One Book--One Million Possibilities

In a web browse titled, "political web communication," I discovered a gold mine. The treasure trove came in the form of a newly published book called "Web Campaigning."

This book details the web use of political groups for campaign purposes. Yeah I know. Big whoop, right?

But believe it or not, there are many exciting elements that the book brings up. Let me explain.

FACT #1
Fact #1: Campaign websites have become more and more popular in the past decade.
Why this should matter: Political groups are beginning to realize just how effective the Web really is for communicating information and reaching out to a potential group of voters. In the future, the Web may become the major medium for launching political candidates.

FACT #2
Fact #2: Political campaign sites have evolved to include blogs, podcasts, videos, public forums and links to myspace and facebook accounts.
Why this should matter: Politicians are reaching out to a younger generation of voters via the Web. Utilizing the Internet is the best way to reach and hook the most elusive demographic--voters aged 18-35 years.

FACT #3
Fact #3: Politicians are using the Web to inform, involve, connect to and mobilize voters.
Why this should matter: Instead of a 30-second television spot, or a billboard ad, politicians now have a medium with a virtually unlimited capacity in which to convey their message. They can now simultaneously inform, persuade and move voters to action. With other media this is almost impossible to do due to time and space constraints. THE WEB INTRODUCED A WORLD OF ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES.

Democrats v. Republicans: Geneseo Style

For this week's post, I thought it might be fun to critique SUNY Geneseo's political groups and see how their websites compare.

I was interested to find that both websites are currently "under construction" but neither one sets a definitive date of when they'll be up and running again. It's crucial to tell your audience when you will be online again. That way they won't become discouraged every time they visit.

Geneseo's Democrats
The College Democrats have an unimpressive website, to say the least. The text is boring, the background adds no value, and the content seems to have no clear direction. Their slogan, "Best Asses on Campus" is clever, but could be deemed offensive to some.

However, the site does have a few redeeming features. Their list of officers is very helpful and something that the College Republican website is lacking. I also thought the link at the bottom of the page that connects to the Democratic Party's website, was a valuable tool.

Geneseo's Republicans
The Geneseo Republicans have a slightly more interesting page. The American flag background makes it clear that they're a political group. I like the fact that they included the elephant logo too because its an easily identifiable symbol. Their slogan "The Best Party on Campus" is catchy and clever--sure to attract the attention of college students.

The quotes on the site add interest, but all the text is far too scrunched together. It needs to be spread out on the page. The content of the page also extends too far down. There is text that bumps up right against the bottom of the page--very frustrating for a reader.

Comparing Both Sites
The last thing I noticed is that both sites prominently displayed the times and places for their group meetings. I feel this was a necessary step. Even though both sites are "temporarily down" they are at least giving their audience another way to get in touch.

Project Vote Smart

Project Vote Smart (PVS) claims to be America's non-partisan, "premier research organization," yet after viewing their site briefly, I was rather disappointed.

The topics they offer such as "Current Candidates," "Interest Positions," and "Voting Records" initally sparked excitement on my part, but after actually viewing the pages, I became frustrated. Not only was information difficult to find,
but the pages were cluttered with data irrelevant to the search topic.

I went to the site in hopes of figuring out the prominent presidential candidates for the 2008 election, and PVS came back with a laundry list of politicians. They did not bookmark any of the candidates as being the "big competitors" but simply threw names around.

Even if the website's primary goal is to be objective, their main priority should be informing American voters. Right now, the ideas behind Project Vote Smart are fantastic, but the implementation of these ideas is anything but.

Hillary's Got Interactive IQ

Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the web.

Her campaign website is highly interactive, putting all the power into the hands of her supporters.

On the main page of her site she has a list called, “8 Things You Can Do.” While this may seem like a rather simple web element, it’s an effective tool for informing Americans while generating interest in her campaign at the same time.

Hillary also has a blog where people can post and comment on a variety of topics.

Although she hasn’t won the presidential election yet, Hillary sure has my vote.

Welcome to Political Parsnip!

This blog is dedicated to informed but passionate talk about political groups and their web communication. All viewpoints are welcome and encouraged. Thanks in advance for your input!