Bill Bolling
Taking a look at the Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Web site I have a number of positive and negative observations concerning the Web site. Unfortunately for the campaign my criticisms do tend to outweigh the positives of the site however and I feel that key changes need to be made if the campaign wants to use the Web effectively.
On a positive note, I am happy with the overall layout of the site. What I like about it is the fact that it is extremely easy to navigate and the links on the homepage make sense. The main links laid out on the left side of the homepage include the most pertinent points of contact for the campaign, including: Welcome, About Bill Bolling, On the Issues, In the News, Legislative Links, Contact Information, Endorsements, Support Bill Bolling and On the Road.
These links are all critical components of the campaign and since there are only nine, the viewer does not feel overwhelmed by the amount of information which is present on the opening page. If a viewer, for example, wants to know more about Legislative Links, the link then breaks down into Legislative Biography, VA Online Legislation, and Session Highlights links. This makes sense, because the viewer does not need to be bombarded with those links when they initially view the homepage and only appear when the viewer decides they want to focus on the Legislative Links option.
In addition, I am happy to see that the home page has large volunteer and contribute graphics on the right side of the page. I think it is absolutely critical to make it as easy as possible for anyone going to a web page to volunteer or to make a contribution to the campaign. Having large graphics for these two options on the home page is advisable in my opinion, because if a voter comes to the page solely to volunteer they will not have to navigate their way to the volunteer page, and will only be one click away, making the task far easier.
While I am happy to see the volunteer and contribution graphics on the home page, these links also happen to be the biggest source of contention and annoyance that I have with the Bolling campaign. Since May 31, 2005 I have on five occasions clicked on that link, giving two different email addresses with the hope of getting email updates about the campaign and to sign up as a volunteer. As of today, July 5, I have still not heard from the campaign.
Having to register numerous amount of times and not hearing back from a campaign is unacceptable. What good is having a link present if the campaign does not follow up? The campaign’s lack of follow-up is sure to turn away a number of voters who had every intention of donating their own personal time to help the campaign and it is certainly not a good campaign move.
The contribution link is source of annoyance for me, because it is not a secure page and is not on an https page. Once again, by failing to use the web properly I believe the campaign will turn away important voters. In today’s world, people are already very skeptical about making online purchases on secure sites and I believe it is a mistake for a campaign to ask the voters to contribute on a site that is not secure. Bolling’s campaign should value the voter’s time and their own security more when asking for their donations.
In addition, the campaign has included an “On the Road” link on the main page, but the link has not been updated since a week before the primary on June 14. When a voter clicks on the link, they are directed to a notice that “There are no upcoming events currently stored online. Please contact our office if you have any questions concering upcoming events not listed here. Thank you!” Not only do I think that it is not advisable for a campaign to make it look like a candidate has nothing going on, it is also a mistake to spell the word “concerning” incorrectly on the page. I think this makes the Web site look sloppy and uncared for and not updated often enough.
In addition, the “In the News” section is not as up to date as it could be. Since June 4, only four articles have been posted in this section. When I did a quick Lexis Nexus search for Bolling, I found over two hundred and fifty articles. Granted some of these might be repeat stories or might not feature Bolling in the most positive light, but I am sure that a few of the articles would be a positive addition to the section and would make Bolling’s campaign look more newsworthy. In addition, I think it would be advisable for Bolling to include links to any radio, print or television advertisements the campaign has generated as well as their response to any negative advertisements that have come their way for the voters to take a look at if they desire.
Along the same line, the opening home page text has not been updated since Bolling won the nomination in June. Instead it still reads that Bolling and Kilgore went on a statewide tour on June 15 and 16. It is now July and I believe the home page should include an updated note from the campaign. This is no longer news and should be archived in the “On the Road” section.
For the site as a whole, I do not think enough photographs are included. This is especially true for the “About Bill Bolling” link. His biography section is text only and does not include a picture to show the voter who Bill Bolling is. I think that it would be advisable to put a picture of Bolling looking official as State Senator on this page and to also include a picture of Bolling with his family. In addition, I do not think his family connection is highlighted enough. Instead, it seems as if his family is an afterthought only worthy of two sentences at the very end of the biography. It does mention his wife and two sons and what church they are affiliated with, but it does not make the voter feel connected to the Bill Bolling as a family man.
In addition, while pictures are included in the “Bill Bolling” link, they are very grainy and do not have captions describing who is in the black and white photos. The photos do not appear to be the web quality and leave the voter guessing who is in the photo. Once again, this link does not feature his family enough. The fact he is a father of two sons is not even mentioned. While the link does mention the fact that Bolling was the first in his family to attend college and that is where he met his wife, he does not come across as a real person and instead re-states his legislative accomplishments, making him come across as not believable.
What is clear to me is the fact that the Bolling campaign did not put a large portion of funding into the Web site and possibly does not see the Web as being an important aspect of the campaign. I believe though that the page that is up has a number of key flaws that should be immediately fixed and I think if they remain untouched the Bolling campaign might lose some support.
