The Political Girl "Elevator Pitch"

The Political Girl's objective is to empower the next generation of women leaders. The website will feature various resources such as internships, fellowships, and events for young political women. With profiles of inspiring political women and commentary on the latest political news, Political Girl hopes to encourage more young women to become politically active. It will also combine distinctive features like "little known facts" and "on the bookshelf" to ensure that politicalgirls have all the tools to rule the world.

Came across this interactive feature....

I came across this interactive feature today and thought it was really cool. With the healthcare vote coming up soon, NYTimes decided to do a feature showing how representatives intended to vote. The feature shows which representative is a yes, no, or an undecided. It also is being updated frequently with people's decisions coming in at any time.

It is also cool because it also lets you know whether each representative is up for relection, won a district by McCain or the President, or whether that person is a freshman or is a fiscally conservative blue dog. I thought it was really unique, and gives me some ideas for my own project.

Interactive and user-friendly is the way to go!!!
Check it out:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/16/us/politics/20100316-health-care-dems.html

Final Project Proposal: The Political Girl

I would like to create a multimedia website called The Political Girl. The Political Girl's objective is to empower the next generation of women leaders by creating a community for women interested in politics.

Background: Since I could remember I have been interested in politics. Everything about it is fascinating to me from elections, to campaigning, even the politicans themselves. However, as I grew older I realized there were few women that had the same kind of interest as me.

Proposal: I would like to create an online community for young women interested in politics. The community will feature the lastest news on politics with a particular focus on issues that are of interest to women. The Political Girl will also feature pages/multimedia tools on the latest political women, including women in Congress and those that are cabinent secretaries. The website also will feature a chat room feature so that young women can freely talk with others about the latest political news. Additionally, The Political Girl will also feature the latest events, jobs, and internships for young women interested in breaking into the political field.

Audience: My target audience would be young women from the ages of 16 - 40. Women who are interested in politics and are looking to break into the field. I would market the website on social media sites such as twitter, facebook, etc. Furthermore, I would reach out to colleges and universities and try to market young women in school.

Competition: While there are other websites that focus on politics, few focus on issues that women care about, or encourage women to become more politically active. When thinking of similar website, the only one that comes to my mind is Emily's List. While they encourage young women to become more politically active, their main function is raise money for women running for office. Yet there is no other website that explictly seeks to encourage and empower women to become leaders, and cultivate that energy on the world wide web. And thats where The Political Girl comes in to fill that need.

Design:  The website will be very user friendly, and utilize different mulitmedia tools. It will display videos, pictures, and slideshows. The website will also feature a chat room feature where users are able to sign up using email registration, and communicate with other users of the site. The site will feature interviews as well, and weekly marketing tools such as the "On the Bookshelf" (featuring the latest political reads) and "Overheard on the Hill(the latest gossip and chit chat on Congress).

Marketing: I think that The Political Girl is a marketable idea because women make up more than half of the electorate. Studies show that women vote more than their male counterparts, yet are not equally represented in Congress. With The Political Girl website I hope to change that. Not only are we encouraging women to run for offices, but be the muscle behind the office. Be campaign managers, or chief of staffs, or field directors, or even communication directors. With Political Girl anything is possible.

Engaging Audiences

So this week I am perusing the internet to find different ways websites build communities and engage their leaders.

One of the first websites I checked out is New York Times site. (If you haven't figured it out already, it is one of my favorites). Their commenting system allows users to sign up by submitting their email addresses and then users are allowed to comment. Some of the ways they engage the users is by allowing users to recoommend their favorite comments and editors also pick the top comments from readers.

Another site that has a unique way of building communities is Politico. Politco is different in that readers are asked to sign up using their email addresses as well as have the chance to identify themselves by political party. While not all readers do this, it is a great way to forge "internet friendships" with other readers based on their political affliation.

A non-news website that I checked out is the popular, YBF site, a site dedicated to African - American gossip and news. The website allows readers to comment and even upload a picture or make an avatar. Also readers have the option to go into chat rooms and discuss other topics in addition to the ones on the main website.

Story or Topic?

"Toyota recalls additional 1.09M vehicles in US"

Story
Video - Talking with car owners' about the recall
Video - Talking with the CEO of company about the recall
Pictures/Slideshow - Of all the different Toyota brands affected by the recall
Pictures/Slideshow - Of all the known accidents caused by cars
Story/Multimedia - How much money they are projected to lose because of the recall

Topic
Story -  Compares Toyota's latest recalls to other car companies' recalls
Multimedia/Drawing/Picture - tool that examines the foot pedals and other parts of the car
Video/Story - On the history of Toyota's company
Video - Behind the scene look at a car plant (look at how cars are made)
Story/Multimedia - A look at how much money they have made over the past years, and how much they are estimated to lose because of this recall

Haiti Multimedia Sites

One of the sites that I liked most was the incorporated multimedia in its coverage of Haiti was CNN.com. Their interactive site featured video where you are able to click and drag and see different vantage points on the ground in Haiti. The video also featured natural sound and background noise. I really felt like I was there on the ground with this very useful tool.

Here is the link.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2010/01/world/haiti.360/index.2.html


Because the New York Times is the New York Times they have a entire page dedicated to multimedia features on the Haiti earthquake. The page features audio, video, and even maps and diagrams. The page lists almost 40 different features. Some of my favorites are "A Closer Look at the Destruction in Haiti" a interactive tool that allows you to look at different places around Haiti and access the damages. Another favorite is the "Missing in Haiti" feature that allows for you look for your loved ones that are missing in Haiti. I liked that the arranged the pictures on poloroid pictures.

Here is the link
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/17/world/americas/haiti-earthquake-multimedia.html

In the Beginning...

I am very excited to get started in the Managing Multimedia Projects class. I am looking forward to learning all I can about multimedia as well as learning how to mangage those projects. I consider myself somewhat familiar with multimedia having started my own website, having a facebook account and twitter, and even starting my own flicker photostream. With this class I am eager to learn how to take all those tools and incorporating into a real project.

Looking towards the future I am aware of the importance of multimedia and how useful it will be in journalism in years to come. No longer is multimedia an afterthought, but it is the thought. Already I am thinking of new and innovative ways to incorporate it into bigger ideas and creating new multimedia tools.