How to Create a Political Website
By Michael Duty
Do you want to be a pundit? Or do you think that the resolution facing your city council is a really bad idea? Either way, you may want to create a website to inform the public or just vent your frustration with the political system. The Internet has the potential to turn everyone into a citizen journalist or an armchair pundit. You don't need to be a syndicated columnist with a degree in political science to get your political views published. Just start your own website and start posting.
Determine exactly what you want your website to be about. Is it national politics that interests you? Or does your passion lie with issues facing the town council? Do you want your website to evince the virtues of your party or just a single candidate? Do you want to just educate people about issues or engage in lively discussion?
Brainstorm a few subjects around your main topic and outline some ideas for articles or posts. About a half dozen short articles will be enough for your initial launch. But, you will also want to plan a few more articles for future posts. Remember that websites that are updated more frequently get more hits. Keep a list of possible future topics and try to update your site about once a week.
Look beyond the daily news for your research. People get regular news all the time. Your website should add something new to the mix. If you think that a new city levy is a bad idea, talk about who will be affected and why it is negative for the whole community. Don't just offer numbers and statistics; look at personal interest stories. If environmental protection is on your agenda, consider talking about the impacts of pollutants on a local neighborhood. But, also consider talking to the people who are employed by the factory. Remember that there are always two sides to every story.
Present strong arguments. Some people who visit your site may be researching the topic before making a decision for themselves. You should provide relevant, reliable information. Others may already have their minds made up. People usually have strong emotional connections to political issues. If you want to sway someone's opinion in your direction, present strong logical arguments backed up by facts.
If you want your website to make an impact, tell people what they can do to effect change. Don't just tell them that something is bad for the environment; offer alternatives to the problem.
- You can create either a regular website or a blog. A regular website works better if you are simply trying to persuade or inform your audience. A blog is more conducive to carrying on discussion as it allows your readers to post comments. Also, blogs are generally set up better for more frequent posting.
- When researching your information, be wary of statistics used for political purposes. Sampling sizes and groups can be manipulated to influence statistics-based arguments.
Michael Duty has worked in manufacturing for more than 10 years and is also a volunteer fire fighter and Emergency Medical Technician. He began his writing career in 2005 and has been published in such websites as "Lifted Magazine" and "All Business Magazine." Duty holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial technology management from Berea College.