2012 Campaign– There is an App for that

The 2012 campaign is getting interesting. President Obama’s approval rating is dropping while the GOP candidate list is growing.

Unfortunately, some candidates are not using social media to its full advantage. Candidates need to use Blogging, Facebook, and Twitter because they can all be found on someone’s iPhone, iPad or android phone. Mobile media communications is just an additional digital rhetorical tool to create a dialogical interactive campaign. Candidates need to take all social media seriously as well as the mobile and tablet APP.

I decided to take a look at which candidates have iPhone and iPad applications. Here’s the rundown–

Obama 2012– President Obama’s iPhone and iPad application does not disappoint visually. You do not have to sign in to look at the information. All of the blog posts are listed and the app includes photos and videos. The application looks and feels like the main web site. The main points other candidates can take away from Obama’s app is that it’s clean, well organized, and the information is instantly available once I download the application. The most important point is that Obama has a fully functioning application for both the iPhone and iPad.

Rick Perry — Governor Perry’s app was used to win his reelection as Governor of Texas. Right now the app tells me I need to create an account to sign in. I would advise the Perry campaign when they do make an official Presidential campaign app is to take out the sign in page and take us directly to the information. Signing into an application is good for some things, but for a campaign–give people instant and easy access. The campaign should not alienate a potential voter by asking them to give the campaign information the user may not be willing to give. Hopefully, the new application for Perry’s campaign will be easy to use with all the updated information for the American citizen who is seeking the best possible person to become President of the United States.

Ron Paul 2012– Ron Paul has an easy application that takes you to all the information and news regarding Paul’s campaign. He even includes his voting record–very useful for potential supporters who want to know what Paul believes in. The font was a bit small due to the abundance of the news feed. Again, Paul has an application that is fully functional right now.

All the other candidates do not have applications that I could find. I saw a Michele Bachmann for Congress app, but nothing about her Presidential bid campaign. I did notice apps selling GOP candidate news apps for .99 cents. I do not believe these are official campaign apps, so beware.

I know the 2012 campaign just started, but it’s never too soon to take advantage of the online rhetorical situation, especially through mobile media. Campaigns should look at the advantages of mobil apps this way–if people request push notifications, then a candidate’s information is instantly in the hands of an American voter. Nothing is more rhetorically powerful than timing (kairos).