Republitech

The Power of the Mobile Phone

October 26th, 2009

Last Saturday there was a Tea Party in my home town, Wooster, Ohio. The problem was that I was on the other side of the state in Oxford. While I was disappointed I was not able to attend personally I was still able to see a lot of the afternoon’s events. How? With Facebook and many mobile phones.

While I will admit that it is better to actually be at an event in person, logistics tend to get in the way. The next best alternative is to use social media to be connected. During the Tea Party, many of my friends, family, and co-workers took pictures on their mobile phones and submitted them to Facebook during the event. It was moving seeing downtown Wooster filled with people sharing a common belief in limited government along with all their witty signs. There was even the occasional Twitter update sent via the phone.

The point is, anyone in the world had access to experiencing the Wooster Tea Party in pretty close to real time. I did not have to wait until a newspaper report was made. In fact the next day when our local paper reported on the Tea Party, http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4696290, it did not capture the event’s atmosphere (although they did include a nice slide show) as did all the first hand accounts I saw during the Tea Party.

Mobile phones with a camera and Internet capabilities are quickly becoming a standard. Moreover, individuals are utilizing these resources more and more for personal and political reasons. This means that the connection I had to a distant Tea Party is going to become common place. We should not only be aware of the fact that at political events there will be people taking pictures, videos, and texting (Twitting, Facebooking, or otherwise), but encourage it. Thousands of people got to hear the message of the Wooster Tea Party loud and clear even though they were not in attendance. We are seeing a shift of importance from the number of people at the event to the number of people that can see the event. I am by no means saying we should not work on bringing more people to political events, my point is simply that you can make a big splash with a little event.

I would also like to make an important differentiation in the posting of material on social networks. I did not look at anything the organizers of the Tea Party posted (I hope they did though). All of my information came from people I trust: friends, family, and co-workers. I can relate better and place a higher value on the campaign when my Facebook friend news feed is stuffed with people posting comments and pictures about the event. It is the same concept of seeing a campaign sign in your friend’s yard versus a total stranger. Republicans need to realize that web 2.0 is not just about what websites can do, it also means what mobile phones can do.

The next post will be November 10th.

Posted in Facebook, mobile phone, Twitter, wooster

Jim Renacci and Ohio’s 16th Congressional District

October 12th, 2009

Earlier last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Hutson, the campaign manager for Jim Renacci. We had a good discussion on the direction politics is taking in terms of technology. But before I get to those details let me introduce Jim Renacci first.

Jim Renacci is a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 16th Congressional District (Canton, Media, Wooster, and Ashland areas). He has an impressive resume as Mayor of Wadsworth, accomplishing 100% of his goals and left office with a budget surplus. He is a CPA who started his first company when he was 24 years old. Renacci has owned and managed a wide array of businesses from car dealerships, to nursing homes, to arena football teams. This is a man who knows how to add value to an economy and create jobs. I have met Renacci a couple of times and continue to be impressed with his openness and honest concern for his constituency. Renacci has a deep commitment to serving the American people with a long line of successes in business and politics to pull insights from. Coming from a simple coal mining town in Pennsylvania, Renacci epitomizes the American spirit while remaining humble. I can think of no other trait that a candidate for Ohio’s 16th district needs to have. Jim Renacci is the best man for the job hands down.

After a conversation with the campaign manager Matt Hutson, I have become convinced that this is one campaign that at least understands the fundamental shift in communication that has occurred due to the Internet. Mr. Hutson loves using social media to build a following of Renacci supporters. He points out that social media is less intrusive then more traditional campaigning methods. Some times voters get annoyed with phone calls and knocks on the door. With social media, it is easy to send out multiple campaign updates that simply show up in voters Facebook and Twitter feeds. Every night Renacci personally updates Twitter and Facebook on the status of his campaign including events he goes to a people he sees. It is a great way to show activity and remind voters that he is working hard to represent his constituency.

Mr. Hutson also describes the personal nature of the Internet. Whenever an individual signs up to the Facebook group, Mr. Hutson replies with a personal email with some suggestions as to how to have a positive impact on the campaign. He suggests that each of the recommendations (there are four if I remember correctly) will take under a minute. The reason they take less than a minute is that, for the most part, they focus on inviting other friends to join the group. The thinking behind this tactic is that people are more likely to respond positively to a friends suggestion than someone they do not know as well. Mr. Hutson is looking for individuals on Facebook to help promote Renacci as it is more meaningful to other voters.

