Projo Politics Blog

And speaking of volunteers…

The Rhode Island Democratic Party is depending in part on volunteers to manage its new Web site, launched late last month after a redesign that cost about $4,000, according to the party’s executive director, Tim Grilo.

The site ( www.ridemocrats.org) offers a variety of new material, including a “Democrat of the Week” feature, a Web log dubbed “A Blog Called Hope” that offers a mix of news and opinion on regional politics, and podcasts of people such as state party Chairman William Lynch talking about the latest Democratic causes.

“Nowadays, people are relying on the Internet more and more for their news and information,” Lynch says in the site’s first podcast. “We’re embracing new technology to bring people closer to the Democratic leaders who are working hard to make a difference at every level of government.”

The Dems purchased a podcasting station, which includes a microphone and video equipment hooked up to a laptop to ensure that the site includes regular video messages from party officials. (If Lynch’s first podcast comes off as a bit awkward, it’s because the chairman was reading a script off a clipboard held by party members. They didn’t invest in a teleprompter.)

Grilo said the party wanted to create a more user-friendly Web site that offers useful services to party members. The Web site also serves to coordinate a “rapid response team,” which consists of registered users willing to speak out in the print media or on talk radio after “mistruths” appear in the media, Grilo said.

The site recorded around 1,000 hits the first day, according to Grilo. Since then, the daily hits average nearly 400.

smackay@projo.com

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