Need advice/feedback

I'm redesigning the website of a county democratic comittee, and I want to get some input.

We're going to aim for a couple of audiences, but we're primarily interested in serving the needs of local progressives.

The question is, what are those needs?

I know what I'd like to see on my local party website, but I'm just one guy.  So here's where I need your help.

What would you like to see?  What sorts of information would be helpful?  What would make you want to go visit your local dem website?

We're going to be doing some local focus groups, and a survey if we can manage the resources, but this is a much larger community, with a broader range of experience.

Your help would be much appreciated.

•  A way to send them Email

  that SOMEONE would actually READ and respond to.
  THAT would be a breakthrough.

  by tiponeill on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:20:16 AM PDT

  •  not just that

    Make anyone visiting feel like there are real people involved.

    A counter-example is the Cuyahoga County Dems website. It's crap. They attempt to put stuff on there but it's so painful in both graphic design and content that it's almost worse than no website at all.

    Put photo profiles of people somewhere on the page. Head shots of them dressed as real people, not studio shots of them in a suit and tie. Include mini profiles written by a good writer. (Your goal is to get people to feel a connection to them. I see these people and I feel zero connection whatsoever. I'm sure they're probably nice guys and gals, but the point is that the site design is poor ... the stale pictures and no description actually make me care LESS about them than I would if they were just a name.)

    Any local news that's of interest to the county Dems would be good, as well as upcoming events. You can do this with a blog and provide commentary that way, which people will appreciate.

    Have a big old "Get involved" link and provide lots of good information on coming to events, attending a MeetUp, meeting candidates, donating, etc. Don't be an ivory tower; be a meeting place.

    by drewthaler on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 08:04:53 AM PDT

•  People Want to Know...

  ...how to get involved.

  by Mean Green on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:21:22 AM PDT

•  Bottom line

  Content that gets them fired up connected with clear ways to channel that energy. DFA does a good job of that, for example. Until recently the DNC, DCCC and DSCC have not. Since Dean came along, DNC seems to be adopting a more grass roots style and I think they will benefit from it.

  by mole333 on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:23:38 AM PDT

•  People want to know

  Whats going on.  To me, one of the best things that a county party can do is track the issues that affect THAT county.  Have a page up about what the state Lege is considering, and how it will affect the county.  Provide information on the decisions of the county comissioners.  Track bills of regional interest through the Congress.  All politics is local- make sure that the locals are informed about their politics.

  by BrodyV on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:25:21 AM PDT

  •  Yes!

    Give me updates as to what my local government is doing.  What issues are being discussed.  Who wants to do <something>, and who is against it.  Is a politician giving a speech or holding a 'town hall' anywhere nearby?  Who is it, when, why, etc.

    Get local politicians to write up some things sometimes and post it on there, drawing attention to whatever pet rpoject they're working on at the time.

    Constant updates are important, too.  If the site is static for a couple days, then people will stop checking.  If you want people to keep coming back, update it constantly with new information.  Nobody's going to return to read the same thing over and over again.  Daily updates.

    And feedback is important.  Communication, both ways.  WHther it's a 'blog', message board, or just through email, communication is important.

    by SleepyG on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:52:23 AM PDT

•  question

  what does LTE mean?

  by raincat100 on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:30:10 AM PDT

  •  Letter to the Editor n/t

    by boadicea on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:33:29 AM PDT

•  I had to call another county organization

  in order to find out who to contact in my own county.

  I would think that minus those objecting, a list of contacts in your county would be a good idea.

  by nupstateny on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:34:23 AM PDT

•  I'd like to see

  a list of issues, plus a box for "other", so that people who want to offer ideas as well as money can do so.  If 1 suggestions out of 20 looks good, it should be worth it.  Also, if the same concern keeps coming up from different people, the organization would be alerted to it before their consultants & focus groups could unearth it.

  People are more inclined to volunteer if they feel their input was valued.

  by demokath on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:53:46 AM PDT

•  County = local

  The most important design criteria is keep it simple.  Second on my list is ASK.  Much better to set up a basic template and fill it in as people provide feedback.  And as above, local contacts.  

  Have you surveyed your area for exisiting progressive orgs online?  Possible to create cross-connects that would save time, and duplication of effort.

  by rba on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:59:39 AM PDT

•  County web page.

  People who go to a parties county-level web page are probably looking for local politics.  Include links to state and national organizations, but don't let it dominate.

  The primary focus should be on county officials and agencies.  A secondary focus can be on towns and their local governments.

  If your website is useful, more people will come there.  Provide links to the agencies itself, not just talk about the candidates for the agencies.  If possible, try to provide better information than the county's own web page.  Sometimes that's possible, sometimes it is not.  Some countys have good web pages, some are poor.  But if you can make your page the place to go for info about the county, that's a big plus.

  by A Citizen on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 08:14:29 AM PDT