Renacci understands that his voters are his boss. He also realizes that it is a challenge to effective communicate with every singly constituent. As Mr. Hutson put it you “must figure out how to reach your bosses” and he sees social media as just that. Renacci has a commitment to being open and approachable. His campaign has built up these social media communication channels not just to promote his campaign, but to listen. Too many candidates use the Internet purely for self promotion. This turns potential voters off and leads to “defriending.” Renacci wants to sincerely engage his constituents and wants them to know they have a voice. Using social media ensures that he is reachable through as many methods as possible.

To ensure engagement, Mr. Hutson frequently encourages individuals to blog and/or post comments on either the campaign’s material or what other voters have said. He wants voters to be involved and to be engaged because to the campaign it matters. He checks blogs daily to follow what the local opinion is. He wants to engage the local community for ideas, thoughts, and discussion. Renacci has been a resident of the district for well over 25 years and is interested in a campaign for Ohio’s 16th, by Ohio’s 16th, and of Ohio’s 16th. Residents of the 16th may notice this as a different approach.

Finally, Mr. Hutson discussed how he sees the campaign’s online resources shifting in purpose if Renacci were to be elected. He points out that not much will change. Renacci will still use social media to reach out, engage, and listen. Mr. Hutson really emphasized the word “hear.” Renacci wants to know what voters’ issues are. Renacci would ensure that he could get discussion and opinions on bills being proposed in the House. Mr. Hutson claims that this type of communication aids in accountability. He believes that there is too little accountability of representatives at any level of government and that the Internet provides a reasonable solution. He also suggested that it could be a platform to help sway other representatives. For example, if there was a close vote with a few representatives on the fence, he could post their names and office numbers to encourage voters to call in and voice their opinion.

Jim Renacci’s campaign to be the Representative from Ohio’s 16th Congressional District should be exciting to watch. Renacci has hired a top notch campaign manager who has a good grasp of how to leverage the Internet to be a more competitive campaign and a more responsive legislator. I again thank Matt Hutson for taking the time to share his insights with me. Below are links to some Renacci online resources.

The campaign’s home page:
http://www.renacciforcongress.com/

Renacci’s Wikipedia page which I helped get off the ground:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Renacci

Renacci’s Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=113705578897

Renacci on why he is running:
Part I – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWnMlZIN4Rs&feature=youtube_gdata
Part II – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQn3zecpGhY&feature=related

Renacci on health care:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y17Hm7RX5ls&feature=related

The next post will be October 27th.

Posted in Facebook, Matt Hutson, Renacci, Twitter

Republicans and New Media

September 29th, 2009

About a month ago the Ohio Erie County GOP Chairman Mathew Old asked be to put together a document with my ideas on how Republicans can leverage new media. My hope is that this document can help campaigns begin to think about new media and ask important questions. Below is the link to the document and the summary.

Republicans and New Media (pdf)

Many will argue that “traditional” media has evolved over time. In many ways, it has. From the written word, to the radio, to the television it seems the dynamic of media is on a continuous and steady march. However, in the past few years there has been a fundamental revolution in media. It is the advent of the Internet. Traditional media is all one way communication; the advertiser has all the power, controlling the information while the public is at the mercy of billboards and commercials. The majority of the public does not have the resources to broadcast their thoughts and opinions to millions of people. With the arrival of the Internet, individuals have just as much power as the advertiser. They can write a post on a blog that will reach just as many people, if not more, than a TV ad. They can tweet and Facebook their friends about their positive or negative opinions. Many organizations fail to understand the multidirectional nature of communication on the Internet. They are stuck in the traditional media mentality and end up annoying customers with spam and failing to address complaints that are instantly shared with millions of fellow users.

Corporations are just now realizing that the Internet has given their consumers more power than their own PR departments. For the most part, political campaigns are even farther behind. The 2008 election gave rise to one political organization that clearly understands and respects the complex and powerful nature of the Internet: the Obama team. Obama’s new media campaign demonstrated that these technologies are relevant but no single organization can control the discussion. To be successful, a candidate must participate in the discussion, not lead it. They must use the opportunity to listen, not shout. They must sincerely engage voters, not spam them. A candidate must genuinely understand the paradigm shift, rather than simply jumping on the band wagon without understanding where the band wagon is going.

Republicans and New Media (pdf)

The next post will be Oct 13th.