On a positive note, I am happy with the overall layout of the site. What I like about it is the fact that it is extremely easy to navigate and the links on the homepage make sense. The main links laid out on the left side of the homepage include the most pertinent points of contact for the campaign, including: Welcome, About Bill Bolling, On the Issues, In the News, Legislative Links, Contact Information, Endorsements, Support Bill Bolling and On the Road.
These links are all critical components of the campaign and since there are only nine, the viewer does not feel overwhelmed by the amount of information which is present on the opening page. If a viewer, for example, wants to know more about Legislative Links, the link then breaks down into Legislative Biography, VA Online Legislation, and Session Highlights links. This makes sense, because the viewer does not need to be bombarded with those links when they initially view the homepage and only appear when the viewer decides they want to focus on the Legislative Links option.
In addition, I am happy to see that the home page has large volunteer and contribute graphics on the right side of the page. I think it is absolutely critical to make it as easy as possible for anyone going to a web page to volunteer or to make a contribution to the campaign. Having large graphics for these two options on the home page is advisable in my opinion, because if a voter comes to the page solely to volunteer they will not have to navigate their way to the volunteer page, and will only be one click away, making the task far easier.
While I am happy to see the volunteer and contribution graphics on the home page, these links also happen to be the biggest source of contention and annoyance that I have with the Bolling campaign. Since May 31, 2005 I have on five occasions clicked on that link, giving two different email addresses with the hope of getting email updates about the campaign and to sign up as a volunteer. As of today, July 5, I have still not heard from the campaign.
Having to register numerous amount of times and not hearing back from a campaign is unacceptable. What good is having a link present if the campaign does not follow up? The campaign’s lack of follow-up is sure to turn away a number of voters who had every intention of donating their own personal time to help the campaign and it is certainly not a good campaign move.
The contribution link is source of annoyance for me, because it is not a secure page and is not on an https page. Once again, by failing to use the web properly I believe the campaign will turn away important voters. In today’s world, people are already very skeptical about making online purchases on secure sites and I believe it is a mistake for a campaign to ask the voters to contribute on a site that is not secure. Bolling’s campaign should value the voter’s time and their own security more when asking for their donations.
In addition, the campaign has included an “On the Road” link on the main page, but the link has not been updated since a week before the primary on June 14. When a voter clicks on the link, they are directed to a notice that “There are no upcoming events currently stored online. Please contact our office if you have any questions concering upcoming events not listed here. Thank you!” Not only do I think that it is not advisable for a campaign to make it look like a candidate has nothing going on, it is also a mistake to spell the word “concerning” incorrectly on the page. I think this makes the Web site look sloppy and uncared for and not updated often enough.
In addition, the “In the News” section is not as up to date as it could be. Since June 4, only four articles have been posted in this section. When I did a quick Lexis Nexus search for Bolling, I found over two hundred and fifty articles. Granted some of these might be repeat stories or might not feature Bolling in the most positive light, but I am sure that a few of the articles would be a positive addition to the section and would make Bolling’s campaign look more newsworthy. In addition, I think it would be advisable for Bolling to include links to any radio, print or television advertisements the campaign has generated as well as their response to any negative advertisements that have come their way for the voters to take a look at if they desire.
Along the same line, the opening home page text has not been updated since Bolling won the nomination in June. Instead it still reads that Bolling and Kilgore went on a statewide tour on June 15 and 16. It is now July and I believe the home page should include an updated note from the campaign. This is no longer news and should be archived in the “On the Road” section.
For the site as a whole, I do not think enough photographs are included. This is especially true for the “About Bill Bolling” link. His biography section is text only and does not include a picture to show the voter who Bill Bolling is. I think that it would be advisable to put a picture of Bolling looking official as State Senator on this page and to also include a picture of Bolling with his family. In addition, I do not think his family connection is highlighted enough. Instead, it seems as if his family is an afterthought only worthy of two sentences at the very end of the biography. It does mention his wife and two sons and what church they are affiliated with, but it does not make the voter feel connected to the Bill Bolling as a family man.
In addition, while pictures are included in the “Bill Bolling” link, they are very grainy and do not have captions describing who is in the black and white photos. The photos do not appear to be the web quality and leave the voter guessing who is in the photo. Once again, this link does not feature his family enough. The fact he is a father of two sons is not even mentioned. While the link does mention the fact that Bolling was the first in his family to attend college and that is where he met his wife, he does not come across as a real person and instead re-states his legislative accomplishments, making him come across as not believable.
What is clear to me is the fact that the Bolling campaign did not put a large portion of funding into the Web site and possibly does not see the Web as being an important aspect of the campaign. I believe though that the page that is up has a number of key flaws that should be immediately fixed and I think if they remain untouched the Bolling campaign might lose some support.
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