The creation of the Presidential Election 2008 “über site” at Yahoo represents the portal’s desire to be the ‘town hall for voters across America.’
Yahoo Runs For The White House
Politicians who dream of winning the Presidential race in 2008 and inheriting challenges like the war in Iraq, nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran, and a host of domestic issues, will be the front and center focus on the Yahoo News-hosted election website.
Yahoo head of News & Information, Scott Moore, described at Yahoo’s official blog how they were getting ready to become a central point for election news, and how Yahoo users could use their services to engage others:
In addition to the latest news videos, headlines, and political commentary, you’ll find dedicated pages for each candidate. If you catch a campaign event, upload your photos or video to Flickr, Yahoo! Video or You Witness News – or all three.
Feeling like a pundit? Look for a Yahoo! Answers question to weigh in on. Want to find birds of a feather? Join a Yahoo! Group related to your party or candidate. This early version of the site is just a start — tools like MyBlogLog and Upcoming.org will be incorporated soon.
Yahoo has already enjoyed some political participation at its vastly successful Answers site. Both John McCain and Hilary Clinton have had questions posted there. Clinton’s proved a bigger draw than Oprah Winfrey’s, which had been the leader in drawing responses at Yahoo Answers.
The Presidential Election site carries pertinent news stories about the candidates, and profile pages for each who is active in the race. Audio and video content also appear there, and links to other Yahoo services encourage the participation that will keep users on their properties.
