World Wide Creative pressed the ‘live’ button for the new DA web presence yesterday. The site was unveiled by Helen Zille and her team in Cape Town at 12 noon on Thursday 19th February.
The site marks a significant shift in South African politics, with the DA’s digital strategy hammering a technological stake in the ground that positions them at the forefront of the modern communication environment.
This from the official press release:
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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has developed a comprehensive digital communication strategy that involves the following elements:
- Interactive websites
- Online advertising
- Short message service (SMS) communication
- Mobile web access
- Engagement with voters in social networking spaces and in the blogosphere
Specifically, voters and DA supporters can:
- Become part of an online volunteer community accessed via computer or cell phone
- Donate money to the DA online or via a cell phone
- Receive one or more of 10 electronic newsletters, eight of which are issue-specific
- Follow Helen Zille or the DA volunteer programme on social networking platforms like Twitter
- Be part of DA groups on Facebook
- Be part of an online community of DA supporters abroad
- Discuss DA news and policy, and politics generally, on our discussion forum
- Easily share DA news, policies, photos and videos with friends on a range of social networking platforms.
Across the world, and increasingly in South Africa, digital media are changing the way people work, socialize, process information and campaign. The shift is best summarized as follows:
Past:Mass communication
Future: Personalised communication
Past: One way communication (party to voter)
Future: Dialogue between party and voter
Past: Using the internet to provide information
Future: Using digital media to involve voters in party activities
Past: Message control by the centre
Future: Message multiplication by supporters who are free agents
The focus of the DA’s main website, www.da.org.za, is on involving people in the DA’s campaigns. The calls to action involve volunteering, donating or receiving issue-specific regular communication. In other words, we are shifting from providing news on our website to giving supporters opportunities to get involved and become part of the team.
The DA’s volunteer website, www.contributetochange.org.za, is unique in South Africa. It combines the latest in social networking with a series of interactive tools, all unprecedented in South African political campaigning, which will allow DA volunteers to perform a wide range of activities designed to help the party grow, promote its message and canvass its supporters. The site is groundbreaking and will revolutionize the way supporters interact with the DA, and each other.
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From World Wide Creative’s point of view, I’d love to hear your feedback, comments and queries.
Read more posts by Fred Roed
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