The Conservatives have launched their new website this morning, along with the Blue Blog. First impressions are good. The design is quite appealing, above all very clear. Navigation is also good. It re-establishes the Conservatives as the party with the best website.
However - and there always is a however, isn't there - there's something indefinable that is missing. It's a bit too safe. There's nothing very radical about it - nothing that has a 'wow' factor to it. Sure, the Video Wall is good, and the Blue Blog is a welcome innovation (but why no link to it from every other page?), but the DONATE page is far too vanilla. There's nothing to make you actually WANT to do it.
I'm told it is all very much work in progress and that lots of new things will be added over the coming months, so we'll look forward to that. The technology behind the site is flexible enough to allow quick changes to be made, not just to the content, but also the structure. One of their team told me that it's intended to last for several years, well beyond the next election.Political party sites are notoriously difficult to get right and also notoriously difficult to attract traffic to. And that's the challenge for the Conservatives.com new six strong web team.
It's great that the site is now properly resourced. far too often in the past really good initiatives have been started and then allowed to wither on the vine (remember the Sort It campaign). But I hope they realise that marketing the site is just as important as the technology and content.
So overall, I like it. B+.
The students will be gathering in Brum for their rag week. Shiney new website to launch. All glitz and no substance.
ReplyDeleteThe revamp part 7... YAWN.
ReplyDeleteLots of hits for first week, this time next year there will be no interest.
Blue blogg will be rife with right wing nutters spouting shite. This will be noted, cause embarrassment and will be pulled - Watch and Learn.
B- from me, I'm afraid. Some of the links are non-functioning and the quality/content is a) a touch patronising, and b) lacking in real drive.
ReplyDeleteA decent enough start but much more work needed. It's not a question of what Labour or the LibDems do, is it? If the Conservatives want to score with this they're going to have to be much more dynamic and interesting than the others. That needs real thought.
This website will be the final nail in the coffin for this corrupt, spineless Labour so-called "government".
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the Great British public see this website - which, mark my words, they will do to a man - they will be even more convinced that in David Cameron and his team they have an exciting, vibrant government-in-waiting, ready and willing to give the proud English people their nation back.
The only problem might be it crashing as 60 million people log on at once.
Dear Ian Dale
ReplyDeleteSlight technical hitch with the new site - I can't log in because the site doesn't recognise a French postal code! Even we exiles can vote.
cfh: What Tories really fear is a new Labour blog showcasing the insightful DES, Elsby and Chris - drum roll - Paul.
ReplyDeleteSurely the blog name is taken by an everton blog
ReplyDeleteThe main page is a disaster as far as I am concerned. Some "Gucci" panes that take in excess of 1.5 mins to load on a 2Mbps broadband connection.
ReplyDeleteWell i cant find pictures of my favourite people - surely they must have posed for new photos this week for fresh pics to go on the website?
ReplyDeleteWe dont want to be faceless. We need make sure people know who are team members ARE! Vital.
Lucy
A cursory glance suggests to me that they have tried to tick all the right boxes - they have a woman and a black man on the front page. There is a topical bit on ID cards. They link to Twitter and all that other social networking stuff. You can get it on your phone. WebCameron is there. The slogan is direct and capable of mass appeal, even if it's nicked from Obama.
ReplyDeleteEvery single picture is a mugshot. It's very blue (but also a bit green).
I quite like it but I agree they are playing for safety.
But none of this is the point.
The point is that it should be honest. Let us just hope that it does not report David Cameron's extempore remarks before he makes them.
Damned with faint praise by ID.
ReplyDeleteIt does look smart. The Tory websites have always been nice looking. I like the idea of the wall although it implies open comment when obviously it isn't. The blue blog bit - well I'm not convinced that will contribute anything useful. The policy section looks great but leads to pretty dry ambiguous text.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blue-blog.net/page.php?3
ReplyDeleteIs there a geek out there?
ReplyDeleteI use Firefox browser. I was curious about how the site looked on IE. It looks more or less the same except the banner in Firefox reads:
"It's time for change"
and the banner in IE reads:
"plan for change".
This does not appear to be something that changes when you refresh the page. I wonder why they did that?
Well thats absolutely typical. You cannot register becasue the link they send you doesnot work
ReplyDeleteGET IT RIGHT YOU PONY RIDING SAMANTHAS
Too safe? Well it is Conservative.
ReplyDeleteIs that a website for a petrochemical company with toxic products trying to come over all clean, modern, fresh and green?
ReplyDeleteIf so, absolutely chuffing brilliant. But you said it was for the Conservatives Iain ...?
I like the Wall. Who hasn't wanted to see a bunch of Tories lined up against a wall?
ReplyDeleteHow Austrian nation will behave? Will they elect leading parties again, or will it be a surprise victory of another party? http://www.votetheday.com/europe-21/austrias-parliamentary-election--291
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it says 'It's Tim for change'... Love it.
ReplyDeletepity its running on Microsoft technology.
ReplyDeletewhen the present government is in bed with Microshaft (yes NHS IT project, i'm looking at you), it would have been a nice contrast for the conservatives to have moved to an open source platform running on Linux.