The Spartan Internet Political Performance (SIPP) Index is the first quantitative metric to measure the Internet-wide performance of each Presidential candidate for the 2012 election. The Index gauges the level of support and how well each candidate is connecting with individuals across the Internet. The Index was developed during the 2008 election in response to the growing importance of the Internet in the political process. According to a July 2008 study from iCrossing.com, 42 percent of voters looked to the Internet for information on the 2008 candidates. Prior to the SIPP Index, there was no metric to determine the overall impact the Internet had on a candidate’s campaign.

• Click here to learn how the SIPP Index is calculated

Spartan Internet has leveraged its web expertise to objectively develop the Index to quantify 650 relevant factors into a single representative score for each candidate’s overall Internet market share out of 100%.

The 650 factors are derived from numeric values from across the Internet such as social networks, candidate websites, blogs, news media and search engines. The resulting score is indicative of each candidates overall online ability to reach individuals and connect on key issues. This can be compared to counting the number of digital yard signs and bumper stickers posted for each candidate on the Web. Results are published weekly each Thursday.

For more information visit the SIPP Index media section.