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
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
any web developers out there?
Since I'm Time's Person of the Year, I might as well take advantage of my newfound fame and embark on new projects.
I had what I think is an original idea during my morning meditation, but I'd need somebody with a lot more techno-savvy than me to help pull it off. If I'm correct, this new web-based networking tool could dramatically shift the way people give and receive gifts for holidays, birthdays and other occasions.
So if you want to get in on the ground floor and you have some programmer or developer knowledge, please get in touch with me: michael -at- m2powered -dot- com
I had what I think is an original idea during my morning meditation, but I'd need somebody with a lot more techno-savvy than me to help pull it off. If I'm correct, this new web-based networking tool could dramatically shift the way people give and receive gifts for holidays, birthdays and other occasions.
So if you want to get in on the ground floor and you have some programmer or developer knowledge, please get in touch with me: michael -at- m2powered -dot- com
Labels: gift giving, social networking, web developers
