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My Analysis of the Presidential Campaign Web Sites

AZ Central asked me to provide an analysis of the presidential campaign web sites. Here is the unedited analysis I provided to them. It's a bit off-the-cuff because they had a tight deadline, but it's still thorough, engaging and oh-so insightful. (Please note, this analysis and this blog do not represent the viewpoints of my employer, and are not reviewed nor endorsed by my employer.)

JOHN MCCAIN (R) - A striking, dramatic black-and-white. The only color on the homepage is McCain's face. Video on the homepage is a positive. Video is the BIG thing thing online right now, and we'll continue to be as the PC and TV slowly but steadily merge. What's more, the videos on McCain's site can be saved to Digg and/or del.icio.us - 2 of the largest social bookmarking site - that's a good thing, but I doubt the "canned" videos are compelling enough to get a significant amount of attention from those sites. You can build "your own" McCain page/site with relevant issues and other semi-customized information. That's fine - Gore did it 7 years ago and this approach doesn't seem that much different. The main content area on McCain's homepage features a "Why McCain" link, a Donate link and a selection of videos. A search feature is hidden in the lower-right hand corner - the web equivalent of "Baltic Avenue." Translation: the campaign wants to control your interaction with the site and their candidate. After a few minutes on McCain's site, the black-and-white started making me depressed - probably not how the campaign wants site visitors to feel, yet it is an inevitability. The world isn't black-and-white anymore, and neither should your website be. Is the b-n-w reflect McCain's world view? Also, where is the RSS feed?

HILLARY CLINTON (D) - Ahh, color. That alone made me feel better upon visiting Clinton's site. The main content area of the homepage features videos, contribution links and an "Action Center." And, the Action Center allows you to view events within X miles of your zip code. One point for Hillary. Why do I care about events in Montana? Let me instantly and easily customize my experience at your site and you're making points with me. There's a link where I can organize my own event for Hillary - more personalization, more localization...more voters. Hillary's site also contains an RSS feed - a must in the 2008 campaign. Hillary and her team also have an active blog with comments allowed - that is huge.

RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R) - Rudy's homepage features the obligatory contribution links but also allows folks to sign-up their support right from the homepage - a smart strategy that will definitely yield lots of sign-ups (read 'names & addresses'). Rudy News is also upfront on the homepage and features an RSS feed - nice.  The campaign is clearly banking on some of Rudy's inherit like-ability in the wake of his deft handling of the 9/11 attacks in NYC. Rudy's site is an "exploratory committee" site so the content isn't as deep or well-developed, but early signs from this campaign show that they are web-savvy and will use the medium to effectively promote their candidate, connect supporters and sway undecideds.

BARACK OBAMA (D) - BarackTV, MyBarackObama and other issue-related content is feature on Obama's homepage. The links are large, the color is tasteful and the presentation is exceptionally well-done. The MyBarack section definitely is one of the best attempts at customization and usage of the "social web" among the presidential candidates. The Donate button is prominent but it doesn't hog-up prime real-estate or take away from more useful content, a nice change. Barack's team is also blogging and an RSS feed is offered, although it is hard-to-find. Comments are allowed - a good sign that the Obama team "gets it" when it comes to the web.

MITT ROMNEY (R) - Romney presents way too many choices on his homepage. There's so much there, where do I start? That being said, MittTV, the Featured Stories section and TeamMitt are all easily accessible, engaging and very well done. Also, Romney's site is the only site with an En Espanol link prominently displayed - good call. RSS is available from the homepage. Contribution's are obviously accepted but the links aren't nearly as in-your-face as the other candidates - a welcome reprieve. But, where's the blog?

