OK, so yet another political web site shall rise - ideas please?

[GregD]

I was approached by someone who is quite determined to play an active role in replacing the currently entrenched BushBot in our congressional district. The site will be intended to fill an information gap that we feel would generally help voters understand a variety of issues.

I'm looking for your ideas on how to structure this project, in terms of what site(s) to model it after, content ideas and so on.

The basic concept is that we recognize that across the country, and certainly in our area, people are voting against their best interests. Why? Largely because they pay insufficient attention to the voting records of their legislators, the donors who support them, and how those factors are impacting the lives of those voters.

So what we want to do is to create a site that will connect people with all of the online and offline resources that voters need in order to become better informed. We will point to links for newspapers, tv/radio, and other local news resources. A blog will allow commentary on local issues and how legislation will impact the voter.

If this project works well, it could potentially be replicated in other districts. The key to such replication would be the availability of volunteers to manage content for those other districts.

Keep in mind - the goal here is not to create another DailyKOS or other such blog. It's not to create another DU or other such nationally oriented site - we want to keep this focused on local issues and their impacts on daily life.

So, that's the general plan - and here's the request:

What sites might already exist out there that address these sorts of goals, in part or in whole?

Given the above goals, what would YOU want in such a site in order to help define differences between an incumbent and a challenger for the US House, to help get a candidate elected?

What other ideas do you have?

[GregD]

1. morning kick

[bryant69]

2. Who is your audience

Do you want your website to communicate directly with voters, laying out the case for dropping Sen. Whatshisface (or Whatsherface)? Or do you want to provide the tools for activists and people who are already politically involved to go out and make the case individually?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[GregD]

3. audience is the typical working stiff

We are making an assumption that these folks may read their local paper as well as watch their local and/or Faux news, but don't go much further to inform themselves.

Anthony plans to heavily market this web site within our district and try to get people to expand their reference points from which they form their opinions.

So this wll be much more than a blog, more than a message board. We'll provide links to all media and news sources for the region, as well as some national sources. The pilot project will deal with California's 2nd CD (Wally Herger) which runs from Sacramento to the Oregon border. We think he is vulnerable and want to help push www.falzett.org into his seat. Falzett needs a new web presence as well, and that's being communicated to him as well.

[bryant69]

4. As you push your website

Provide additional information as well - or that would be my advice. Give them teh facts on why they should vote against Herger and then push them to the website.

Bryant

[GregD]

5. No other thoghts?

[GregD]

6. Saturday kick - can anyone contribute ideas on this?

We hope to try to educate folks about why they need to think twice about re-electing a 20-year puke who does NOTHING for our district and elect a Dem.

Please give this thread a bit of love.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

7. Go to Alexa or better yet, Marketleap (link below)

Start doing comparisons of different political sites as well as taking advantage of some of the other marketleap tools (free).

You should be able to find out which ones are most effective and go from there on form and content?

http://www.marketleap.com/publinkpop/