Campaign Dimensions: 2-D Strategies

This is the third in a four-part series in which Alan Rosenblatt, Ph.D., explores various “dimensions” of online campaigning and the strategies that each dimension requires. Part one and part two appeared last week. The series will continue tomorrow.An essential element of the online experience is the ability to couple transactional tools to the information being disseminated. Networked communication technology allows us to integrate action tools, like emailing Congress, donating money, registering to vote or writing letters to editors, not to mention facilitating meaningful feedback into any piece of content delivered to voters.Delivering opportunities for online citizens to take action is not only desirable and necessary for campaigns to be successful; it is expected by voters. To a large extent voters are more adept at using the Internet and mobile networks than campaigns, more even than all public and private institutions. That creates great expectations for campaigns and a sophisticated level of scrutiny.  This is especially true now that the Internet has overtaken television as the primary source of political news for 18-29 year olds and of approximately equal use for the rest of 30-49 year olds, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.So the key to the second dimension of online advocacy and political campaign strategy is to make sure all campaign messages and content are in some way actionable and that the action is one click away.Intro: The Dimensions of a Digitally Networked CampaignPart One: One-Dimensional StrategiesComing Next: Three-Dimensional Strategies