Your voters expect one. Recent surveys show that up to 80% of voters say they use the Internet to get information about candidates before casting their vote. Without a web site, you may miss this opportunity to win their votes.

Your opponent will have one. Just imagine the advantage your opponent would have if they have a web site and you don’t. It could be the difference between winning or losing in a close race.

Your donors will look for one. More and more donors are contributing to campaigns via their web sites. In the last election, some candidates raised more than a third of their campaign budgets through their web sites.

Your volunteers will want you to have one. People who work on your campaign for free do so expecting that you’will do everything you can to win. Imagine the message you’All send to them if you don’t have a web site

Your campaign won’t be “real” without one. Even in small towns, the media and key influence-peddlers say that a web site is a must for any real campaign. A professional web site will show them you’re serious about winning.

Your timeline requires one. Campaigns today move fast. Just imagine trying to contact 150 volunteers and 110 donors with breaking campaign news if you didn’t have a web site and email capabilities. It could take hours. With a campaign web site and email, it only takes a few seconds. Supporters depend on the web site to have the most current schedules and information about your campaign.

Not so long ago, a LOCAL political candidate could reasonably make one of the three following arguments against having an online presence for their campaign;
1.) Web sites. are too expensive for local candidates,
2.) That they did not see the need for an online presence for a local campaign, or
3.) That they did not feel comfortable with computers and all that "high tech internet stuff"...(perhaps a quaint ploy).

Today, the reality is that a candidate without a web site or BLOG is just not a serious candidate ...and probably doesn't deserve to hold office, plain and simple!

1.) Cost is not an issue anymore since any campaign can be online for FAR less than the cost of a single printing of yard signs,
2.) The vast majority of American homes now have at least one computer with internet access. Since web sites and Blogs are online 24 x 7 waiting to be searched by potential voters, almost any candidate-to-voter communication is more efficiently accomplished over the internet than in any other media, and
3.) Any candidate that cannot master the basics of: email, a word processor, and surf the internet, perhaps should not hold office!

The plain fact is that we elect candidates to make resource allocation decisions (spend tax dollars) to most efficiently provide the governmental functions and services that are needed to run our cities, counties, and state! Since this includes making decisions about investments in technology for schools and government itself, it seems only reasonable that any elected official should at least be able to search the local government web site for their meeting schedule!

There two major ways for a campaign to establish an online presence, they are:
Set up a web site, or establish a BLOG !

Web sites generally contain more static content and can best be thought of as an "online campaign brochure". Web sites are established to inform the voter about a candidate's issues and positions, they may include: established meeting & event calendars, photos of events, provide contact and donation information, and are usually updated only occasionally throughout the campaign.

BLOGS are web sites. that take the form of an ongoing dialogue between the candidate and the voter population. BLOGS contain an scrolling chronological listing of "articles" posted by the candidate which invite the reader (voter) to comment and interact on each posting. In this manner a BLOG facilitates a higher degree of interaction between the candidate and the voters. The expectation is that a BLOG will be updated much more frequently than a web site (perhaps daily) and that the candidate will actively respond to comments that readers (voters) might post.

Which of these mechanisms a candidate chooses to use depends upon their individual communication style and their overall campaign strategy. If a candidate is not comfortable communicating through an ongoing online dialogue, then the simple web site may be their best choice. If a candidate is in a highly competitive race that requires the maximum of voter interaction, then perhaps a BLOG would be the better choice.

Having an online presence is a very cost effective way to maximize your campaign exposure, whichever communication style you feel most comfortable with. Voters are increasingly searching the internet for information about candidates and expect to be able to find information about even the most local races. By establishing a web site or Blog you can reach a much wider group of voters and allow them to review what your campaign is about. Your competition will have an online presence, you simply cannot afford to not have one also !

This page contains advertisements from various vendors that offer additional information about setting up web sites and BLOGS. We invite you to take a look at these links to become better informed, and to find the services and prices that are right for your campaign.

Remember to add a link to your campaign web site or Blog in your "Candidate Profile" that you create here at NC-Politics.com ! This is very important since it will assist more viewers from our site with finding your campaign web site or Blog. Your Candidate Profile is not a replacement for having a web site but it highly increases the likelihood that voters will be able to find your site, we augment and complement your existing online investment!

Also, placing a link on your campaign web site or Blog back to NC-Politics.com will increase your "link relevancy" and improve your site categorization and ranking in the search engines, it provides your visitors with an easy way to get to your campaign profile!

SPECIAL NOTE: North Carolina has developed a large and growing community of Local Bloggers, citizens that regularly post about politics in and around their resident city, county, or across statewide issues. Candidates are highly encouraged to actively interact with these Bloggers as an additional means of raising visibility of their campaign. Bloggers are always open to candidates placing thoughtful comments in response to their postings on local issues. NC-Politics.com maintains a regional listing of these Bloggers in another area of this portal.