X-Tra Rant

Alright, time for a really pointless breakdown of the Indiana Gubernatorial candidate websites!

First the Democratic side.
Jim Schellinger:

• Wow. This is a bland, pretty looking website that would have been good circa 2000-2004. No interactivity, no issues page, no blog. There’s a page for videos, but they are hosted on the Schellinger website instead of YouTube which takes away another avenue for interactivity and internet grassroots organization
• The whole site seems geared towards this message: I am Jim Schellinger. The heads of the state party love me so volunteer and donate to me. Now!
• They do have a nifty Googe Maps app on the site to see where Schellinger has been on his tour of the state, but that alone isn’t enough to make this a viable internet campaign site for 2008. I also had trouble finding a schedule of where he WILL be.
• The main navigation buttons are all for getting people to do something for the campaign. Volunteer, Donate, Endorse (aka sign up for the mailing list), and Build The Base (aka let us send emails to your friends).
• The secondary navigation along the top is all information related, but no page for the issues. A generic “about Jim” page, endorsements, ‘in the news’, press releases and a contact page.
• Where is the interactivity? Where is the way to not only connect supporters to you, but connect supporters to each other to build real momentum?
• I find it funny that near the top it says “This is a grassroots campaign for the future of Indiana. Are you ready to join us?” yet the entire website has nothing for enabling a modern, internet ready grassroots campaign.

Grade: D+. it looks pretty, and there is good graphic design. But it lacks all the features of what a campaign, especially a non-incumbent campaign, needs on a website.

What would I add if I was made the Internet Director for the campaign?

• A prominent blog, possibly even part of the front page, that includes open comments
• Links to and use of Facebook and Myspace.
• Move the videos to YouTube
• A real issue page spelling out Schellinger’s stances on the issues facing the states. Don’t bury them in press releases, which most people won’t read
• While the design is good, it’s also very typical. Oh look, a candidate for office using red and blue and a star in the logo! Build a unique identity with a non-standard color and a unique non-star and non-exclamation-point logo. While Barack Obama has stuck with the red, white and blue his logo is a bit of brilliant graphic design.
• Add an RSS feed, not just for a Blog but for everything

Jill Long Thompson:

• Oh look, a bunch of rural Indiana images yet no images of cities. Shocking. A blue barn siding background. A few rotating header images of farmland with a barn, rural sunset, and state fair arch/sign. Dear Jill Long Thompson, not everyone in the state is a country bumpkin, and we actually have cities, and people in those cities vote. Sincerely: Indianapolis, Gary, Fort Wayne, South Bend, etc. (Update: Finally a refresh brought a single picture of Indianapolis but still the theme is overwhelmingly “rural”.)
• An actual issues page, but only one issue on it about education and a note to come back later for more. No. Get them at least basically fleshed out early and put them all up there. People come to your website to find out what you stand for, not just to be treated as cash machines and donate to you.
• A Blog!!! But.. oh.. wait… no comments. A “blog” without comments is not a blog. Have the stones to put comments on there. Yes, you will get some negative comments and even some vile comments. If some of them get too out of hand have a staffer whose job it is to watch the comments and delete any over the top of hateful ones. But allow people to disagree. This will let your supporters who also comment to back you up and get more involved in the process. As it is, your “blog” is just simplistic press releases.
• Videos actually hosted by YouTube, which allows comments. Nice. There are also links to Facebook and Myspace, which is good. Except the MySpace link is broken. Come on! Seriously, there is no excuse for that.
• Slightly better logo/graphic identity than Schellinger (I like the J inside the outline of Indiana, could be iconic on its own.) Still over-reliant on red and blue.
• There is a calendar of campaign stops but it apparently hasn’t been updated since mid-December. No map of future or past stops.
• Menu includes standard About page, News (which seems to be more Press Releases and less Mentions In The News), the “Blog” that is not a blog, Take Action (a form to submit your ‘ideas’ to the campaign and also end up on the mailing list), the Issues page with one issue, a Photo Gallery that just has a few photos (instead, use Flickr and update it often from the road), the aforementioned out of date Calendar, and a contact page. All pages include a box to click on so you can contribute.

Grade: C. At least there is a slight attempt at interactivity what with the YouTube videos and the links to Facebook and MySpace(although that link is broken) but the Blog-That-Isn’t-A-Blog is just weak. Design is slightly different than normal and a decent logo if still standard Red and Blue. I would like the Calendar if it was actually up to date.

What would I add if I was made the Internet Director for the campaign?

• A REAL blog with REAL comments. None of this fake blog crap. Make the News page part of the blog entries so your RSS feed will update anyone who subscribes.
• Engage actively in the Facebook and MySpace communities you link to (and fix the MySpace link)
• Put more than one issue on the Issues page. Now.
• Make the entire header clickable to take you Home. As it is only the logo part of it does that. Most internet users are trained to think an entire graphic header like that will take you to the home page of the site.
• As recommended to Schellinger, build a brand with a non-standard color that doesn’t blend in with every other candidate.
• Move your Photo Gallery to Flickr and use it regularly to post pictures from the campaign trail
• Update your calendar

It’s pretty obvious to me that neither candidate has a full time staffer dedicated to building an internet presence and keeping the website active and up to date to keep people coming back. Both Dem candidates’ online efforts are weak. Only Jill Long Thompson shows any interest in interacting with the online grassroots community and even that is a pretty weak effort.

Now onto the incumbent Republican.
Mitch Daniels:

• My God, the green! My eyes! I love the non-standard color. It makes Daniels stand out as different among all the red and blue signs, but this is overload. Too much green in the background around the content.
• Use of YouTube is good. Interactive.
• Alot of money has obviously been put into this site. Lots of features like dogs dressed up for mitch (which may sound silly, but it will engage some people even in a minor way), ability to request the RV/campaign stop.
• Links to Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube. Those sites are apparently used by the campaign too.
• Menu: There’s an about the team section. Pretty generic. A “Get The Facts” section that at least tries to address some of the critiques against him and what they see as accomplisments (although they are largely spin and bullshit, it’s good political operation and website fodder), and a “Resource Center” with links to news articles, speeches, 2007 Campaign Donations report. I like the latter, gives a sense of openness to the campaign, although I wish it was the actual election commission report and not just a PDF generated by his finance committee. Could be useful for oppo research into his donors though! (PDF of 2007 donations report)
• No blog at all. While the forays into interactivity via Facebook, Youtube, MySpace and Flickr are good I still feel you need an interactive blog with open comments.
• No Issues page listing all of the major issues for the campaign. Sure, trumpet what you see as accomplishments but also have a standard place where people can find what you want to do next and where you stand on the issues of 2008.
• An RSS feed? Nice. Although there don’t seem to be many items in it which is odd given all the content on the site.
• There is a privacy policy on the website, something I don’t recall on the Dem websites and that I think may actually be necessary legally for a site that collects information?
• There is also a tool to allow people to write letters to the editor to various newspapers. This is something I helped implement on a smaller scale for some of the statehouse campaigns for which some friends and I worked on websites.

Grade: B+. I hate to say it but Daniels has the Dems beat hands down on quality of website and online organization. The lack of a blog and more true interactivity is not surprising but his site is still light years ahead of what the Dems have in that area. The use of an iconic, non red/blue color is great. Everyone knows what that green color means come election time.

I’m not going to give hints of what I’d do if I was the Internet Directory for Mitchy. 1) Because I would feel dirty and 2) I don’t want to even think I might be helping them.

————–

Sadly, there is much the Democratic candidates could learn from Mitch Daniels’ web presence.