A little bit goes a long way...

I found Congress Online's section on online casework particularly interesting. By taking a few additional steps in creating a website, can have a huge impact for staff and constituents. For instance, Johnson refers to Senator Bingaman's website a wonderful example of helping constituents with their problems and concerns.

His, "How can I assist you" web page helps constituents in just a few steps:

First, the web page helps to determine whether the question or issue was something which the senator's office could provide assistance with, together with providing examples of state issues that senator's office has no jurisdiction.

Second, the page provided a list of quick answers to FAQ about casework (what happened after I apply for Social Security, after I have become disabled and can no longer work, etc.)

Third, there was provided link to the federal agencies, then the site helped a constituent open a case with one of the senator's five state offices (completing a Personal Authorization Form, gathering the necessary paper work, and links to downloadable forms from several agencies).

Fourth, the site gave contact numbers, addresses of his five state offices, including the picture of the front of each building and the pictures of caseworkers who could help.

As a former case work intern at a U.S. Senator's state office, Bingaman's use of the Internet to help constituents with their problems and questions would reduce the amount of work in the state offices tremendously. By providing what the Senator's office can help with, FAQs, links and downloadable forms, contact information and caseworker profiles relieves the staff assistant answering phones, allowing he/she to perform other functions. Moreover, the work load of case workers is dramatically reduced, as they can refer folks to the website and can already have new cases entered into system, etc.

It is smart and advantageous to take just a few extra steps adding more features on a website, can mean a tremendous reduction in the work for staff and the assistance and ease of use for constituents.

Senator George Allen: Up Early, Lacking Substance

For my strategic plan, I was assigned to Senator George Allen’s 2006 reelection website. I have examined the site on a weekly basis since the beginning of June. This website is particularly hard to find strengths because it is so simple and bare bones in content and format. Likewise, it was very easy to point out all the items that the website needs in order to be competitive online.

However, one must keep in mind, the website’s simplicity and lack of substance is somewhat justified being that election day is seventeen months away, there is no declared challenger to Senator Allen, and thus, the race has yet to be really defined.

What the Campaign did Well: Website up early, with the essentials

Senator Allen’s website for his 2006 reelection bid for U.S. Senate was launched well in advance of most other Senate candidates. Posting a campaign website early is certainly a strength, in that, a website allows the candidate to define themselves and the choice in the election before their opponent, fundraise, and recruit volunteers.

· Welcome! On the Home Page, there is a personal welcome letter from Senator Allen, acknowledging the website is still under construction, but encouraging visitors to sign up for email communications, so they can be notified when the full site launches. Senator Allen also encourages visitors to contribute funds, in order to “kick off the campaign in the best way possible.” There is a picture of the Allen family, personalizing the senator as a “family man” to voters.

· Volunteer and Campaign Communication. The website provides an option to sign up to volunteer for the campaign, called “Special Teams”. Under “Special Teams”, a visitor could also sign up to receive email updates about issues germane to their interests and concerns. The website provided 11 issue choices in all. There is a link to “Special Teams” on the Home Page, which reads, “Get Involved” and reads, “Sign up to get insider communications and campaign updates sent directly to your inbox.” It is advantageous to have more than one location to sign up to volunteer and receive communications from the campaign, that way a visitor will have less likely of a chance to miss that option.

· Contribute. Contributing to the campaign is another essential item posted on the website. A visitor can contribute from the Home Page or by clicking on the “Contribute” tab at the top of the page. The campaign offers a privacy policy on the Home Page, as well as, at the bottom of the Donate page. Senator Allen writes a quick note on the “Contribute” page about as leader of National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Republicans picked up 4 seats in the last election, and as a result, Senator Allen will be a target for Democrats in 2006. This will motivate and inspire voters, particularly base-Republicans to contribute to the campaign.

· A Leader for the Internet. The website also provides a page highlighting Senator Allen’s commitment to the Internet and leadership in that arena. It is important for voters to know Senator Allen’s strengths, stances on the issues, and what he will do for the people of Virginia.

What the Campaign did Poorly: Where is the Message and Content?

Despite the strengths of Senator Allen’s reelection website of launching the website early and allowing visitors to contribute and volunteer, there were many weaknesses. Such items the website is lacking can be attributed to the fact that elections day is seventeen months away. I am confident that as the race grows closer, Senator Allen’s website will grow richer and fuller in message and content. With that in mind, I am basing my critique on items that should be included or improved as the race heightens. Aside from some usability concerns, the two prominent problems with the website are its failure to present the campaign’s message and lack of content to satisfy the message.

· Who is George Allen? Currently, the website provides no information on Senator Allen. There is no biography and no real definition of Senator Allen.

· What is George Allen about? In addition, the website lacks an overarching theme or message on what Senator Allen is about. What are his issue strengths, what is he passionate about, how has voted and why. The choice for the election is not defined and the website fails to give voters a reason why they should vote for Senator Allen. The website certainly does not help educate (via position papers, audio or video effects, calendar of campaign events, etc.) the press by offering online press kits or the average voter looking to become informed about Senator Allen and the 2006 election.

· What has George Allen done for Virginia? Aside from not providing issue position and votes, the website fails to address what Senator Allen has done in his tenure as Senator for Virginia, as well as what his vision is for Virginia for his second term.

· A Leader for the Internet? The website provides an entire page on Senator Allen’s passion for the Internet, however, his website is very bare bones and bland. To highlight this particular feature of Senator Allen, while not supporting it with an informative and innovative site, Senator Allen may lose some credibility with voters. If he is going to highlight his leadership with the Internet, while highlighting no other issue positions, Allen must have a better and fuller website.

