https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/neon-protocol-v0-3-phone-playtest/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T21:00:43+00:00Neon Protocol v0.3: an AI played my game on a phone, one-handed, on an imaginary bushttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/neon-protocol-v0-2-ai-playtesters/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T20:04:38+00:00Neon Protocol v0.2: I let a panel of AIs playtest my game. Here’s what they foundhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/neon-protocol-uprising/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T18:14:20+00:00Neon Protocol: Uprising (v0.1): a free tactics game about a machine that did the mathshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/neon-protocol-header-16x9-1.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/did-brexit-travel/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:35:28+00:00Europe’s parties all talked about Brexit. Eurosceptic pages got no extra lift.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/did-brexit-travel-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/count-the-interactions/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:35:23+00:00CrowdTangle’s Overperforming Score aged badly. Count the interactions instead.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/count-the-interactions-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/party-splits/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:35:19+00:00When a party splits, who keeps the Facebook crowd?Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/party-splits-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/post-length/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:35:14+00:00On party Facebook pages, posts with no text did worst. Length barely mattered.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/post-length-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/romania-votes-vs-interactions/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:35:10+00:00Romania’s biggest party won the 2016 election. Its Facebook page drew 7% of the engagement.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/romania-votes-vs-interactions-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/finland-small-parties/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:35:06+00:00Finland’s small parties were big on Facebook. It did not tell you who would win votes.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/finland-small-parties-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/portugal-quiet-centre/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:35:01+00:00Portugal’s big two won 70% of the vote. On Facebook they drew 43%.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/portugal-quiet-centre-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/berset-spring/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:34:56+00:00For three months in 2020, one Swiss minister outdrew the parties on FacebookFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/berset-spring-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/refugee-crisis-facebook/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T13:34:52+00:00The radical right’s Facebook boost in 2015 came with the refugee crisis, not ahead of itFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/refugee-crisis-facebook-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/european-or-national/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T11:47:21+00:00Europe’s parties rise and fall on Facebook to a national beatFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/european-or-national-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/where-parties-send-people/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T11:46:48+00:00Parties used to link to themselves. Then they linked to the news.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/where-parties-send-people-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/dip-not-decline/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T11:46:11+00:00Did Facebook kill parties’ reach? Engagement per follower dipped, then came backFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/dip-not-decline-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/paid-and-earned-do-british-parties-pay-for-the-facebook-pages-people-already-engage-with/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T11:37:10+00:00Paid and earned: do British parties pay for the Facebook pages people already engage with?Facebook, Leaders & partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/paid-earned-v2-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/who-pays-for-the-party-how-british-parties-organise-their-facebook-and-instagram-advertising/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T11:37:04+00:00Who pays for the party? How British parties organise their Facebook and Instagram advertisingFacebook, Platform attention & datahttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/who-pays-v2-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/does-posting-more-pay-volume-and-engagement-on-parties-facebook-pages/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:22:42+00:00Does posting more pay? Volume and engagement on parties’ Facebook pagesFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/posting-volume-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/is-there-a-newness-premium-new-parties-and-engagement-on-facebook/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:22:37+00:00Is there a newness premium? New parties and engagement on FacebookFacebook, Europe, Elections & pollshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/new-party-premium-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/equal-on-facebook-big-parties-small-parties-and-who-gets-the-attention/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:22:30+00:00Equal on Facebook? Big parties, small parties and who gets the attentionFacebook, Europe, Elections & polls, Populism & radical partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/party-equalisation-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/after-the-votes-are-counted-what-happens-to-parties-facebook-audiences/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:22:18+00:00After the votes are counted: what happens to parties’ Facebook audiencesFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactions, Elections & pollshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/after-the-votes-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/new-leader-new-audience-what-a-change-of-leader-does-for-a-partys-facebook-page/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:22:11+00:00New leader, new audience? What a change of leader does for a party’s Facebook pageFacebook, Europe, Leaders & partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/new-leader-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/posting-in-office-hours-when-parties-post-on-facebook-and-when-posts-do-best/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:22:06+00:00Posting in office hours? When parties post on Facebook and when posts do bestFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/posting-times-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/second-order-campaigns-european-parliament-elections-on-parties-facebook-pages/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:21:53+00:00Second-order campaigns? European Parliament elections on parties’ Facebook pagesFacebook, Europe, Elections & pollshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/second-order-campaigns-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/building-an-audience-what-makes-party-pages-grow-on-facebook/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:21:47+00:00Building an audience: what makes party pages grow on FacebookFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/building-an-audience-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/the-pivot-to-video-did-european-parties-follow-facebook-and-did-it-pay/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:21:42+00:00The pivot to video: did European parties follow Facebook, and did it pay?Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactions, Platform attention & datahttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/pivot-to-video-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/looking-them-up-wikipedia-attention-facebook-engagement-and-votes/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:21:29+00:00Looking them up: Wikipedia attention, Facebook engagement and votesFacebook, Europe, Elections & polls, Platform attention & datahttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/looking-them-up-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/leader-or-party-who-gets-the-facebook-engagement-in-europe/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:21:23+00:00Leader or party? Who gets the Facebook engagement in EuropeFacebook, Europe, Leaders & partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/leader-or-party-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/do-likes-predict-votes-facebook-engagement-and-34-european-elections/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:21:17+00:00Do likes predict votes? Facebook engagement and 34 European electionsFacebook, Europe, Elections & pollshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/likes-and-votes-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/hits-or-a-long-tail-how-concentrated-is-party-engagement-on-facebook/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:21:00+00:00Hits or a long tail? How concentrated is party engagement on FacebookFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hits-long-tail-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/16/hungary-party-page/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-16T10:00:00+00:00Orbán’s page showed Orbán. The Fidesz page carried the migration campaign.Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hungary-party-page-header-1.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/shared-more-liked-less-facebook-2018-news-feed/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T19:33:14+00:00Shared more, liked less?Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/news-feed-v2-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/do-women-leaders-get-angrier-reactions/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T19:32:41+00:00Do women leaders get angrier reactions?Facebook, Engagement & reactions, Leaders & partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/women-leaders-v3-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/tekken-3-on-the-ps1/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T18:47:35+00:00Tekken 3 on the PS1: still brilliantvideo games, ps1https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/tekken-pixel-header-2.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/smaller-democracies/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T16:36:31+00:00Does the democracy matter? Party Facebook engagement in six smaller European democraciesFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/sd2-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/facebook-kept-pace-with-public-attention-it-didnt-lead-it/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T15:38:22+00:00Facebook kept pace with public attention. It didn’t lead it.Facebook, Britain, Elections & polls, Platform attention & datahttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/fkp2-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/negativity-got-the-clicks-what-earned-engagement-on-labour-and-conservative-facebook-pages/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T14:56:08+00:00Negativity got the clicks: what earned engagement on Labour and Conservative Facebook pagesLabour Party, Facebook, Britain, Engagement & reactions, Conservative Partyhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/wee2-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/win-power-lose-the-likes-what-governing-did-to-european-parties-on-facebook-2/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T14:56:03+00:00Win power, lose the likes: what governing did to European parties on FacebookFacebook, Europe, Engagement & reactions, Government & crisishttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/gca2-header.webp?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/did-europe-rally-round-its-leaders-on-facebook-in-the-first-covid-19-wave-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:51:11+00:00Did Europe rally round its leaders on Facebook in the first Covid-19 wave?Facebook, Europe, Government & crisis, Covid-19https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-covid_rally.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/angrier-or-just-more-expressive-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:50:19+00:00Angrier, or just more expressive?Facebook, Europe, Engagement & reactionshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-reactions_anger.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/can-facebook-engagement-forecast-an-election-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:48:58+00:00Can Facebook engagement forecast an election?Facebook, Europe, Elections & pollshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-engagement_polls.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/who-carries-the-party-on-facebook-in-sweden-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:48:23+00:00Who carries the party on Facebook in Sweden?Facebook, Sweden, Nordics, Leaders & partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-sweden_leaders.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/spains-governing-parties-were-the-quietest-on-facebook-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:47:42+00:00Spain’s governing parties were the quietest on FacebookFacebook, Europe, Spain, Leaders & parties, Government & crisishttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-spain_leaders.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/loudest-at-the-edges-belgian-politicians-on-facebook-before-the-2019-election-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:47:08+00:00Loudest at the edges: Belgian politicians on Facebook before the 2019 electionFacebook, Europe, Belgium, Elections & polls, Populism & radical partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-belgium.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/the-bigger-facebook-page-lost-greece-syriza-and-new-democracy-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:46:30+00:00The bigger Facebook page lost: Greece, SYRIZA and New DemocracyFacebook, Europe, Greece, Elections & pollshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-greece.jpg?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/15/which-french-parties-were-louder-on-facebook-than-at-the-ballot-box-a-new-paper-from-my-phd-archive/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-15T13:45:54+00:00Which French parties were louder on Facebook than at the ballot box?Facebook, Europe, France, Elections & polls, Populism & radical partieshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hdr-france.jpg?w=150