Thursday, April 12, 2007
richardson's website worries
I've touched on this on some previous posts - Bill Richardson's website for his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President. I'm supporting Richardson because I feel he's the absolute best prepared candidate (of either party) to lead this country out of the woods we've been wandering around for the past six years. It's a good thing that preparation doesn't hinge on an internet presence.
First of all, take a look at the URL's for most of the Dem candidates:
One of the first rules of having a successful web presence is having a web address that's simple and easy to remember, or one that you assume people would intuitively type into the address bar without having to Google it. When I first looked for information about Governor Richardson online, I typed in "www.billrichardson.com" into the address bar, only to get directed to an unregistered domain. "Richardsonfor president.com" is not intuitive. I had a science teacher in eighth grade who loved to remind us to KISS - keep it simple, stupid. Governor Richardson's internet team definitely missed the boat on that one.
I'd also be concerned that the campaign hasn't bought that domain name. As the Governor starts to catch fire, it will be incredibly easy for his opponents to buy the guy's domain name right out from under him and fill it with misleading or inaccurate information. I seem to remember somebody did the same thing to George W. Bush when he was running for re-election a few years ago.
I also have a problem with the website's blog, which does not allow comments. One of the reasons Howard Dean became so popular four years ago was because his campaign leveraged emerging technology to help build a sense of community and facilitate his supporters connecting with each other. Blog for America and MeetUp were key components of that campaign. The other leading Democratic candidates understand this. Why doesn't Governor Richardson?
Mark my words (I love getting dramatic like this), if Bill Richardson has any intention of moving up out of the second tier, he must leverage established and emerging internet technologies so we, his supporters, can start building the kind of grassroots communities absolutely vital to his success. I've already e-mailed the campaign with that suggestion, but never received a response.
Come on, Gov, get smart with your online campaign!
First of all, take a look at the URL's for most of the Dem candidates:
www.BarackObama.com
www.JohnEdwards.com
www.Kucinich.us
www.RichardsonForPresident.com
www.HillaryClinton.com
www.JoeBiden.com
www.ChrisDodd.com
One of the first rules of having a successful web presence is having a web address that's simple and easy to remember, or one that you assume people would intuitively type into the address bar without having to Google it. When I first looked for information about Governor Richardson online, I typed in "www.billrichardson.com" into the address bar, only to get directed to an unregistered domain. "Richardsonfor president.com" is not intuitive. I had a science teacher in eighth grade who loved to remind us to KISS - keep it simple, stupid. Governor Richardson's internet team definitely missed the boat on that one.
I'd also be concerned that the campaign hasn't bought that domain name. As the Governor starts to catch fire, it will be incredibly easy for his opponents to buy the guy's domain name right out from under him and fill it with misleading or inaccurate information. I seem to remember somebody did the same thing to George W. Bush when he was running for re-election a few years ago.
I also have a problem with the website's blog, which does not allow comments. One of the reasons Howard Dean became so popular four years ago was because his campaign leveraged emerging technology to help build a sense of community and facilitate his supporters connecting with each other. Blog for America and MeetUp were key components of that campaign. The other leading Democratic candidates understand this. Why doesn't Governor Richardson?
Mark my words (I love getting dramatic like this), if Bill Richardson has any intention of moving up out of the second tier, he must leverage established and emerging internet technologies so we, his supporters, can start building the kind of grassroots communities absolutely vital to his success. I've already e-mailed the campaign with that suggestion, but never received a response.
Come on, Gov, get smart with your online campaign!
Labels: Bill Richardson, Pres-08, social networking, success, web developers
guilt and innocence
I've said this before, but I'm only going to say it once more. And I'll go slow so the mouth-breathers in cyberspace can understand.
The remaining charges against the Duke lacrosse players were dropped earlier this week. There they've been on all the broadcast news stations exhorting their innocence and derailing a system that persecuted them. Poor little rich boys.
There's only one problem with their spin: just because the charges were dropped does not mean they are innocent. More precisely, they have not been exonerated. There was just not enough evidence to prosecute. That happens all the time in rape investigations.
To the extent that there was prosecutorial misconduct, former DA Mike Nifong should be held accountable for botching a rape prosecution. Those poor little rich boys gamed the system but good and their victim is still paying the price. They're getting the equivalent of ticker tape parades and book deals; the woman they allegedly assaulted is stuck with the trauma they inflicted upon her.
