Leadership web-wars

10.18.32am GMT Tue 28th Feb 2006

The three Leadership candidates at the West Midlands hustings

With the Liberal Democrat Leadership contest over except for the counting both the Times and the Guardian comment on the three Leadership contenders websites. I have, obviously, been a big visitors to all three sites and whilst all different like all of them in different ways.

The Times (article linked below) has rated the three websites. It favour Sir Menzies site the most.

It gave www.campbellcampaign.org 4/5 and said "It is not a pretty site, but it is very clever and incorporates all the latest bells and whistles, such as podcasts, a blog, video and a clever use of Google Maps to locate speeches and supporters. On the negative side, the navigation options are too long and it would be difficult to browse in a hurry. Also, there is no photo gallery. Camera shy? This is the site most likely to appeal to the web-savvy voter."

It gave Chris2win.org 3/5 and said "Chris Huhne gets extra marks for immediately telling you who he is and what the site is about, but loses them straight away thanks to the enormous and frankly terrifying photo of Claire Rayner on the home page. There is a podcast, a blog and a rather clumsy photo gallery. It is pretty easy to find your way around, but the facility to register your support is rather hidden."

It gave Simonhughesforleader.com 2/5 and said "Worst of the bunch, this is a great example of what a website would have looked like two years ago, with overuse of unhelpful graphics with phrases such as "More supporters than any other" that give you no idea what you are clicking on. There is no sign of a podcast or video, reaffirming the outdated feel of the whole site. The only bright moment is the photo gallery, which is nicely constructed."

The Guardian (article linked below) actually looks at the reason why the Leadership candidates are having to rely on websites so much (the candidates have not been able to have access to membership lists) and the use of new and/or different technology. The Guardian says "The other incentive was the restrictions placed on the leadership candidates by the Lib Dems' own party rules. In an effort to create a level playing field, the candidates were denied access to the membership database. As a result, the only information members received by post was a short A4 booklet in which each candidate was allocated a double-page spread. Some are therefore under the impression that none of the candidates has bothered to contact them. Candidates have done their best to sign up members to their online mailing lists, but campaigners think they have probably reached less than half of them." It concludes how restricting the membership list and basing a lot of the campaigning on websites and email has excluded some members "But some Lib Dems without Internet access and who live far from the main hustings have felt sidelined by the campaign. "I haven't heard from any of the candidates and I've had a great deal of difficulty trying to decide how to vote," says one 67-year-old member in Shropshire. The party will be hoping that their next leadership contest is a long way off, but the policy of denying candidates access to the membership lists is likely to be one of the first things to go when the party next meets to consider its future."

Related Links:

Read the full Times article

Read the full Guardian article