Technologies That Will Be Used

Which technologies will be used?

Website

The primary platform that will be used is a website. The website will be programmed using HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, and any other relevant coding languages. It will contain information about Vaughan, his stance on the issues, as well as potential policies. In addition, it will contain links to social media sites, a place to subscribe to e-newsletters, as well as an area to donate money (make micro-payments). Video ads will also be placed on the site. Search Engine Optimization techniques will be used to make the site ranked higher in the search results of search engines (e.g Google, Bing). The aformentioned features as well as the customizability of the site make it a great platform. The only concerns will be ensuring the security of the site and payment systems.

Blog

A blog will be published on the website containing updates and new information about the campaign. In addition, interviews or appearances in news articles will also be linked onto the blog. Blogs allow potential voters to recieve update-to-date information about Vaughan. Readers can also make comments or suggestions in the "comments" section. The main concern is ensuring the security of the site and the privacy and/or anonymity of commenters are being respected. Comments should also be filtered to ensure that misinformation is not being spread.

E-Mail

On the website, an option to subscribe to an e-newsletter will be provided. E-newsletters will be sent out weekly to the e-mail addresses of those who subscribed. Such e-mails will contain information about updates and will also ask for donations. The benefit of using this technology is that updates can be sent constantly helping maintain support. On the other hand, some users may find e-mails annoying. In some situations, users may not recieve e-mails if they incorrectly entered their e-mail address or if the e-mail is put in their spam box automatically. Extra caution will be taken in order to prevent the sending of unsolicited emails.

Youtube

Another technology/platform that would be used is YouTube and other video streaming services. Campaign ads as well as debates and other news reports would be published on a YouTube Channel. Then users who are interested in learning more about the candidate could watch the videos published on the channel. We would also pay YouTube for target advertising. The videos would appear as ads for users who may respond well to the campaign. The benefit of using the technology is that it is an effective way to spread awareness about the campaign. Many Americans visit YouTube each day so by publishing videos and ads, the amount of viewers would be high. In terms of detriments, target advertising is quite unethical as it violates the privacy of the users. Also, some users may find the ads annoying and as a result, they may not vote for Vaughan. In addition, suggested videos may appear in relation to the candidate, however, such videos may contain information about detriments or controversies. Finally, comment sections are somewhat beneficial as they allow for users to discuss the candidate, however, they could also cause misinformation to be spread. Though the comment section can also be disabled.

Facebook

Another technology/platform that would be used is Facebook. A Facebook page would be created containing information about the campaign as well as videos and ads. There would also be links to our website in order to collect donations or to order merchandise. We would also try to get the page verified in order to prevent fake pages from appearing. In addition, we would pay Facebook for target advertising. This way information about the campaign would appear in the feed of users that would respond well to the campaign. It would help boost awareness and grow the voter base. Finally, we would use the messaging platform on Facebook to allow potential voters to communicate with campaign staffers if they have any questions about Vaughan, his views, or his policies. These features make Facebook a great platform. In terms of benefits, as Facebook has many users, the platform could be used to spread awareness in an efficient manner. In addition, it contains all the aforementioned features which can help with campaigning. On the other hand, target advertising may be seen as annoying and a violation of privacy. In addition, fake news could be spread on the platform which could have detrimental effects.

Instagram

A sixth technology/platform that would be used is Instagram. An instagram account would be created containing short videos about the candidate, ads, photos, and graphics showing statistics and policies. The page would also be verified in order to ensure that voters access the right page. In addition, Instagram stories would be utilized in order to share updates. Finally, the campaign would pay for target advertising so that images of Vaughan and his policies are spread and appear on feeds of individuals that would respond well to the ads. The aforementioned features are what makes Instagram a suitable platform to use. One benefit of using Instagram is that younger demographics tend to use the platform so as a result, the campaign can attempt to appeal to such voters. Another advantage is that the platform can also spread awareness effectively (people may repost photos or share information with their friends). On the other hand, target advertising may be seen as an invasion of privacy and some key demographics may not use the platform. In addition, the spread of fake news is a possibility and quite concerning.

Twitter

A seventh technology/platform that would be used is Twitter. A Twitter page would be created and would contain updates, photos, links, and retweets from news organizations. The page would also be verified in order to ensure that potential voters look at the right twitter account. There would also be the ability to send a message to campaign staff in case a question or concern arises. Twitter also allows users to comment which could be beneficial as voters could engage in discussions but also detrimental if misinformation is spread. Finally, target advertising would be used so that sponsored tweets appear in the feeds of users who may respond well to the campaign. The aforementioned features as well as the various demographics that use Twitter make it a good platform. On the other hand, privacy issues and the spread of misinformation are quite worrisome.

Technologies To Avoid

What should be avoided?

Phone Calls/VoIP

Traditional calls or Voice Over IP (VoIP) technologies will be avoided. This is because many people use Caller ID to avoid scam calls and phone calls are not an effective method. Social media platforms will be a lot more effective with advertising. As a result, it is not worth investing in such technologies.

RSS Feeds

RSS feeds used to be quite effective in the past, however, nowaday, they aren't as prevalent. This is because news aggregators, such as Google News, Flipboard, Bing News, and Apple News, are more popular than RSS feeds. As a result, it wouldn't make sense to create RSS feeds or invest in such technology as they won't be used much.