The first two questions I am asked by “down-ballot” campaigns building their websites is “What is a blog?  Do I really need one?” 

I explain that a “blog” is short for web log and that to some extent you will have one, regardless of what you call it.  Anytime you update your website with news directly from the campaign or write a reaction to the mainstream media,you are essentially “blogging.”

Blogs are organized online diaries that can be about any subject the author chooses.  The most successful blogs are largely about politics as it relates to a larger readership.   Blogs - large and small - have had tremendous impact on the political landscape.

In politics, nothing is a sure thing.  You cannot predict what your opponent will do, what the political discourse will be on Election Day, and other outside events that could affect your campaign.  With today's technology you can ensure that you have the means to communicate with your electorate quickly and at minimal cost.

With the advent of YouTube and blogging, your campaign now has the means to get out a message no matter what your budget.  Without YouTube, very few would have seen Sen. George Allen call the Jim Web for Senate volunteer “macaca” – a costly error for his campaign.

It's clear that every campaign no matter what the level should have a website with a blog.  Its an inexpensive opportunity to open a dialogue directly with your electorate, but there are a few key points to keep in mind when maintaining your campaign's blog.

Update Frequently

The biggest reason to maintain a blog is to keep your supporters coming back to your website to read fresh content about the campaign.  Only the largest of campaigns have the time to make updates multiple times a day, but your campaign should be posting something interesting about the campaign at least twice weekly.  If you have a good group of supporters consider allowing them to post to the campaign's blog as surrogates.  In the 2006 election Jack Carter, running for the U.S. Senate in Nevada, had his daughter who was already an accomplished blogger, manage his blog.  She created an online community that helped bring in online donations and encourage volunteers to help the campaign.  In the 2004 election Howard Dean's “Blog for America” allowed anyone who wanted to sign up to make posts with little oversight by the campaign.  A proposition most campaigns are unwilling to do.  It is possible to allow people to post and comment on the blog and then have a moderator approve the comments before they are posted to the website.  Make sure that your moderator is checking for new posts frequently.  Bloggers tend to not like waiting for days to see their posts show up on the blog and will quickly find a more responsive outlet.

Publicize your Blog

A catchy website address such as www.thetruthaboutsantorum.com  can roll into an offline campaign that will encourage people to visit.   Cross post an entry whenever you create something noteworthy. Cross posting is when you post your entry on multiple blogs.  If you're running in a local race there almost certainly is somebody maintaining a blog that gets a good readership.

If you're running for assembly in New Jersey as a Democrat, consider posting your entries on www.bluejersey.com. Be sure to include the address to your own blog in the cross post.   Another way to publicize your blog and website is to advertise.  There are two main ways to do this.  One is to use sponsored ad words.  These can be purchased from portals such as Google and Yahoo.

When someone does a search on a word that you purchase, your website ad will appear in the “sponsored links” section.  You pay a small fee every time someone clicks on that ad.   The other way is to use blogads.  These are ads on more established blogs.  There is usually a weekly charge for these ads and the cost is dependent upon the specific readership of that blog.  You can find ways to advertise on blogs at www.blogads.com. You can choose the types of blogs in which you want to advertise depending upon the campaign that you are running. 

Keep It Real

What you write on your blog is almost as important as how often you write it, but always make sure that you don't post something on your blog that will hurt your campaign.  Do not steal anyone else's work…ever.  Cite news sources and give credit to other blogs when you are quoting them.  In this era of fast communications someone will take notice if you plagiarize another work.

If you are going to have the candidate post to the blog, make sure it is actually the candidate doing the writing.  Nothing is more embarrassing than using the candidate's name and then having somebody ask about a certain blog post and the candidate not knowing about it.  Posts don't take very long to write and if your candidate does write them it makes for a more interesting and personal account of what is happening with the campaign.

Write about you opponent but do not make things up.  Everyone wishes their opponent will have a “macaca” moment but you can't make one up.  Have proof.  In the age of cell phone video cameras and the like you should be documenting as much of your opponent as possible.  Even if you have great anecdotal evidence that your opponent threw an elderly lady in a wheelchair down the stairs, unless you have video or photos, nobody will believe you and your campaign will look bad. 

Blogs have become a very powerful campaign tool.  If you do it right your blog has the potential to reach a wide audience and help spring your supporters into action.  If your campaign is going to have a website and it most certainly should, then that website should be dynamic and have updated content to keep people coming back to the site and encourage new visitors.  A blog can certainly serve as the unifying vehicle for your electorate, helping you get the votes out you need to win. 

Here are some of the more popular blogs with their political leaning:

Christopher Massicotte is Director of Sales and Marketing
for NGP Software, Inc., a Washington-based
software and technology consulting firm.
You can reach Chris at Click here to contact this Author