· Why come back? The website has not been updated in the past month. If visitors come and visit the site, they must have a reason to come back. If they revisit the site a month later and there is no new content, users become bored and are not motivated to revisit the site again. If Senator Allen is not ready to launch a full site, he must make it clearer on his site that the website is under construction, while still encouraging voters to sign up to volunteer, email updates, and donate.

· I want to Volunteer… Although Senate Allen has volunteer option (“Special Teams”) on his site, there some glitches. First, once a user clicks on the “Special Teams” tab, they are brought to a page, in which they are to fill out contact information. None of the fields are required, so users can omit filling out their email, zip code, etc. Second, there is no specific data collection form asking volunteers what they are willing to do for the campaign, what their strengths and experiences are. Third, once a user filled out the information, they must take an extra step and click a box stating that they would like to be contacted about volunteering. However, why would a visitor go to the Volunteer page and take the time to fill out the information, if they did NOT want to be contacted about volunteering for the campaign? If a user forgets this step, the campaign is missing out on dozens of willing volunteers.

· I want to receive Email Updates… Finally, on the Home Page is a “Get Involved” box asking visitors to sign up for email updates from the campaign, by putting in an email address and clicking “Subscribe”, the user is taken to the volunteer page, even though they wanted to sign up for email communications from campaign. I had signed up for both email newsletters and checked the contact me about volunteering box and have yet to receive a welcome or thank you email, let alone any other form of contact from Senator Allen. The Allen campaign needs to make signing up for email newsletters and volunteering as painless and rewarding as possible.

· I want to Contribute… Like Volunteering, Contributing money to the Allen cause also presents some usability problems. When a user clicks on the “Contribute” button they are brought to a page with a motivational note from Senator Allen, and are asked to click on another link before they can donate. In order to donate, the user is asked to fill out a form, in which practically all the fields are required, including employer name. This lofty information request may deter users from contributing due to the timeliness or invasiveness of form. In addition, the website does not provide any other contribution medium beside credit card. There is no online check option or even who to make check out to if voters want to donate via snail mail. This may exclude voters who do not wish to give their credit card information over the Internet.

· How do I find? A simple feature the website is missing is a site map. This will help a user find exactly what they are looking for when they visit the site, as well as, what other options are available on the website.

· No send to friend? Senator Allen does not make use of viral marketing, or allowing the website visitor to do some promoting for you. There is no link allowing users to email their friends, informing them about George Allen, asking them to volunteer, or to contribute. The campaign is missing out on an easy way to gain support and spread the message of the campaign – by having its own supporters spread the word.

· English Only? The website is not available in any other language, aside from English. This is a deterrent and obstacle for those non-English speaking Virginia residents.

· How do I Vote? Another item the campaign should include is information and links on voter registration. It is important to register as many eligible voters as possible, increasing one’s chances of gaining supporters.

In summary, Allen’s website is fairly equipped at such an early stage in the race, especially with no challenger. As time progresses, the Allen campaign must develop and communicate the message through the website, including issue pages, biography, and a more persuasive and user friendly organizing and fundraising functions.

Offline / Online Synergy - Even Congress uses it!

In class, we have discussed the utilization of offline mediums to promote online strategy, affectionately known as "synergy." It is even used by legislators. Congress Online points out that many constituents do not know or cannot find email addresses of their representatives. In response, many lawmakers in Washington put their email address or website URL on stationery, so that constituents can reach them online in addition to telephone calls, faxes, and letters.

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) took the use of offline/online synergy even further. "Rep. Eric Cantor contacted each of his constituents through a direct mail brochure, giving constituents information about his official website, and particularly, information about the electronic newsletters that constituents can subscribe to." As a result, as constituents became informed about Cantor's website and e-newsletters subscribership increased by 650 percent. This is a wonderful example of the effect of offline/online synergy -- contact people by traditional means to get them to use or inform them of non-traditional means.

Cantor's use of offline means to promote online media is another example of how politics is following marketing techniques used in the commercial world: "an overwhelming number of retailers with an online presence also send out printed catalogues with information and description, inviting them to use their email and web address."

Technology is becoming increasingly important in today's society, elected officials must take notice and used offline means such as direct mail, television advertising to promote technology such as websites, emails, etc.

Email...Not just for fun anymore...

In reading Congress Online, I was surprised to learn just how outdated, inefficient, and not equipped Congress was in handling constituent email, particularly in the early part of the millennium.

Email has grown in popularity and use in the past 5 years, and is no longer a novelty, but a way of life. I am surprised to learn that most Congressional offices are not equipped to handle and respond to such communication from constituents, and more importantly, that some offices do not take email correspondence as seriously as telephone calls or postage mail.

Efficient and usable email communication is important to any elected official, as Congress Online points out why,

"The first problem is making sure the message gets through to Congress; second, helping constituents find their Member of Congress on the Internet; third, encouraging Members and staff to sort through email and find communications from their own constituencies; fourth, integrating the processing of email efficiently into an overall congressional office communication system; and finally, using the Internet to send responses via email. Members and staff also have to recognize the value of email as a communications tool."

Although there have been improvements in the use and installation of email in Congress, there is still more to do. All Members and staff must realize and capitalize on this new (and cheaper)communications medium and not simply, shrug it off. With emerging technologies, more users, and better usability, email is a popular and easier way for many constituents to contact their representatives. By taking email seriously and being effective in doing so, Members will have a much more positive impact and response with their constituent relations.