Posted in Amstutz, Boccieri, election, email, Facebook, Google, graphic design, Obama, Ohio, responsiveness, Schuring, SEO, small campaigns, social media, social networking, Twitter, usability, website, YouTube

Conversations from the Wayne County Fair

September 15th, 2009

This past weekend I returned home to attend the Wayne County Fair. I spent a significant amount of the time at the Republican’s booth discussing politics and technology. While I could write a post on each of my conversations I am going to give a broad overview of some of the things I discussed that I think are relevant to share in this blog.

The first candidate I ran into was Craig Sanders who is running for Wooster City Council At-Large. His concern was that his website,http://www.craigsanders.net/ , still advertised he was running for Ward 1, which he did in the past. The problem was his campaign had no way of directly changing content. They had to call up their provider and ask that they change it, who were not very responsive. I checked today and it looks like they managed to change what is advertised on the site. However, the title tag still says “Ward 1.” While no organization should tolerate this kind of dysfunction, the demands of a political campaign require responsiveness. This is why campaigns need to be very careful about how they set up their site. If Sanders was using a content management system (CMS) he could change it himself without worrying about time delays and contacting a programmer. All the intricacies like the title tag would be fixed instantly and automatically.

The next candidate I talked to was Ron Amstutz. He is currently the chair of the budget committee in the Ohio State House of Representatives and is from Wayne County. Amstutz seems to always be experimenting with technology. Here is what he tried and had lots of success. First, Amstutz created a short survey about state issues designed to be released around the time of the fair. Then he got on Facebook and created a list of all of his constituents. Finally, he invited all of his Facebook friends on that list to take his survey online. He also had paper version at the Republican booth at the fair. Just in the first few days he got a ton of feed back and there are still three more days left for the fair.

Now that you know what Amstutz did, let me walk you through why it was awesome. First, Amstutz reached out to his constituents through an online survey. He is able to ask his roughly 110,000 constituents to directly participate with him on state wide issues. Voters will take note of that kind of interaction and will feel more valued by the candidate. Furthermore, Amstutz leveraged social media by reaching out to his Facebook friends. He didn’t just send them a message, he invited them to a week long event (the fair survey). He also did not send it to everyone. He targeted his own constituency using Facebook’s list feature. With a different project he may want to target a different group, such as his Facebook friends in Columbus. This use of the list allows him to only get the group he wants and cuts down on spam. Too much spam and messages about things that do not apply to the individual will always result in “defriending.”

Finally, I had a short conversation about Internet tools with Jim Renacci’s campaign manager Matt Hutson. Jim Renacci is running for the Ohio 16th District for US House of Representatives. This is the same district that State Senator Kirk Schuring ran in last year. His website is http://www.renacciforcongress.com/.Even though I had a short discussion with Matt, I feel pretty confident that this campaign understands that they have to use all these new and exciting online tools. First, he recognized the importance of having YouTube videos show up under certain search terms. In this case, they managed to have a positive video of Renacci as the top result when you search “Boccieri” (Boccieri is his Democrat rival). He was also very interested in integrating social media into their new website. Right now Renacci’s Facebook and Twitter accounts have a long way to grow, but the campaign is putting effort forth 14 months before the election. Finally, Matt recognized the value of bloggers. He pointed out a positive post that was written just the other day and is excited about connecting Renacci (not a campaign staff member) directly with other bloggers.

There are a lot more to discuss on each of these candidates. The basic point however, is that there is a lot going on in the world of political technology. Candidates are realizing there are problems and opportunities associated with the Internet. This is a topic of discussion that we must always engage.

The next post will be September 29th.

Posted in Amstutz, Boccieri, Craig Sanders, Facebook, Renacci, responsiveness, Schuring, social media, Twitter, wayne county, website, wooster

Why Spend on Graphic Design

September 2nd, 2009

Today I have a new logo for Republitech. Rather than having something that I threw together I decided to use a real graphic designer. Like a lot of people, I do not have a graphic design talent. However, I do know the elements that make a good design. I thought today, in honor of my new logo, I would discuss why investing in a good graphic designer is a good idea.

