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Case Study: Four-States for Dean
The Dean for America campaign has been on the forefront of "netroots" organizing and is demonstrating just how powerful a tool the Internet can be. One of the most successful strategies of the campaign thus far has been the promotion of local meetings of supporters and volunteers, organized through Meetup.com. An outgrowth of the Hagerstown, Maryland Meetup, Four-States for Dean is a group of supporters of Gov. Howard Dean's presidential campaign, located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. This website facilitates communication between group members and others about upcoming events, campaign news, resources and action items. To allow interaction between the group's coordinator and users of the website, CyberInfinity Design developed and dynamic, database-driven website with an administration interface.
The most time-sensitive information, News Articles and Action Alerts, are featured prominantly on the homepage. Both of these features can be edited via the administrative interface. The administrator can also designate which items to display first, or temporarily disable individual items. News Articles are linked to an off-site source for the full article, while Action Alerts may be linked to other sites where the user can get more information. There is also a complete archive of all News Articles, accessible from the main menu.
Website users may submit suggestions for the Upcoming Events and Helpful Links pages. When submitted, the information is automatically entered into the database, but flagged as "pending." An email is sent to the group coordinator, who can then go to the administrative interface and either approve or delete the suggestion. If approved, the new information is visible on the website immediately. Users wishing to get involved with the group may submit the contact form and indicate which constituent groups they are affiliated with and the ways in which they are interested in helping. This data is also saved, building a volunteer database that can be used by the group when planning future events.
Other sections of the website include information about Howard Dean and his stance on various issues, information about the group, and a list of ways to get involved with the campaign. Through interactivity and flexibility, this website connects Four-States for Dean coordinators, group members and other users to each other and to other participants in the widespread grassroots effort to support Gov. Dean's candidacy. |
