The RNC Goes Web 2.0

…from Matt Burns of the RNC:

(SAINT PAUL, Minn.) – Six months from Saturday, the gavel will drop on the Republican Party’s most technologically savvy and successful presidential nominating convention ever. To mark the milestone, the 2008 Republican National Convention today unveiled a redesigned and expanded official website, www.GOPconvention2008.com. The newly enhanced site offers visitors more information and greater interactive capabilities, including video features, user-generated content, and a convention blog.

“As momentum builds behind our eventual Republican nominee, the stage will be set in Minneapolis-Saint Paul for our Party’s most dynamic and innovative nominating convention ever,” said convention President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Cino. “Our redesigned website is a showcase for the Party’s principles and convention headquarters for an engaged and excited GOP.”

The expanded site will soon feature a section where attending delegates and alternate delegates can learn more about travel planning and the important role they will play in September. For other visitors, the site will make it possible to share in the excitement of the delegate experience from home. Supporters will soon be able to register as a “digital delegate,” which will enable them to participate in convention-week activities happening from coast to coast.

The site now features historical videos from past Republican National Conventions. Visitors can watch great moments from conventions past – and are invited to share their own favorite memories. A newly launched convention blog will provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes perspective of convention preparations from members of the team on the ground in Minnesota. Special guest bloggers will also be featured, along with posts submitted from visitors across the country.

Convention planners have also enhanced several interactive features, including the popular CONVENTION iNSIDER, which allows visitors to pose questions about planning and progress in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. The second phase of the website adds an interactive CONVENTION iNSIDER map that allows visitors to see exactly where questions are coming from, as well as who has asked what. Convention staff members have already responded to nearly 500 questions from 46 states and around the world.

These features join the site’s existing news archive, convention FAQs, fact sheets, Official Venue Guide, media credentialing information, volunteer registration, and convention newsletters. Visitors can sign up to have the latest convention news delivered to their inbox. Members of the media can request to receive press releases and access applications for credentials.

The enhanced www.GOPConvention2008.com is the latest step to make the 2008 Republican National Convention the most technologically savvy in GOP history.

Previously, Google was tapped as Official Innovation Provider to enhance the GOP’s online presence. Google products and applications, including video services provided by YouTube, are being utilized by the convention. As Official Video Streaming Provider, Ustream.TV technology will be used to provide live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the convention, as well as to proactively engage bloggers and traditional media outlets unable to travel to Minneapolis-Saint Paul for the event. As Official Wire Service Provider, PR Newswire will provide simultaneous, electronic distribution of news releases, media advisories, and convention materials.