Election countdown prompts rise of the political campaigning website

Fresh from their party conferences, MPs returning to Parliament today will be ramping up general election plans.

And with both main parties using digital PR to get their messages across it looks like 2010 will truly be the UK’s first ‘internet election’.

Will they be as successful as Barack Obama whose social media campaign team famously stopped tweeting the day he won office, indicating ‘job done’?

In the blue corner we have the campaign site MyConservatives.com, which crashed on launch due to the surge in interest.

It encourages both Tory party members and non-members to take part in campaign activities and social action.

You can donate directly to individual campaigns and you can find out what is going on in your area through a postcode search for local activity.

The site includes YouTube videos and you can upload ‘something about you’ to appear as your profile (so be careful what you say). You can also set up fundraising events and access online ticketing help.

PR Week has already reported industry comment on the ‘cultural challenge’ of getting UK voters to donate to parties online, so that will be a litmus test of the Conservative site as the election countdown gathers pace.

Labour was ahead of the game in launching MembersNet as its campaign website more than a year ago.

Party members and supporters can use it to stay in touch, share opinions and organise and promote events.

Unlike the media splash surrounding the Conservative site launch, MembersNet had a more incremental birth through Labour blogs and word of mouth.

As of today, you can read 8,192 event descriptions, 25,868 blog entries and 67,073 comments – a level of interest that should satisfy even the most ardent political junkie.

Over the next few months it will be interesting to see which of these sites claims victory in the battle of cyberspace campaigning – and whether that success reflects what happens at the ballot box itself.

How to regain the reputation of a national park

It’s had a torrid time at the wrong end of public campaigns led by dog walkers and horse riders, but has the New Forest National Park Authority finally turned the corner in PR terms?

The Authority has a difficult job in seeking to preserve one of western Europe’s most precious heathland areas given the huge weight of often competing interests and ever growing visitor numbers.

Trying to close off areas from dogs and horses to protect precious species of plants and animals angered some local residents and led to all manner of hostile comment and press coverage. It even saw the resignation of the former chief executive.

Now though there seems to be a new approach. Local press reports report a comms shake-up designed to portray a more “supportive and engaging approach”.

New CEO Barrie Foley says the move is about helping more people understand the benefits that national park status can bring to both nature protection and recreation.

The strategy involves more emphasis on education among various stakeholders – internal and external.

The Authority is working alongside dog owners to encourage responsible ownership rather than seeking outright bans.

There is also a new equine forum to bring horse riders into the decision making process behind new guidelines on recreational horse keeping in the Forest.

In addition, the Authority is seeking more opportunities to communicate the economic benefits of Park status. These include the availability of investment funds for underground rather than overground pylons and schemes to improve land management and environmental protection.

No doubt there will continue to be many competing and conflicting pressures but let’s hope the new CEO and his team can continue to square the circle.