This isn’t the first time the Wisconsin website development community has been egregiously snubbed. With the state of Wisconsin government running a record budget deficit, seemingly intending to tax the living hell out of Wisconsin business and residents, December 2008 news of the state of Wisconsin spending two million dollars with a Connecticut web development firm (“To say $2 million is a ridiculous price for a web site that has less functionality than my weblog is an understatement. After spending a considerable amount of time going over the documents I got from the GAB in response to my open records request, it became clear to me that PCC Technology Group was, to put it mildly, fleecing the people of Wisconsin.” >From http://dancody.org) infuriated website development industry professionals across Wisconsin. There may be 10 companies able to deliver pretty much any solution the state needed right here in South East Wisconsin alone. At two million dollars, many assume there is Wisconsin political pay to play scheme going on or some other right wing conspiracy theory contributing to that debacle. Mind you, I am a fairly conservative individual. I care too much about Wisconsin’s future to feel good about sponsoring commuter rail or socialized healthcare with billions in tax money to be paid decades from now. That $2,000,000 for me was water over the dam with no possibility of retrieval. While I, as an owner of arguably Wisconsin’s premier website development firm, was upset by the $2,000,000, the Walker campaign rationalization of their decision to outsource his 2010 gubernatorial campaign website is viscerally offensive.
Let’s take a tour of Scott’s site as it sits right now while I write;
We arrive to a video splash page. While splash pages are typically considered a nuisance by website visitors, Scott's Ohio firm did a splendid splash page replete with low resolution pixilated video. I arrive not as impressed as I expected to be after hearing one of my employees say he isn't voting for Scott Walker anymore and then viewing a WISN TV Milwaukee Video about the Walker site where I heard Scott and his campaign manager's opinions on the low quality of web development done in Wisconsin at exorbitant prices. It isn't considered cutting edge web marketing to force feed information before viewers enter a site, while not allowing them to access site navigation… At least in Wisconsin and 48 other states it's not. The Walker campaign manager may want to have his Ohio firm run analytics to show how long site visitors tolerate that splash page. Most reputable Wisconsin website development firms would have pointed out site visitors don’t like splash pages. Once in, the Scott Walker website offers site visitors a chance to create their own page on the Scott Walker website. OH MY GOODNESS the thought of such complex functionality makes me tremble with relief having never been asked to quote this 'budget priced' Ohioan masterwork. Really, a log in, a blog, a forum post? That must be the functionality the Scott Walker campaign manager was speaking of when he said the site was beyond Wisconsin web development firm abilities, because there isn’t much else happening. Maybe in Ohio, websites allowing site visitors to create their own accounts are ground breaking. The campaign manager and Scott are quick to point out 'even if lowly Wisconsin website developers could do something that incredible we would overcharge for sure.'
You have to wonder if Scott ever listens to the conservative talk radio station WISN am1130 he is on all the time as a guest of the Jay Weber morning show. If he did listen has he never heard the iNET Web ads that play constantly? iNET beats all competitor prices Scott.
Back to this master work, beyond the ability of some 10 serious web development firms in 'South East' Wisconsin alone;
As a web site design aficionado of sorts, I was sucked like a moth to the flames upon noticing the two broken photo image icons on the bottom left corner of the home page. Clearly, Wisconsin Website designers should be in awe of the amazing site management tools making it a piece of cake for the Walker campaign to edit their own site keeping it fresh and professional looking. Cripes, that photo gallery with titles but no images has me appreciating Scott and his manager saying there are no Wisconsin companies who could have done this site 'especially when you take into account the budget.' Bring your site to iNET Scott, iNET will include as many photo galleries as you want with no images in them free of charge. PLUS we will make the background in the gallery with no images look cooler so people have something to look at in your imageless photo galleries. I have to admit it was out of the box thinking from your Ohio development firm. A photo gallery with no photos… It would NEVER have occurred to us at iNET (They likely came up with that in one of their midnight oil burning, creativity sessions.) My favorite in the 'image free photo gallery' is the image title, “Scott with Vet”. As I viewed the image title, free of the prejudice the actual photo might have created in my mind, I was able to wonder if it was an honored American veteran who sacrificed for our world freedom and security or maybe a veterinarian treating an injured puppy. I even wondered if it could be that Scott was with a veteran from another country. He is fond of outsourcing and they could be more able and cheaper, right? I guess someone could ask his campaign manager.
