ErikBlack
12-28-2007, 01:43 AM
I've been interested in the blimp project from the beginning but haven't been able to bring myself to donate. Every couple of days I go to the website thinking maybe I'll donate, but there just isn't anything there to get me excited!
From what I understand the blimp team hired a web developer for $500 a week to manage the website. Although $500 a week is not a whole lot of cash I would expect a whole lot more if the developer is a Ron Paul supporter (and reasonably competent). Right now the website is boring and rarely updated. It looks like a grand total of an afternoon's worth of work has been invested in the website.
Here are my suggestions for improving the blimpsite. Feel free to add your own:
1) Daily Updates with Pictures
Every single day the website should be updated to recap the day's blimp events. This should be accompanied by a big, fat picture of the blimp flying that day, or people inside of the blimp that day, or even better; a link to an entire gallery of pictures of the blimp from that day showing the blimp in different areas, different people in the blimp smiling and goofing around, views from the blimp down to the towns below, etc. These images should be the very first thing you see when you log onto the website, right below the header and right above a nice written description of the day's events. The campaign photo gallery on www.ronpaul2008.com is a great example. Its nice to see that Ron Paul is out campaigning with our money and it would be nice to know the same of the blimp. Pictures are worth a thousand words!
2) Video Recordings
The live feeds from the blimp should be recorded and archived so that visitors can view them after hours. Many people like myself log onto the internet late at night when the blimp is in the hanger. Perhaps a "highlight reel" could be put together at the end of the day that is only a few minutes long showing the best footage from that day. These should also be posted on Youtube to attract new visitors to the site.
3) Customer Reinforcement
A message should appear on the main page congratulating the donor who is currently funding the blimp. Something like this:
"The blimp is currently flying near Columbia, South Carolina courtesy of Jim Smith of Buffalo, NY. Time remaining: 27:52"
This gives people a feeling of ownership and return on their investment. Most people who donate will never see the blimp in person. Making a purchase feels like throwing your money into a bottomless well. You don't even get to hear the change hit the bottom, much less see where it lands. We need positive reinforcement. When you do something good you need to see the results. That is why everyone hangs on the Ron Paul graphs page during the moneybomb, because its exciting to see that line go up and know that you were a part of it! Blimp customers need the same sort of feedback. It would also be nice to receive some sort of souvenir as thanks for the purchase. It could be different for different purchase amounts. $25 gets you a Ron Paul bumper sticker. $100 gets you a REVOLUTION T-shirt. $250 gets you a numbered, framed print of the Ron Paul blimp in the air, and so on.
It would also be helpful to know how many blimp hours have already been used up and how many more there are to go based on current available funds. Something like this:
Since its inception the Ron Paul blimp has flown 67 hours.
The Ron Paul blimp is currently funded for 125 more hours.
Please donate now to keep the blimp in the air, spreading Ron Paul's message of freedom, prosperity and peace!
I think these few changes feel could make all of the difference in donations. For all of Trevor and crew's supposed marketing genius this website is a total dud. It's a white page with a logo, some text and a few outdated youtube videos. It is not dynamic or engaging. It doesn't inspire new customers or reward old ones.
From what I understand the blimp team hired a web developer for $500 a week to manage the website. Although $500 a week is not a whole lot of cash I would expect a whole lot more if the developer is a Ron Paul supporter (and reasonably competent). Right now the website is boring and rarely updated. It looks like a grand total of an afternoon's worth of work has been invested in the website.
Here are my suggestions for improving the blimpsite. Feel free to add your own:
1) Daily Updates with Pictures
Every single day the website should be updated to recap the day's blimp events. This should be accompanied by a big, fat picture of the blimp flying that day, or people inside of the blimp that day, or even better; a link to an entire gallery of pictures of the blimp from that day showing the blimp in different areas, different people in the blimp smiling and goofing around, views from the blimp down to the towns below, etc. These images should be the very first thing you see when you log onto the website, right below the header and right above a nice written description of the day's events. The campaign photo gallery on www.ronpaul2008.com is a great example. Its nice to see that Ron Paul is out campaigning with our money and it would be nice to know the same of the blimp. Pictures are worth a thousand words!
2) Video Recordings
The live feeds from the blimp should be recorded and archived so that visitors can view them after hours. Many people like myself log onto the internet late at night when the blimp is in the hanger. Perhaps a "highlight reel" could be put together at the end of the day that is only a few minutes long showing the best footage from that day. These should also be posted on Youtube to attract new visitors to the site.
3) Customer Reinforcement
A message should appear on the main page congratulating the donor who is currently funding the blimp. Something like this:
"The blimp is currently flying near Columbia, South Carolina courtesy of Jim Smith of Buffalo, NY. Time remaining: 27:52"
This gives people a feeling of ownership and return on their investment. Most people who donate will never see the blimp in person. Making a purchase feels like throwing your money into a bottomless well. You don't even get to hear the change hit the bottom, much less see where it lands. We need positive reinforcement. When you do something good you need to see the results. That is why everyone hangs on the Ron Paul graphs page during the moneybomb, because its exciting to see that line go up and know that you were a part of it! Blimp customers need the same sort of feedback. It would also be nice to receive some sort of souvenir as thanks for the purchase. It could be different for different purchase amounts. $25 gets you a Ron Paul bumper sticker. $100 gets you a REVOLUTION T-shirt. $250 gets you a numbered, framed print of the Ron Paul blimp in the air, and so on.
It would also be helpful to know how many blimp hours have already been used up and how many more there are to go based on current available funds. Something like this:
Since its inception the Ron Paul blimp has flown 67 hours.
The Ron Paul blimp is currently funded for 125 more hours.
Please donate now to keep the blimp in the air, spreading Ron Paul's message of freedom, prosperity and peace!
I think these few changes feel could make all of the difference in donations. For all of Trevor and crew's supposed marketing genius this website is a total dud. It's a white page with a logo, some text and a few outdated youtube videos. It is not dynamic or engaging. It doesn't inspire new customers or reward old ones.