Thursday, October 10, 2019
2008 Presidential Campaigns and the Internet Essay
In fairly recent times the Internet has gained vast importance for the dissemination of information to the public. The numbers of users on the Internet have grown exponentially throughout the years. Presidential candidates have always recognized this fact and have procured websites to establish their viewpoints and positions on issues as well as ask for donations. An evaluation of the John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama website will demonstrate how the candidates react to their beliefs in how the public consumes information.            John McCain’s website is the first to be investigated. His website is mainly around to cater to his core voters of the Republican Party, but no doubt he is also attempting to appeal to all American citizens. The first thing a person will notice from McCain’s website is that once you initially travel to his webpage it will first go to an introduction page asking viewers to join his email group as well as a button to donate money to his campaign. The website does not start out with positions on issues or contain endorsements etc. It appears McCain’s ultimate goal at the start is to solicit money to further his campaign. This introduction page shows an image of John McCain in black and white with a black background, and does not contain any images or colors of the United States. (http://www.johnmccain.com/landing/?sid=gorganic) This aspect of the website is peculiar because it introduces a solicitation right from the start. It could make some readers of the site not want to endorse McCain, especially readers that have ventured to his site in order to learn more about his positions. At the bottom of the donation page there is a small link that asks whether or not the reader wants to go to the actual John McCain website. Once a reader of the site clicks on this link then the real presidential website begins to form. McCain’s main site has three items of note. First, there is a video link that summarizes McCain’s torture and imprisonment in a POW camp, and the video is called â€Å"Courageous Service.†(http://www.johnmccain.com/) Three other links to the website are on this part of the page called â€Å"About John McCain,†â€Å"Why John McCain,†and â€Å"On the Issues.†(http://www.johnmccain.com/) These sections are a good addition to the website because it allows an investigation into the person, why he should be president, and his stand on the issues. The reader does not have to search through the site to find a particular campaign issue or information about McCain. It is all separated and easy to identify. A section of rotating pictures is on this portion of the site as well that gives insight into campaign activities. An important aspect of the website is that McCain included a petition for the housing crisis. The petition is little more than a show of support for McCain in dealing with the housing crisis instead of what a reader would think as a real petition to enact some type of legislation. (http://www.johnmccain.com/involving/petition.aspx?guid=cf43f8ff-0854-4735-8346-9e4d07582474) McCain’s presidential campaign website shows his trials and tribulations as well as his strong points throughout. It establishes what many would see as a strong man that sticks by his beliefs on issues and does not waiver in the face of dissension. Altogether the website effectively establishes what McCain undoubtedly attempted to present to the public.            Hillary Clinton’s website is similar to McCain’s in that it initially starts off with a donation page that appears to be separate from her main page. (https://contribute.hillaryclinton.com/donate-b.html?sc=a724) However, Clinton’s donation page is different from McCain’s because it plays a video of her support and numerous members of a crowd cheering her name. Unlike McCain, Clinton’s donation page and the rest of her main site is not dark, but is a light shade of blue. (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/splash/) Once a reader clicks to her main site, they are met with another page that is asking the person to join her campaign as a member. This appears to be the entire composition of her website, which is a little disappointing. A prospective voter cannot visit her site and learn about her message or positions on issues. A viewer may overlook yet another link that will send the reader to the main site. (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/splash/) On the main site it seems as though Clinton is concerned about winning the Texas delegation. (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1) A logo pleads with the reader to help her win the state. A spotlight section on the main site lists events such as winning a chance to meet Clinton and Elton John, veterans’ affairs, and an opinion from Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. A little section titled â€Å"The Hillary I know†will show some of her positions on issues, but the logo for the link is very small and is not a major part of the page. This is in stark contrast to the organized sections of the McCain site. Clinton’s site is more appealing to the eye, but it lacks the substance that McCain’s website contains.            Barack Obama’s presidential website has the same introduction page as the other two, but this time Obama speaks directly to the visitor instead of showing some campaign activities. In order to navigate Obama’s site, a user is required to register, however a reader can circumvent the registration process by merely typing in his main site and then visiting the sections on issues, learning about the candidate, etc. (http://my.barackobama.com/page/user/login?successurl=L3BhZ2UvZGFzaGJvYXJkL3ByaXZhdGU) This is a horrible concept for a website because it immediately will turn visitors away by making them think they need to register in order to learn more about the candidate. Obama’s website is also in a light shade of blue similar to Clinton’s and offers many instances for a visitor to view videos and photos like the other campaign sites. However, it appears that Obama’s website has the least amount of information available to a prospective voter, and thus is probably the worst website out of the three discussed. References Clinton, Hillary. (2008). HillaryClinton.com – Welcome. Retrieved March 25, 2008, from            HillaryClinton.com Website: http://www.hillaryclinton.com McCain, John. (2008). John McCain 2008 – John McCain for President. Retrieved            March 25, 2008, from JohnMcCain.com Website: http://www.johnmccain.com Obama, Barack. (2008). Barack Obama : : Change we can believe in. Retrieved March            25, 2008, from BarackObama.com Website: http://www.barackobama.com
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