There have been few studies to date which examine candidate-level online campaigns data using a systematic mixed method approach. This paper sets out the multiple research methods used to capture such data at the 2010 UK General Election. Candidates’ personal web pages were categorized by type and Google rank. A quality-score was devised and a content analyisis was conducted of candidates Web 2.0 campaigns (including their use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogging and Flickr), to ascertain candidates level of engagement via the Web during the campaign as well measures of inter-operability and frequency of use. This will build upon past methodological studies of candidate Web activity (Foot and Schneider, 2002; Gibson and Ward 2000) which use the content analysis method to track and analyse the effectiveness of candidates’ Web campaigns. This data was then combined with data from a candidate email study, secondary survey data of electors’ views and campaign data from other sources both quantitative and qualitative. This data resource allows the investigation of many key questions concerning the impact of Web-campaigning one of the main innovations of recent election campaigns. Key words: mixed methods, participation, election, online campaigning, engagement.