First, it is only a good idea to have a designer that knows what looks good, but one that knows what works well for websites. As I have stated many many times, the Internet is interactive. Your website should be designed with interactiveness in mind. That is, understanding where a user’s eyes are drawn, what users imply certain colors mean on the web, how to visually navigate your menu system, how to segment content, etc. I could write long posts on each of the issues mentioned in the previous sentence, but the point I am trying to make is that there is more to design than just what looks pretty. I have seen several good graphic designers struggle with designing for the web. The problem is there are designers out there who were trained and practiced in graphic design before the Internet really took hold. They do awesome print material, but struggle with the interactive nature of the web. Having something that works well on the web also requires a certian organic process. If you have a tracking system set up (I highly recommend Google Analytics) then you can test many minor changes. For example, you can answer questions like “How many more people click on my donate button if I change it’s location on the home page?” and “What is the optimal font size for my menu?” My suggestion is to find a designer who has had a lot of online experience and can work with you over the course of the campaign to continue to improve and optimize the user experience. I highly recommend Greg Peterson of L’Atelier Muetpointe located in my home town of Wooster, Ohio.

Secondly, in politics it is always a good idea to develop a “brand.” Companies do it all the time with colors and images. Developing a clean look that conveys your message is critical. Let us take a look at Obama’s logo.

The colors used are red, white, and blue. These are common colors used in American politics and blue and white are Obama’s colors. The logo is also rounded yet sharp. This conveys a sense of modernity, or as many others saw it a change from the old way of politics to the new. The logo itself looks like a sun raising over farmland, like a new day over the heartland of America. This implies “change” and gives a sense of “hope” for a symbol of America: farming. I would say Obama’s logo is the most brilliant piece of graphic design work I have ever seen. I could go on and one about how brilliant the rest of his graphic design work (from websites to posters) but I think you get the point.

The biggest challenge for a campaign and graphic design is expense. I am not going to lie, good graphic design is not cheap. Expect to pay hundreds of dollars at minimum just for a good logo. This is a decision that has to be made by you. However, I strongly advise campaigns to seriously consider the benefits. For a small campaign with a well known local candidate graphic design will not be on top of their list. However, good graphic design may make the difference in a tight House race. I am by no means suggesting that simply because your site looks awesome people will vote for you. What I am saying is that good graphic design will help consistences relate to you, understand who you are, and feel at ease using the resources you provide them with online. Those are legitimate reasons that will make you better at your job.

Posted in graphic design, Obama, usability, website

Using an RSS Feed to Stay Ahead

August 18th, 2009

A common question I get is “What exactly is an RSS feed?” In technical terms it is a simple xml formatted file which is commonly used to update data. To add to the confusion RSS is sometimes interpreted as meaning “Really Simple Syndication” but also can be interpreted as meaning “Rich Site Summary.” In either case, it is the same thing: raw xml data coming from a website. So with all this technico mumbo jumbo why should you actually care about RSS feeds?

An RSS feed can be used to deliver real time updates for events, news, and blogs. It is essentially a stream of data directly from the data source (e.g. your website). This is very critical for political campaigns. RSS feeds can handle delivering all the event updates and press releases straight to the voter (assuming the voter has subscribed). It is a great way to keep people informed about what your campaign is doing.

Subscribing to an RSS feed is quite easy. The user can subscribe to particular feeds using a variety of feed readers. I recommend Google Reader. Subscribing is as simple as copying and pasting a link into your reader. The user will then be sent updates when you enter them into the feed.

The sharing of these data streams not only informs readers but they can also appear on websites. I highly recommend having the feed displayed on your own website. A common trick I do is turn my Google Calendar into an RSS feed so the information about events is easily given to the voters in multiple formats. RSS feeds can even be integrated into other’s websites. For example, you may include the state party’s RSS feed or they may include yours on their website. The great thing about RSS feeds is that they give you flexibility.

RSS feeds keeps everyone informed. They is easy to participate. And they gets the information seen in multiple places in multiple formats. Political campaigns need to be providing up to date information on events, positions, etc. and RSS feeds are an excellent way for a campaign to keep a competitive edge.

The next post will be on September 1st.

Posted in calendar, information, RSS, website

Choose the Right Web Designer

August 4th, 2009

Choosing a web designer can be difficult, especially if you do not know what to look for. Far too often I hear of web developers getting work because they know the right people. Frequently, this leads to the developer overcharging for services since the client does not really know what all goes into building a website. Here are a few issues you should explore before settling on a web developer.

First, does the developer actually have solid web experience. I know of several traditional marketing agencies that claim to know the online business when in fact they do not. Frequently, marketers (and far too often graphic designers) believe that a web site works similar to a pamphlet. It is easy to see where this fallacy originates. Both a pamphlet and web page are informational in nature. But here is where that logic breaks down: a website is interactive, a pamphlet is not. A pamphlet provides information that you can read and that is the end of the story. A website is a “place” where people do things such as clicking on links or signing up for mailing lists. A website has traffic which can be measured and refined. Through the web you can actually reach out and interact with your constituency. The possibilities extend way beyond just providing information (note: you cannot sign up for a mailing list or donate through a pamphlet). Make sure to ask your potential developer why a website is different from mailings, television ads, and other traditional media outlets. The answer “Well, it is just another place to provide information” is never good enough. You developer should have a deeper understanding of the Internet.