The low resolution videos framed out in a YouTube display box are cutting edge! No, wait a minute, they are not cutting edge, they are low resolution and much smaller than they could be AND in a box dependant on another site that can and sometimes does get bogged down by traffic. That would be less visual appeal from Ohio. An image marketing site is all about multimedia and visual appeal. Like one of the blurry guys on the site says, ‘Everyone in Wisconsin is having to cut back,’ maybe the Walker campaign had to cut back on resolution, photos and functionality in order to hit that low quoted budget from Ohio. Many Wisconsin website development companies would deliver higher resolution, larger video view windows and make it affordable for Scott Walker.
The Home page website aggrandizing article blurb from the capital times is awesome. When you get a site from Ohio you have to spell it out for Wisconsinites how good it is or we might not figure it out? Is that the thought behind the article on this home page? "Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker deserves high marks for "getting it" with regard to new media. The Republican candidate for governor has a sharp, well-designed campaign website that is easy to use and invites Wisconsinites to engage" The article points out the importance of the great graphic design and endearing human imagery of the site. No Wisconsin web design and development firm could handle that. Besides, the gallery is only down Friday, Saturday, Sunday and now Monday. In Wisconsin with iNET the Walker campaign could have called a live local human being right here in Wisconsin and had their broken photo gallery fixed right now, except for, with iNET it wouldn’t be broken. With Ohio it will likely have to wait until Ohio business hours or you never know when because they seem to say they are a freewheeling lot in their own marketing. Work late Friday, maybe take Monday off???
Mr. Walker like the people who you posted feedback from on your new website I thank you for running for office. I had hoped to volunteer to work on your campaign and even considered making a serious campaign donation. Your grandstanding talk about keeping jobs in Wisconsin is a flipping joke. When it comes right down to it, where will you spend state money if you are governor? Ohio? If they get too expensive down in Ohio will you move state contracts to Mexico or China? If you win and you do decide to move state contracts to Ohio or Mexico or China why not give Wisconsin companies a chance to at least quote the business? Especially if you plan to stand on the capitol steps and proclaim us Wisconsin companies unable to deliver and overpriced. Thanks for that pal. Really, thanks.
With the two million dollar debacle the Connecticut firm unknowingly used an image of the wrong state capital in the site header. The story if you have not read it is worth a perusal at http://dancody.org/archives/. At least those Wisconsin sell outs spending tax dollars didn’t stand on the capitol steps and proclaim all Wisconsin web developers unable and overpriced. No, Scott Walker and his campaign manager stand together as the guys who spend hard earned Wisconsin money out of state then badmouth Wisconsin businesses.
iNET Web employs 34 hard working 'website industry cutting edge defining' Wisconsin tax paying, creative genius inspired Wisconsinites. Take a look at our successes pages Scott if you have any doubt of our abilities. You will see Wisconsin AND out of state business after business raving about the incredible results and value of our web development and web marketing services.
It’s “Voodoo economics” coupled with ‘voodoo politics’ that you missed Scott. Something half the people who you post comments from on your site point out. If you had spent the money here in Wisconsin, believe it or not, you would have spent less, you would have received a better solution, would have a working photo gallery AND would have supported people who would have supported you. Had you asked iNET for a quote, found out we were lower priced and then looked at our successes pages and seen we are more able than any Ohio web developer, the iNET staff would have bought gas and groceries, gone to a movie, visited a local restaurant and paid their mortgage including property tax and state income taxes in Wisconsin or donated at a Wisconsin church and maybe even to a Wisconsin campaign for governor with the pittance your website would have cost. No doubt, the money you spent in Ohio wasn’t donated in Ohio or earned there and it sure isn’t coming back to Wisconsin any time soon. Judging by the marketing the company does about themselves on their own website you likely had to pay for some overnight Ohio overtime when they were breaking the box on creativity, ‘from their perspective.’
Sadly Scott you are likely still the best choice… I’ll be praying for a dark horse Wisconsin fiscal conservative to knock you down and take our state back from the spend and taxers and outsourcers. Until they show up you have my now painfully reluctant vote. I really was going to donate and even volunteer. Thank you and your campaign manager for supporting our local economy with your money and rationalizations. Too bad you aren’t a Democrat you could bus your web developer from Ohio in to vote for you.
If that Dark horse does show up and they stop by iNET for a quote they are going to get a website representative of the cutting edge of website development from the industry at large via a Wisconsin company at a price point that will make your Ohio firm say it isn’t possible. They might also get a highly motivated campaign volunteer.