Campbell Newman did the paperwork on his ascension to state politics today. Barack Obama also started up his run for the twenty-twelve presidential election1. Hairstyles aside, there are some contrasts to be drawn between the two fledgling campaigns. While the Democratic Party launched across different mediums simultaneously2, the LNP’s web presence is minimal3. campbellnewman.com.au still lists Mr Newman as the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. The LNP’s site has two articles on the topic of recent state events, both a single identical sentence:
Donate Now to help Campbell Newman and his Liberal National Party team win government for a better Queensland.
The new site for Barack Obama’s campaign places donation in a secondary position to
‘Get[ting] Involved’. Even though the two-thousand-and-eight campaign was renowned for the breadth of monetary support (over three hundred thousand donors), the twenty-twelve website serves first to build enthusiasm and a sense of purpose before putting a hand out.
If the LNP wants sympathetic ‘ordinary’ citizens to donate small amounts in large numbers, they would do well to adopt an approach similar to the American Democrats.
1 Both elections are (most likely) over twelve months away.
2 The Barack Obama mailing list, which I signed up for during the last election campaign, was silent today. Even the slick Democratic operation misses some contact opportunities. Update: An email came through at eleven past nine. That’s just after seven am eastern time. It’s doubtful whether any Americans had noticed the delay.
3 I stumbled over another potential LNP website, candoqld.org, while I was trying to guess domains4 for the campaign (candoqueensland.com redirects there). It’s hard to be sure whether it’s a placeholder for use when the campaign begins (which was today, by Mr Newman’s report) or if it is being squatted. Whois data is private, unlike the other two LNP domains I’ve linked.
4 I had resorted to guessing after failing to find a transcript for Mr Newman’s speech today anywhere online. He has made some comments (broadcasted tonight) on consonant with Prime Minister Gillard’s recent remarks on waking early, which I wanted to highlight.
5 The LNP were advertising for a Social Media Coordinator recently. If one has started, this doesn’t reflect well on them. If the position is yet to be filled, it underlines the party’s need for someone to organise their presence on the web.