JOHN EDWARDS (D) - The darling of the "web2.0" crowd, Edwards site is very well done and is the only candidate using a "landing page" that allows you to quickly and easily sign-up to stay informed of campaign activities before moving on to the full Edwards site. This is a proven web technique that businesses use every day, and it is a very effective way to get people signed-up. Edwards main content area on the home page features video (seeing a theme here?), a strong Action Center and additional links to other stories and issue information. The Edwards blog is the best of the bunch with feeds, comments and user-submitted posts - finally, someone understanding the concept of "You" being named Time's Person of the Year. The blog section is a true community and good sign of what the Edwards campaign is focusing on. Yes, they did recently get in a spot of trouble for a few "rogue bloggers" but the Edwards team completely gets it, is openly involving the community and is attracting lots of visitors, online attention and buzz. Edwards is even in Second Life - could these guys be too web-savvy?

Edwards' site is definitely the most innovative and contains the most substance, community and deep content.

Surprisingly, I think McCain's site may be the worst due it's lack of  true customization and depressing black-and-white template. Black-and-white can (and should) be used effectively - McCain's team has overdone it.

Rudy's is the most boring, but that's probably due to its Exploratory Committee nature. I suspect it will be built up much more in the coming months.

I do tip my hat (but certainly not my support!) to Romney for the En Espanol feature. Where the heck are the other candidates on this?

Interesting but possbily irrelevant sidenote: Clinton, McCain and Edwards all use a favicon on their site. Rudy, Barack and Mitt do not. Does a favicon indicate a top-contender whereas a "no favicon site" indicates a lesser candidate? I doubt it, but if McCain, Clinton or Edwards is our next president, well, you heard it here first.

Daily Dose: Architect Builds Successful Blog

If the first thing that comes to your mind when I say, "architecture,"  is Art Vandelay, then you can jump ahead to the final paragraph of this post. For those who make their living as architects, and would like to make a better living, read on.

Architecture is something that people interact with all the time. I'm interacting with architecture as I write this post. Because we are all so close to architecture, a blog on the topic by an expert in the field should be easy to craft, right? Well, not so fast.  Architecture is not something people go out and buy. I certainly don't visit Google looking to drop a few bucks on a little architecture. Architects have a bit more challenging scenario for their business blogs.

The most obvious post topic for an architect is building reviews. Tell us why that new downtown building is so stunning, or how that giant new mega-mall is an architectural bust. People love buildings and love learning about them. An architectural blog should take this and run with it.

But, what else should our local Art Vandelay write about? I'd like to hear about the psychological and social impacts of architecture. How about tips for small, simple architectural projects at home. An architect could also dispense daily advice on how to better appreciate and enjoy architecture. Of course, architecture is in the news everyday, and that should be considered as a regular source of topics to fuel your blog and your business.

Non-architects that need to be considered a local expert on an issue can learn a few valuable blogging lessons from this post. Look for topics on your niche right in front of you. Whether it's buildings, airplanes, roads or anything else used daily by the masses, if your business is catered around something that people are intimately familiar with, then you should use that positive association to build trust and credibility. Blog generously with reviews, educational back-grounders and information regarding how people can better adopt your business niche into their lives. Show people the interesting aspects of things they see and use every day and they will come back to you every day for more.

Daily Dose: Arena Blog Packs 'Em In

Local arenas host a broad array of events these days. They often serve as the hub of local activity and culture. People of all ages, races, sizes and shapes gather by the thousand and enjoy sports, boat shows, basketball games...you name it. An arena blog is a natural fit for a local venue looking to draw more crowds.

Arenas have great events that generate great pictures. Every day after an event, pictures should be uploaded to the blog, made available for the world to see and locals to wish they had been there. Flickr-ize the arena blog and the people will faithfully return to see the goods on display.

Of course, the folks showing up at the arena always need lots of information. I was attending a pro sports event at a local venue just last week and needed up-to-the-minute parking info, ATM availability, a good nearby restaurant, etc. Surely, I wasn't the only one who would've benefited from an easy access, up-to-date mobile tool to ensure a smooth arena experience.

Is your business slightly smaller than a local arena? No problem. If people need to come to you, make it easy. Anticipate your customer's needs and their desire to have a smooth, pleasurable experience. Then, provide them with the means to do just that. Build buzz around your business by drawing out its allure and cache and putting it on display for the world to see - on your blog, of course.

