The Three Commandments of Online Campaigning

Every political operartive who works on an online campaign should take the time to learn three simples rules. These three rules were written by Jacon Nielsen and while it should not take a rocket scientist to understand and follow these rules, they are often overlooked by professionals operating an online campaign.

Without further adieu here they are:

1. Energize the party faithful. Get them excited about the candidate and give
them talking points to influence their friends and family.
2. Collect donations.
3. Answer undecided voters' questions, and hopefully convince
them to support the candidate.

While these rules seem painfully clear to us as we read them, it is almost unbelievable that some political operatives are not following them. We are not just talking about someone running for mayor of a small town in the Mid-West here, we are talking at the presidential level.

John Kerry a Senator running for President of the United States made critical web mistakes that are simply unforgivable. Instead of energizing the faithful, Kerry simply asked hardworking Americans for money and once sent two emails in one day soliciting funding. That is simply unacceptable.

I think that political campaigners should read these rules, understand them and their connotations, commit them to memory, say them three times before they go to bed at night and if that fails print them up, frame them and post them in their offices for everyone to see.