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Google teams up with Twitter to make Super Tuesday geomap

Track the politics of Twitter with this new Google Maps mapplet.

Josh Lowensohn Former Senior Writer
Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
Josh Lowensohn
CNET Networks

If you're trying to keep up with U.S. politics today, be prepared for an onslaught. There's an all-day mudslide of information, and no end of sources to get it from. Google's decided to join the fray and, with the help of microblogging service Twitter, has created a live, moving mapplet to track people's tweets that are related to politics. All the tweets are geotagged with the Twitter user's city and state, so you can see where they posted from, right down to the county.

While a good deal of the tweets are useless (see example above), there are a few that link to blog posts, or important notes about long wait times at the polls. However, my bet is that most people will stick to their regular news sites for the most up-to-date information. Speaking of which, if you're in the mood for more tangible poll results, you can check out Google's primary results gadget, which displays percentages for each candidate, by state on a simple chart. It's available as a standalone embed (which I've added after the break) and as a gadget for your iGoogle homepage.