Daily Dose: Live to Blog, Blog to Live

Motorcycles breed loyal, independent customers. They're a rare breed, kindred spirits if you will. The Web serves kindred spirits very well because it allows people from anywhere to instantly connect. Think that could help build your little motorcyle shop into a mighty sales machine? Vroom vroom!

Obviously, when dealing with motorcycles, certain brands have more cache than others. If you're lucky enough to be selling the #1 brand of motorcycles in the world, jackpot! You have a waiting list of people to buy your product. If you're selling the countless other brands...well, you'll just need to work and blog a little bit harder.

Tune into those kindred spirit customers. Make sure that all contacts with customers and prospects have a follow-up, a next step, a reason to stay in touch. A motorcycle shop blog can accomplish that for you. Offer real value on your blog in healthy doses to build a loyal audience. Organize charity rides online, develop an email database of riders who sign up at your site, use your blog to give folks more of what they want and they will keep coming back to you.

How about a motorcycle shop that offered exclusive, time-limited accessory deals or a Saturday morning of free maintenance advice and discussion? Give people a reason to come to your blog and to your store and you will see both riding high on the freeway of success!

But, hey, not all of us are motorcycles riders, right? OK, does your product or service appeal to an independent, somewhat eccentric crowd? Can you connect local people together who are interested in what you're doing?  Absolutely, and using a flexible, affordable tool like a small business blog is the right way to kick start that crowd-building and develop loyalty among your kindred spirit customers.

Daily Dose: Running Blog Goes All the Way

I love running (as in jogging) stores. I love to run so I could spend all day in a good running store, gazing all the new accessories, trying on new shoes, chatting with other runners, etc. I'm sure the owner of my local running store would love to be able to market to me even when I'm not in the store. They could do just that with a blog for their running store. But when they get back from their run, what should they blog about? Well that's easier than a 30-minute 5K, which is to say it's doable but it takes consistent effort, quality planning and a whole lot of stick-to-it-ness.

The most obvious thing to blog about is, well, running. No, not "Running good; Sitting bad." I'm talking about something like "Four mile group run next Thursday, everyone's invited!" Make your store the gathering place for your particular niche. A half-dozen or more runners showing up at your store every Thursday at 5:30pm is a thing of beauty. Get connected with those folks and keep them connected via your blog.

Training, races and other events should also be seriously considered using the ideas mentioned above. Take your products out of the picture and make your place THE place for local runners to be involved and you'll on your way to a business PR (Personal Record, for you walkers out there).

How about offering your blog readers exclusive in-store sales and promo items? You could post a 3-day promo for all men's size 9.5 New Balance shoes, for example. Get the stuff in your store directly into the hands of the right customers by giving your blog readers fast, easy, organized access to what you've got. Of course, keep the meat of the content about local running issues, races, news and tips to ensure your blog has continued value to its repeat visitors (your most important blog visitor).

Couch potatoes, there is hope for you! Strap on a pair of sneakers and...oh no, I mean, start making your blog the gathering place for local customers. Fill your niche entirely. Draw people in through your blog, give them reasons to show up at your door and offer them as-customized-as-possible information quickly and easily. It'll make you a star on or off the track.

Daily Dose: Baking Profits Into Your Blog

The warm, comforting confines of your neighborhood bakery is a great polace to cook up some top quality blog posts.

Open source your bakery by giving away recipes of your most popular items. Solicit recipes from visitors. Old, family recipes for baked goods are among the most delicious treats on earth. Get your customers involved and they will loyally re-pay you, and re-pay you and re-pay you.

Top-quality bakeries that do their baking in-house can offer visitors to their blog a true behind-the-scenes look incorporating video, audio and and traditional text-based posts. These bakers are artisans whose fans love to see the masters at work. Offer a people a perspective they don't often see and make it tough to forget your little bakery or any other small business.

For the legions of non-bakers, how could giving your audience a behind-the-scenes peak help build interest and loyalty? A picture tells a thousand words but video tells the true story. And while you're at, don't be shy with what makes you great. Share your brilliance liberally. Engage others so you can share in their brilliance. Get people interested and the money flows with ease.