Focus

Where are you focusing our web strategy? It appears that, given the glitz and glam of the political website, the focus is on the brochure that is the campaign website. Campaign blogs are little more than press releases. As the data shows, these channels only speak to your zealots.

On the other hand, the release of Pew's recent report on the impact of the internet this cycle confirms what we already knew: the internet is playing an increasing role as a source of information. Of course the internet offshoots of major media outlets are in play, and certainly should be the focus of the communications shop. But what about the rest?

There is a conversation going on, and it is up to the web strategy team to lead the campaign's participation. Press releases formatted as a campaign blog are not enough, nor is a flashy website. The campaign web strategist is the conductor, orchestrating campaign resources in the conversation that is the online world. Ardent campaign supporters should have talking points to use when blogging / commenting on stories. Campaign strategists that are already talking on MSNBC, CNN and the like should be blogging not in press releases, but in a conversational style with campaign watchers. And the web strategists themselves should be participating in conversations about the medium on such sites as TechPresident and even TechCrunch.

Just as the successful field operation orchestrates the influentials on the ground, so too must the online operation orchestrate the influentials on the web. The successful web strategy goes well beyond a website or even a Facebook profile. It goes to the heart of what is political campaigning: identifying, engaging and motivating your supporters to champion your cause...