Remember how important Barack Obama’s Web presence was to his victory in ’08? Well, Politico has a scathing report on the quality of five representatives’ Web sites — titled “Members’ websites stuck in ’70s.”
At the top of that list is North Carolina’s own Congresswoman Sue Myrick (visit her Web site here). The Politico’s verdict:
Myrick has the makings of a cohesive layout ? a home page laid out on a three-column grid, clear navigation along the top of the site ? but the elements are slightly askew, creating a look that Matt Ipcar of Blue State Digital calls unprofessional.
?Think of a bank,? said Ipcar. ?If you went to a bank and your bank?s website looked like the Myrick site, would you put your money there??
Ipcar added that, like a r?sum? or a business card, a website should be polished enough to exude a sense of trust and professionalism.
Taylor Stanton, Myrick?s press secretary, said she is in the very early stages of updating the site to make it more interactive and user-friendly.
A solid Web presence is good, but there is another issue here — spending unholy amounts of taxpayer dollars on a trendy Web site that, in addition to providing communication and information outlets for constituents, also happens to be a great campaign tool.
So maybe there is a silver lining to Web sites that look similar to a GeoCities template.
