their guy had won?

As one web reporter told TheWrap shortly after Obama’s election, “I’m not sure. We’ll have plenty during the first 100 Days. The next 100 is the problem.”

Turns out, they shouldn’t have worried.

According to Nielsen NetView, the Huffington Post had 7.81 million unique visitors in July – up from the 7.35 million it received in January. Politico had 3.4 million, up slightly over the 3.21 million it amassed in January. DailyKos, at 927,000, was up a fraction, too. (For a clickable list of political sites, see accompanying story, "A Guide for Political Junkies.")

Of course, it isn't politics alone that is fueling these sites' health. A close look at their continued rise reveal an array of strategies that are succeeding unexpectedly in the age of web-based news.

Huffpo's growth is the result of a focused effort to move well beyond politics. The site -- a liberal politico’s fantasy when it launched in 2005 -- has expanded from its original mission into lifestyle, media and entertainment, while not shying from sex, gossip and innuendo in its coverage to drive page views and traffic. 

Then there's the decline of newspapers, in general -- and the fact that people are increasingly in the habit of getting their news from other sources. Especially in the age of Google, when a search more often than not will return numerous places other than traditional outlets to find news.

Still, there's no question that hot-button issues like health care and the economy -- and probably the continuing war waging between Republicans and Democrats, as well -- have kept the political junkies looking for fodder from Washington.

 

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