2008 was an exciting year for those involved with political websites. When the Presidential campaign sites were first released, people were in awe. The use of social media, new technology and thought out design was something candidates had never done before. By connecting with supporters online, it made it easier to reach a broader audience as well as a large portion of young voters. Because of the  2008 presidential campaign, local and state candidates are now running with much stronger online presence. As more political websites emerge online, we begin to see many similarities between them.

1) Engaging voters using social media

Aptos, CA – Terra Eclipse, Inc. (terraeclipse.com) has launched CampusReform.org, an online activism platform and networking site for college students, conservative activists, and parents for the Leadership Institute, a national conservative organization.

Developed over summer 2009 and leveraging the powerful core technology of the Drupal (Drupal.org) framework, CampusReform.org consists of a main national website and subsites for all 2,446 US college campuses. CampusReform.org allows users to create and customize accounts; to join campuses and campus groups; to network with other users via blogs, discussion boards, and chatrooms; and to rate faculty members and textbooks with numerical scores and written reviews.

"We're excited and proud to help bring Morton Blackwell's visionary leadership into the digital realm." remarks Wyatt Hull, VP of Operations at Terra Eclipse "The launch of Campus Reform marks a new era in conservative online activism. It's an ambitious project and it demonstrates Terra Eclipse's ability to execute quickly on complex development." 

The gadgets we use to access the internet are getting smaller and more powerful.

Take the once-humble cell phone. A 2009 study highlighted by the Mobile Marketing Association found that 64% of respondents had an internet-capable phone. Of those who can get online through their phone, 43% actually do. These numbers represent a growing share of American adults and teens. We used to not be able to get online anywhere but through a computer, but now that we can tap into the internet through our phones, we are doing so -- at increasing rates.

Currently Missouri’s Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan is a Democratic candidate in the running for a U.S. Senate position in 2010 for the state of Missouri.

Content: 5/10
With the "About Robin" section on the bottom right corner of the home page and no place to find her stance on any specific issue, it seems like content is an afterthought. There is an updated news section on the home page but aside from learning a bit about her background, undecided voters who visit the site will not find any other information that can sway their decision.