Blog #4: Debates

Find a video of your candidate participating in a debate. Try to pick a 10-minute segment of the debate that features your candidate as prominently as possible. This could be from a recent Republican debate, or from a office your candidate ran for in the past -- this does NOT have to be a debate for presidential candidates. (Post a clip on your blog so your audience can familiarize themselves with this debate.)

Critique/analyze your candidate's performance. What did s/he do well? What did s/he do poorly? If you were a campaign advisor giving advice to the candidate, what things would you suggest s/he do differently? In the 2016 campaign, what issues would you suggest your candidate emphasize and choose to talk about most during the debates?

Your blog posts should be approx. 500 words. They should include links, images, multimedia, etc. when appropriate (which is probably always -- what better way to keep your audience interested?) More information is provided in an assignment sheet on Blackboard.

Blog #3: Online Presence

Spend some time evaluating your candidate's current online presence. Does s/he have a website? What social media platforms is s/he participating on right now (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc.)? How active is your candidate on each of these platforms? Are  there any viral videos or important online sites about your candidate (that the candidate and/or campaign/staff didn't create?)

Write about what you find. Then based on what your findings are, come up with a plan for what your candidate needs to do to boost his/her online presence for 2016. What should s/he be doing now? What will need to be done in the future?

Your blog posts should be approx. 500 words. They should include links, images, multimedia, etc. when appropriate (which is probably always -- what better way to keep your audience interested?) More information is provided in an assignment sheet on Blackboard.

Blog #2: Candidate Image and Issues

Your second blog should tell us about your candidate's image and issue stances. 

First, what do you think your candidate's public image is currently? Are there things s/he should try to cultivate as part of his/her image to be more successful? Make an argument.

Secondly, do a quick SWOT analysis for your candidate. What are his/her major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in 2016?

Finally, Describe the issue positions of your candidate. What issues do you think your candidate will highlight? What issues should they highlight in 2016? What are they running on? What issues become focal?

Your blog posts should be approx. 500 words. They should include links, images, multimedia, etc. when appropriate (which is probably always -- what better way to keep your audience interested?) More information is provided in the assignment sheet on Blackboard.

Blog #1: Tell Us About Your Candidate

Your first blog post should tell us about your candidate. Who is s/he? What is his/her background? What is her/his political experience? Why is this person qualified to be the next president of the United States? What is essential to know about this person to understand his/her 2016 campaign?

Your blog posts should be approx. 500 words. They should include links, images, multimedia, etc. when appropriate (which is probably always -- what better way to keep your audience interested?) More information will be provided in an assignment sheet on Blackboard.