August 2, 1996
DOLE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES NEW WEB SITE
"There's no doubt we'll look back at Web sites today and basically say ... that they were quite primitive. They don't customize what they present to the viewers' interests. They don't remember: Have you been there before? What have you seen before? And that's got to change." -- Bill Gates, MSNBC, July 15, 1996
IT HAS . . .
DOLE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF FIRST INDIVIDUALLY-CUSTOMIZED POLITICAL WEB SITE
The Dole for President campaign today launched its general election Web site -- the first political Web site to individually-customize itself for each user's interests, home state, and last visit.
When users first visit the site, they are given the option of setting up a custom Dole Web page. Each custom page contains a personal tool bar that welcomes the user by name, alerts them to an electronic "In Box" containing any new press releases or other campaign materials posted since their last visit, directs them to briefing papers on issues in which they expressed interest, and offers a home-state icon for local information about the Clinton record and the Dole agenda in that state.
The Dole Web site also customizes to take each users' technical capabilities into account by offering different variations with Shockwave applications and/or RealAudio. The user is even given a layout choice by selecting from a variety of animated and non-animated "footers" for the main page.
Unlike other political Web sites, the Dole campaign also offers users a mechanism to give feedback to the campaign on policy positions. Each briefing paper is an interactive document that lets users tell the campaign what priority they think a Dole administration should give the initiative.
The Interactive section of the site has also been redesigned and expanded. In addition to reviewing policy papers, speeches, backgrounders, and press releases, visitors to the Dole site can:
Create custom Dole campaign buttons.
Download official Dole for President computer "wallpaper."
Design and mail their own e-mail postcards to friends.
Make a personalized Dole for President campaign poster.
Test their knowledge with Dole trivia questions and crossword puzzles.
Review state issues and where Dole has visited through interactive maps.