Secondly, capability and scalability. A certain developer may meet your needs today but tomorrow you may need to scale up your site and add certain features. Check their work to see if there is diversity in the type of sites they have built. Furthermore, talk to your developer about how easy it will be to add new systems or pages in the future. If the site is done right, it really should not be much of an issue to scale up and add new features to the site.

Finally, ask about pricing structure. A good Internet strategy and a well developed website can be expensive. However, you need to ask questions to make sure your developer is not taking advantage of you. For example, embedding a Twitter feed should not cost a fortune. I can do that in under a minute. Designing the page to integrate Twitter feeds and styling the feed to look nice is a legitimate expense. I could give you an endless list of examples and there would still be many more I would miss. The point is to have a discussion with your developer about what all will be involved.

By no means am I suggesting all developers out there will take advantage of you. I am merely suggesting that you shop around. Above are a few topics to begin you discussion with potential developers.

The next post will be August 18th.

Posted in cutting costs, website

The Public versus Private Solution

July 21st, 2009

Recently, Audra Shay got into a bit of trouble leading up to the National Young Republican elections. Shay was running for the chairman’s position and was favored to win. However, a few days before the election, a leftist blogger allegedly discovered what was described as racist comments on Shay’s Facebook page. You will not find any of the comments on Shay’s profile. The leftist blogger claims she cleaned her profile up after the contents became public. Whether or not Shay’s Facebook comments were as “ignorant and racist” as the blogger claimed, there is still a lesson to be learned: the Internet, specifically social media like Facebook, is public.

Our society has faced difficult issues between the Internet and privacy. Politicians have also struggled with the public’s right to know and privacy. By campaigning online, those two struggles have combined to create a tangled mess of ethical and moral issues. That is, is Facebook a private communication channel? But, if so, does the public have a right to see the contents of a public figure’s Facebook? This post is not about what should be public realm and what should not, it is about risk management with your online resources. After all, an answer to the debate of politicians’ rights to privacy and the public’s right to knowledge has been waging long before the invention of the word “politics.”

So what is a good risk management strategy? In my view it is actually pretty simple. If you are a politician, assume everything online is public. If you work for a politician, assume everything online is public. If you are related to a politician, assume everything online is public, et cetera. Traditionally, family was considered off limits and this was generally respected by opponents and most media outlets. However, bloggers are a different story. They are individuals who can say whatever they want. In the week leading up to the Young Republican elections, one of the top results on Google for “Young Republicans” was a blog post entitled “Young Republican Leader Audra Shay Is Crazy, Illiterate, Racist.” Even the left wing media would not be so bold in naming their articles.

This problem also relates to a post of mine not to long ago about search engines, Be Seen With SEO. These blog posts were everywhere and a lot of them made it to the top search results for “Young Republicans.” Even if what Shay was accused of was not true, it is still embarrassing to the organization and to the Republican Party. It is true that after a while most of these posts will lose their position in Google searches, but some will still linger. For example, The Huffington Post has enough traffic and enough weight for Google to continue ranking it’s anti-Young Republican post about Shay pretty high.

Really you should consider the Internet and public speech the same thing. This goes for all forms of online resources: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and even email. Just as a private written letter can be leaked, so can an email. In some ways the Internet is even more dangerous then the other forms of communication as it automatically creates a record of every little thing you do. The point is: pay attention to what you and those around you say and do online!

This post should not discourage you from using the Internet. If you have considered your risk management strategy for the Internet, it should be no more harmful then when you give a speech. I have stated before that the Internet is a wonderful thing for politics. It helps you engage and interact with thousands of people you would have otherwise never met on the campaign trail. You just have to be responsible online.

Posted in Facebook, risk management, security, social networking, Twitter

Internet Independence

July 7th, 2009

Last weekend, the United States of America celebrated the day independence was declared. A lot has changed in the 233 years since our forefathers forged a new nation: new states, new allies, new enemies, and new technology. But with all of these changes, America has never deviated from the sense of independence. In fact, I will argue that new technology has has advanced independence and civil liberties to new heights.

