This year’s conference app was a great success, universally praised, and not only looked good but was also well thought-out from a user’s point of view.

If the party can make such a success of this app then it highlights more clearly the impact online tools can make – but also how we’re losing the battle on the rest of our online offerings.

Any discussion of the web in terms of campaigning in the party has historically centred on the use of social media and other elements of web 2.0, but for us to use web 2.0 effectively we have to get the basics of our website right first.

The key to a successful website is for it to be engaging, simple to use and effective in its design. Visitors shouldn’t need a guide to find the information they are looking for; it should be intuitive and the navigation should reflect what users want from a site as well as what we want them to see.

Where the current labour.org.uk site falls down is on navigation and ease of use; the front page is far too busy with too many competing features. A lot of the site seems to have been bolted onto existing features.

Labour is about people, about working together for our communities, and yet none of this comes across on the site with its overtly corporate feel. We should be telling the story of our party and our values through the stories of members past and present. We have a proud history but the only page on the history of the party just has one mention of our proudest achievement – the NHS.

Such a lot can be achieved relatively quickly by thinking about the different audiences the site has and how best to fulfil their needs as effectively as possible. A firm policy on structure and a process of how new content and features are added can help make sure the site grows organically as a whole with one clear visual identity.

Membersnet is an ideal opportunity to offer added benefits for members and yet its haphazard jargon-led navigation makes it almost impossible to find information, with members engulfed by an array of out–of-date information.  It could be so much better with exclusive policy updates and briefings.

If events are included they should be more targeted. For example, I was offered a choice of a training event in the Vale of Clwyd (189 miles away) or the monthly meeting in Thornbury and Severn Vale (103 miles away).
Membersnet could be used to help share best practice across the party; the site could be a very powerful way to disseminate best practice and reward innovation in campaigning. There could be resources for local parties such as templates for newsletters, agendas or advice on project-managing events.  If there is a national issue or campaign it should be possible to download a set of quotes or a briefing or leaflet that could be used on a street stall or pushed through a voter’s door within days.

So much can be done to make the website more user-friendly and an effective campaigning tool. Making it user-friendly and putting in place processes for its development should be a priority for the party if it is to be truly effective.

Jason Williams worked as a web editor for the party during the 2005 general election campaign and created the concept and structure for his CLP website