Webstyle

Webstyle is a term used to describe a system for analyzing how candidates strategically present themselves to voters through their campaign Web sites. Since the 1996 campaign Web sites have been institutionalized in presidential campaigns. By 1998 close to 90% of U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidates hosted campaign Web sites. Since that time voters and the media have developed expectations that serious campaigns for national or statewide office will host a campaign site; and expectations are growing for races at lower levels as campaign Web sites become financially reasonable for candidates at all levels.

Similar to political television advertising, campaign Web sites offer candidates a communication forum they can control. This control allows candidates to fine tune both their message and appearance, neither of which are subject to reinterpretation by a third party before reaching the voter directly. Campaign Web sites differ, however, in that they are relatively inexpensive to design and host; do not have time and length restrictions; provide textual, visual, and video capabilities; can link to materials outside of the site; require an active—as opposed to passive—viewer; and offer [Page 832]voters and the candidate/campaign an opportunity to interact with one another.

Because of the similarities between political television advertising and a campaign Web site, Webstyle was grounded in the construct of Videostyle—the systematic analysis of political television advertisements developed by Lynda Lee Kaid and Dorothy Davidson. Indeed, the uniqueness of the Internet medium required certain adaptations to the three traditional Videostyle content areas (verbal, nonverbal, production techniques) and the necessity to develop a fourth content area to address the interactive capabilities. As such, Webstyle consists of the following four components: the verbal content of a candidate's Web site, the nonverbal content, the production techniques used on the site, and the interactive content.

Specifically, the verbal content analyzed in Webstyle includes the text, video, and audio available on the Web site. The verbal categories include the issues addressed, use of a negative attack, strategies used in attacking the opponent, candidate characteristics, use of appeals, identification of the office, and identification of party affiliation. The nonverbal content examines the photos of the candidate and others as placed on the Web site. The nonverbal categories include settings of the photos, who is pictured, eye contact, facial expressions, body movement/posture, and candidate attire. The production categories examine the presence of graphics and the type of graphics featured on the site.

The interactive content categories coded in Webstyle include the number of main menu links, types of links, information about feedback links, links to detailed information created by the campaign, links to press coverage, and links to legislation the candidate has sponsored or co-sponsored. Additional categories include links to campaign coordinators in a constituent's specific area, a form for contributing and volunteering, a sign-up form for getting involved, ability to print/download campaign distribution materials, and the opportunity to sign up for e-mail updates.

Webstyle has been frequently applied to mixedgender races, those races that include a female and a male candidate. Drawing from research on gender-related stereotypes in politics, variables were included to identify if and how candidates were adapting to such stereotypes. Although political television advertising research has detailed how female and male candidates present themselves differently in their Videostyles, Webstyle analyses have uncovered minimal gender-related differences. Thus, at least initially, candidate self-presentation on Web sites did not seem to be subject to gendered expectations, offering female candidates the potential for an even playing field.

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