The Internet has allowed us to communicate and express ourselves like never before. Blog are full of ideas, Facebook is full of petition groups, and Twitter is full of opinions. Anyone can post their idea online and have it read by anyone else. There are no restrictions like there were in the past. You do not need to know the right publisher. You do not need resources to print material. You do not need to physically travel around to give speeches. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection. Even if you do not own a computer, you can still access one at your local library to blog, participate in forums, etc. Everyone is connected to the world and no one can shut you out of speech.

This fact is not only reflective of the American spirit, but it is rapidly becoming a reality around the world. Even in places that are traditionally thought of as authoritarian by clamping down on speech, are being liberated by the Internet. Earlier this year, China blocked YouTube because someone had posted a video of the Chinese military beating Tibetans. I was in China at the time and while it was annoying YouTube was generally blocked, every now and then we could still get through. Even if the Chinese could not see what was happening, the rest of the world still had access to the evidence against China’s human rights record. Furthermore, anyone who has been on Twitter recently knows that not even the Ayatollah of Iran can block a tweet. Scores of Twitters users put a green overcast on their profile image to show their support of the Iranian people and the election stolen from them.

The lesson for campaigns is that you should not only encourage the use of online resources, but that there is a massive conversation happening on the Internet. You should not try to control the conversation, but rather be a participant. You cannot promote your ideas, defend your candidacy, or raise questions of your opponents if you never show up to the largest forum of discussion man has ever conceived. At the very least you should listen to what your constituency is saying online.

I encourage you to participate in these discussions. Sure, sometimes it can seem like irrelevant rantings about nothing in particular, but it is our freedom to do so. There are plenty of other discussions online where valid opinions and the solutions to future problems may lie. We should embrace this new form of communication. Nothing is more American then speaking up about your concerns freely to the rest of the world.

Posted in American spirit, Independence

Be Seen with SEO

June 23rd, 2009

A common theme of this blog is “Have a website that is not just a website.” In this post I am going to talk about something that is a little more behind the scenes then usual: SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization which is techy jargon for having your website be favored by search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, or Bing. Each search engine has an algorithm that is applied to all the sites on the Internet to figure out which sites are relevant to which search terms. When you type in a search term, such as “political campaigns,” the search engine will run the algorithm and display the results in the form of a list. The first link in the list is what the search engine considers to be the most relevant. As a website owner you always want your site to be listed first.

Several of the organizations I work with have recently become very interested in SEO and The Ohio State University even sent me for a week long conference and training seminar on the subject. SEO is a multimillion dollar industry. The big problem is that these algorithms are closely held secrets of Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft,
etc. Many organizations will just pick out a few key words to target in their SEO strategy and build those key words into the site. At this point you are probably wondering why such a technical issue should be the concern of campaign in general, after all is that not what you hire a tech guy to do? Well there are several answers to that question.

First, you need to be aware of this issue before you pick a web developer. This goes for smaller campaigns that do not have the funding to hire someone, but still have a website through volunteer work. In any case you need to insure that who ever is doing the site is up to date on SEO issues. Even if you do have a volunteer who may not know much about SEO, the least he or she can do is some research. There are plenty of forums out there where experts discuss SEO tactics.

Secondly, you need to understand certain aspects of SEO if you want the technical part of SEO to work. Your web developer may not be a marketer. At some point before the site is built, decisions have to be made about what type of search terms you think the site needs to be built around. Will it be just your name? Or perhaps your district name? Your intended office title? These are decisions that you, not the developer, need to make. Furthermore, one big factor in these algorithms is links to your site. We do not know how exactly the search engines calculate the weight of a link to your site but we do know it will have a noticeable affect. Again your developer cannot get you links. You will have to encourage other site owners, I recommend starting with bloggers, to include links on their site. This will take personal networking and communication skills, not technical ones.

Finally, it is just plain important even for small campaigns to rank well in search engines. Let me put it this way, if someone were to search for your name on Google would you rather have your site appear first on the list, or some blog post from an individual who is “not” affiliated with your opponent? You should not let your opponent control the debate by having his site or sites listed before yours. Voters will also be happier if they can find the content they are looking for quicker.

Hopefully the trick describe above will not happen to you (but I have worked on enough campaigns to see plenty of “creative” strategies come out of the Democratic machine). The actual technical aspect of coding websites for SEO will probably be left to professionals. However, SEO will not work without a basic understanding and support from the rest of your campaign staff.

The next post will be on July 7th

Posted in Bing, Google, SEO, website, Yahoo