Parties vary online with their Candidates presentations

Candidates lists have exercised the minds of some of the visitors to the DSW Blog in recent weeks. Here is how the main parties handled the online challenge:

Fianna Fáil have an excellent list of candidates, grouped by constituencies and with clear photographs of the candidates on their Website at http://www.fiannafail.ie/candidates.phpx The visitor can search by constituency by text link or simply browse through the list. Further information on a candidate can be viewed by clicking on a "More" link.

Fine Gael's system is not dissimilar. Under "General Election Candidates" the party displays both a text list of constituencies and an image map of Ireland, divided into constituencies. However, the visitor has to click on each short-list candidate to view a photo and the candidate's bio, making the process slightly longer than on the FF site.

The Labour Party's presentation shows a text list of 204 people, both sitting Councilors and General Election Candidates. One has to scroll through the list, which goes onto several pages, to view the candidates and the list is not very user friendly in this respect. There is no single list of General Election candidates. But, on clicking on a candidate's name, one may also be taken to an option to view a You Tube video of the candidate in action at the Labour Party Conference 2007. Assuming, of course, the candidate spoke at the conference.

Sinn Féin's presentation of candidates is very straighforward and easy to find on its home page. Its list shows a photo of each candidate, the constituency and a short bio, together with a "View More" link.

The Progressive Democrats have no obvious link on their Home Page to the list of candidates. (There is a "Focus on..." link at the foot of the menu showing a random candidate, but this is not an obvious way into the list). One must visit any other page by using the selection of links across the head of the page before seeing a menu with "Our Election Candidates" on it. The PDs' list shows a photo, the name of the candidate and the name of the constituency. One must click on the candidate's name to view the bio. However, there is quite a good news archive accompanying each bio.

On the Green Party's website, there is a prominent "Election '07" link, which, like Labour, leads to a text list without any photos. It is, however, a much shorter list to navigate. One must click on the candidates name to view a photo and contact- and biographical-details.

The Workers Party website wasn't functioning when I tried to visit it.