This also brings to mind Kobe Bryant, whose name is being thrown about for all kinds of MVP awards this year. I remember a few short years ago, before charges against him were dismissed in a similar rape case, how his supporters were whining about how the accusations would ruin his career and how they decimated his reputation. Guess that didn't pan out for the rape apologists either.
The underlying message being sent by this media orgy is that women who say they are raped by athletes must be lying and that the athletes are the real victims. Of course there's not research to back up that assertion. In fact, what scant research there is in the field generally points to the fact that hardly anyone ever makes up a rape accusation. If reported rapes were investigated with the same ferocity used to discredit victims, maybe our communities would be safer places.
So let me be clear again: dropped charges are not the same as being found not-guilty. Given the hell that people who report being raped get put through by the criminal justice system, with no perceivable benefit beyond the long shot of achieving some measure of justice, why on earth would someone fabricate an accusation? If the media would actually, I don't know, do some actual investigative journalism, the general public might finally understand the arduous process of reporting and investigating rape and come to the same conclusions: there is nothing to be gained from false reports, and therefore it's highly unlikely that many people actually file false reports.
I'm incredibly pissed right now at the media for falling all over themselves to lavish praise on these punks, while working on the assumption that the accuser is lying (even though there will be no false reporting charges against her).
There's some kind of weird irony here too in the timing of Duke announcement this week and the firestorm surrounding Don Imus' disgusting racist and sexist remarks. Rich white men denigrating black women. Some intrepid journalist should do a piece about racism and sexism that relates to the classism we're seeing played out in the media.
But I won't hold my breath.
The remaining charges against the Duke lacrosse players were dropped earlier this week. There they've been on all the broadcast news stations exhorting their innocence and derailing a system that persecuted them. Poor little rich boys.
There's only one problem with their spin: just because the charges were dropped does not mean they are innocent. More precisely, they have not been exonerated. There was just not enough evidence to prosecute. That happens all the time in rape investigations.
To the extent that there was prosecutorial misconduct, former DA Mike Nifong should be held accountable for botching a rape prosecution. Those poor little rich boys gamed the system but good and their victim is still paying the price. They're getting the equivalent of ticker tape parades and book deals; the woman they allegedly assaulted is stuck with the trauma they inflicted upon her.
This also brings to mind Kobe Bryant, whose name is being thrown about for all kinds of MVP awards this year. I remember a few short years ago, before charges against him were dismissed in a similar rape case, how his supporters were whining about how the accusations would ruin his career and how they decimated his reputation. Guess that didn't pan out for the rape apologists either.
The underlying message being sent by this media orgy is that women who say they are raped by athletes must be lying and that the athletes are the real victims. Of course there's not research to back up that assertion. In fact, what scant research there is in the field generally points to the fact that hardly anyone ever makes up a rape accusation. If reported rapes were investigated with the same ferocity used to discredit victims, maybe our communities would be safer places.
So let me be clear again: dropped charges are not the same as being found not-guilty. Given the hell that people who report being raped get put through by the criminal justice system, with no perceivable benefit beyond the long shot of achieving some measure of justice, why on earth would someone fabricate an accusation? If the media would actually, I don't know, do some actual investigative journalism, the general public might finally understand the arduous process of reporting and investigating rape and come to the same conclusions: there is nothing to be gained from false reports, and therefore it's highly unlikely that many people actually file false reports.
I'm incredibly pissed right now at the media for falling all over themselves to lavish praise on these punks, while working on the assumption that the accuser is lying (even though there will be no false reporting charges against her).
There's some kind of weird irony here too in the timing of Duke announcement this week and the firestorm surrounding Don Imus' disgusting racist and sexist remarks. Rich white men denigrating black women. Some intrepid journalist should do a piece about racism and sexism that relates to the classism we're seeing played out in the media.
But I won't hold my breath.
Labels: classism, criminal justice system, Duke, guilt, Imus, innocence, racism, rape, sexism
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
expect shorter posts
Now that I have this snazzy new smartphone, I can blog from just about anywhere.
But expect shorter posts because this is a tiny keyboard and I don't need to encourage carpal tunnel syndrome any more...
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Sent from my Palm Treo 700wx
here's a thought
Instead of all this stupid, useless hand-wringing about whether America is "ready" for a woman or minority President (whatever that means), how about going out and voting for the candidate you feel best represents your positions and values?
Labels: Pres-08
