Top 10 Political Websites ( Free Republic Number One, HuffPo 2nd, Kos 3rd)

Thursday, November 22, 2007 | Kristinn

[kristinn]

FreeRepublic.com, the eleven-year-old conservative granddaddy of political discussion websites, was rated the most popular political website by Hitwise, an Internet data tracking service, for the week ending November 17, 2007 with 5.14% market share.

The liberal site, HuffingtonPost.com, founded two-and-a-half years ago, was the only site that came close to Free Republic in interest from net users, with 4.51% market share. In a distant third place, the five-year-old liberal site DailyKos.com, was left in the dust by Free Republic and Huffington Post, garnering only 2.57% market share.

The others sites Hitwise listed were, in order, politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com with 2.17%; townhall.com with 2.1%; buzzflash.com with 1.95%; politico.com with 1.9%; humanevents.com with 1.84%; realclearpolitics.com with 1.72% and democraticunderground.com with 1.69%.

Free Republic has received none of the fawning promotion in the mainstream media that its nearest competitors get. It takes no paid advertising, has no membership fees and relies solely on donations for its existence. Its founder and webmaster, Jim Robinson, is not touted as a political player like Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga are. The site has endured withering criticism this year by pundits from Bill O'Reilly to Patrick Ruffini. Yet, Free Republic survives and thrives as one of the most popular and influential political websites.

From leading the charge to impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998, to the 2004 exposing of the fraudulent National Guard documents that led to Dan Rather's firing by CBS News, to the recent deep-sixing of expansion of the S-CHIP program, Freepers, as members at the site are known, have changed politics in America.

Liberals despise them, some conservatives seeth with envy, yet none can deny that more than a decade in to the online revolution, Free Republic is still a force to be reckoned with.

[Pietro]

Thanks Jim and Kristin for the only home I've ever had on the web!

We're hugh!

[Baladas]

“Other” sites, usually virtual caves, have been predicting the eventual demise of this site for years now. As usual, they predicted wrongly.

[G8 Diplomat]

WOOT! Eat THAT libs!

[G8 Diplomat]

LOL!!

[L.N. Smithee]

“seethe.”

[theDentist]

Woohoo! Congrats!! Thanks!!!

[Eastbound]

"democraticunderground.com with 1.69%."

Thanks to the abundant mentionings on Free Republic.

[knittnmom]

Congratulations! And thank you!

[floriduh voter]

Gee, cable news networks never mention FR when they talk about popular internet sites. (they're trying to keep their jobs).

Eagles up and then some.

[floriduh voter]

GO, SANTA, GO, SANTA!

http://www.northpole.com/Clubhouse/DancingSanta/

[floriduh voter]

"The site attracts a very slightly male biased"

I can believe that. I get called "he" all the time.

[floriduh voter]

Sometimes, DU refers people who need help to FR. Even they know where to find the best grassroots activists in the world!

News AND results.

[floriduh voter]

...and shamnesty. That was the last achievement sinking the Senate’s bill and I think we gave Mel Martinez heartburn and post traumatic stress.

[Tribune7]

ping

[Kleon]

The Alexia numbers, which are linked to on the FR front page put FR behind huffpost and dailykos. Maybe it should be changed to this other site.

[Ghengis]

Dang! I guess I rate as an oldtimer with a registration date of 12/11/1997.

[Republic]

I’d say EAGLES Way WAY UP!!!!!!!! HURRAH!

[catfish1957]

Yeah, that’d be us :)

[glock rocks]

bonk

[Freee-dame]

Thanks Kristinn and Jim