Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
www.lukeformayor.com
The mayor is trying to show his Pittsburgh pride on his Web site, playing up his "Steelerstahl" spirit. His Web site's color scheme is black and gold and features a straightforward headshot with a smile that says, "I'm the mayor of the city of champions." Ravenstahl's new signs that say "Taking care of business" and "Getting it done" also exhibit big, bold graphics that scream "football."Ravenstahl also beckons his supporters to "take action," rather than "volunteer." This goes with his young, virile persona.
Blog? Yes.
Link to Twitter? Check. Active? eh.
Link to Facebook? Check.
Link to Myspace? No. Myspace? eh.
Videos? No.
Councilman Patrick Dowd
www.dowdformayor.com
Dowd seems to the candidate for change because his Web site is reminiscent of Obama's campaign Web site, which is still up (Sen. John McCain took down his periwinkle Web site that also shared cosmetic similarities to Obama's). Before entering dowdformayor.com, there's a splash page prompting the viewer to donate. The blue and white color scheme is Obama-esque, though it doesn't play up the blue gradients as much on the homepage. Though the blue gradient is very similar to Obama's Web site, it's the portrait on that donation page that interests me. The photographer shot Dowd at a low angle that makes the upward looking Dowd seem optimistic, but not in the same way as the famous, sincere-looking Obama shot.
Continuing with his image, Dowd has adopted a little logo - like our president who decided to keep his campaign rising sun logo - in the browser tab, a "D." It seems more like George W. Bush's "W" logo or Oprah 's "O" than Obama.
Dowd also likes to talk to supporters using videos in the same way Obama used videos in his campaign. His Web site is highly interactive, with opportunities for supporters to upload photos and write why they're voting for Dowd.
Dowd also knows how to treat the media. On his "press kit" page, he aggregated his press releases and news articles as well as a black and white and color press photo (used above).
Blog? Yes.
Link to Twitter? Check. Active? Almost as much as mine at 2 a.m.
Link to Facebook? Check.
Link to Myspace? No. Myspace? No.
Video? Oooo. Yes.
Carmen Robinson
www.carmenformayor.com/
Robinson's Web site is a traditional, patriotic red, white and blue with gold accents. The Pittsburgh native's page features a faded picture of Pittsburgh's skyline. She gets extra points for that. The featured portrait of Robinson shows the candidate with arms crossed in a stern pose that's expected of an attorney.
Robinson's Web site is viewed best in Microsoft Internet Explorer. Alright... I tried it, and I didn't notice any difference.
Moving on. Graphics on the Web site are playful and don't have an obvious theme. There are various eye-catching fonts and pictures. She's the only candidate who posted pictures of her family and one of her standing near Pope John Paul II. Robinson does a good job portraying herself as a member of the community as well as a tough attorney with unwavering principles.
Rather than copying Obama's Web site aesthetics, Robinson uses Obama's catch phrases. Her Twitter says "Vote for Change!" and "Yes we can!"
Blog? No.
Link to Twitter? Check. Active? Yes.
Link to Facebook? No. Facebook? Not one for her campaign.
Link to Myspace? Check.
Video? None of herself but one of Obama on the stump recognizing Ravenstahl who was M.I.A. when he called his name - I was actually at this round table discussion at CMU last summer.
The Democratic primary tends to be more competitive than the main election in November because Pittsburgh is a historically Democratic city, having elected its last Republican mayor, John Herron, in 1933.
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