Since the Obama landslide, GOP strategists have been working round the clock to catch up with the Democrats in terms of communications technology.  In 2009 and early 2010, millions of GOP activists joined social media platforms and will be ready to network and politic-online-come this election season.  GOP campaign websites have evolved dramatically in terms of look and functionality since the 2008 election.  

As an observer, the first thing that can be noted about the state of GOP online communications is that almost all serious candidates for Governor, US Senate or House have integrated some forms of social media with their home website.  Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr have become the four platforms of choice that have been ubiquitously adopted.  

Third, candidates are learning that campaigning can be about more than ‘preaching’ a message to the crowds via TV, radio, or mail.  Social media is making two way communications between higher numbers of people more possible.  By listening and learning, flexible campaigns are fine tuning their message on the fly and quickly adapting to changes in the political landscape.  

The next step in online communications for GOP candidates is Empowerment.  Successfull online campaigns will reach voters by proxy through their supporters to unleash the power of viral political campaigning. 

Viral campaigning is about having your supporters out campaigning effectively on your behalf with only a small amount of effort from the core campaign team.  The potential exists to have at least some of the heavy lifting spread thinly upon the shoulders of thousands of campaign supporters.

The most important factor necessary for a successful viral political campaign is having the right message at the right time.  Well heeled campaigns are utilizing internet analysis software to stay on top of the latest trending topics spreading across the internet.  However, any campaign-regardless of funds- can open itself up as an idea gathering organization and spread its fingers through the internet.  Online listening and observation can help any campaign become more relevant in the moment to moment online conversation.

The second factor necessary to building a viral campaign is having supporters willing to spread the word for you.  This isn’t going to happen unless people believe in you. In the internet age, content is king.  In the political world, this means that message, ideas, and solutions are more important than ever.

The third factor is having the right tools and training.  Of course your campaign team will know how to use the latest and greatest campaign tools, but what about the hundreds or thousands of supporters out there?  Do they have the right tools and training to spread your message?

To this end, the folks at E_Stampede have assembled a list of GOP campaign websites that demonstrate several different communications tools in use.  Knowing about these tools in only 1% of what is necessary.  You must spread the use of these tools to your supporters and train them.  What follows is by no means an exhaustive list of great websites, tools or web features.  We would be grateful for your input and for nominations for other websites to highlight.