Use one of our standard template color schemes or choose your own!

Your website will be powered by the MovableType publishing system, the same powerful software that runs thousands of weblogs - including the campaign websites of President George W. Bush, Howard Dean, John Kerry, John Edwards, and Wesley Clark. All product licenses will be provided. You and your campaign staff will be able to publish content from any computer with Internet access easily and efficiently with the provided training material.

Your site will also automatically create an RSS feed (v1.0 & v2.0) (what is RSS?) so other sites can subscribe to your updates. This technology is a great tool to enable your online network of supporters to communicate and flourish. (see the Email List Management & Grassroots Development section for more information about staying in touch with your supporters)

Your personal designer will work with you to fully customize your website (different customization levels exist for Basic and Plus Packages - see Product Details below for more) and get all of your static information published online. Information that is "static" will not significantly change over the course of the campaign and can include (but is not limited to) - welcome paragraph and candidate signature, biographical information about the candidate, campaign contact information, and positions on the major issues facing your constituency.

The included Clear Platform User's Guide details how to easily update and manage your new website. It is written with the novice in mind and can be quickly understood by any staffer or campaign volunteer with basic computer knowledge.

It is easy to publish your campaign's television commercials to your website*. Providing online access to your commercials can vastly extend the reach of your message - at a tiny fraction of the cost of purchasing more television air time.

Posting your campaign's calendar of events is as easy as writing an email. You can make sure your supporters always know where and when they can provide a helping-hand. The online calendar automatically keeps the next upcoming event front and center so you and your staff do not have to remember to delete events from the calendar once they have occurred.

Easy to find links to increase both text size and contrast are included on all pages so the elderly and those with visual disabilities will be able to see and understand your message clearly.

Users will be able to easily email individual entries to their friends from the site, greatly expanding the reach of your message and perhaps gaining your campaign new support.

Your campaign can publish updates in every language that suits your constituency. Spanish translated base sites are available (the base site would be all of the non-blog content - i.e. the link buttons, the banner, etc.).

Users will be able to easily sign up for your online mailing list from any page on the website. (see the Email List Management & Grassroots Development section for more information on this feature)

Users will be able to easily contribute to your campaign from any page on the website (see the Fundraising section for more information on this feature).

A domain name will be registered and reserved on your behalf (i.e. smithforcongress.com or jones2004.com). This name can be anything you want it to be as long as it remains available. Click here to check the availability of any name you have in mind. If you already own a domain name for your campaign, we will take care of transferring it to your new website at no additional cost.

Web hosting at one of the world's leading and most reliable service providers is included. Your hosting will be free all the way to election day and beyond. You will also receive up to 100 email accounts including a "catch-all" account. For example, email can come to the candidate at the address "john@doeforcongress.com." Staff members can also have personalized email addresses. The "catch-all" address will capture anything sent to "@doeforcongress.com." All email can also easily be forwarded to an existing address.

Your campaign's email will be accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection via a customizable and intuitive Web-based email system. Most any 3rd party email client (Outlook Express, Eudora, etc.) can also be used to access your email.

After the election is over, your campaign can choose to keep your site active** or archived & shut down. Either way, we will have you set up and ready to go once your re-election campaign is gearing up!

See Product Details at the bottom of this page for more information on the packages and products we offer.

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* Putting video online, while not complex for those with even limited experience, can severely impact bandwidth usage if not done properly. We recommend you contact our experts here at Clear Platform when you are ready to put your TV spots on your website.

** There is a $100 per year fee to keep the website live. There is no cost to archive the site and shut it down.

Our highly trained staff will ensure that your campaign is set up with the best option for receiving online contributions. The website will have a fundraising component built-in. Your campaign will be able to accept credit card contributions in one of three ways:

Funds will go directly to a new merchant account. Important Note: Unlike a lot of the other companies that provide online fundraising solutions, Clear Platform/Aurorian Group Inc. does not keep a percentage of your hard-earned contributions. Be careful of so called "free" setups that may cost you thousands of dollars because of higher individual transaction fees. Once you are set up with the Clear Platform fundraising system, you pay your merchant account provider directly for your standard transaction costs. We welcome you to ask us any questions on this sometimes complex subject! Funds will go directly to your campaign's existing merchant account. If your campaign is already set up with a merchant account that uses the proper Internet gateways*, we can tie your new contribution system to the existing account. Discounts are available for campaigns using this option as new merchant accounts are included in our packages. All contributor information (name, credit card number, amount, etc.) will be stored in a secure database that you or your staff can access at any time via your web browser. The contributions can then be processed offline via your campaign's usual procedure. Discounts are available for campaigns using this option as new merchant accounts are included in our packages. * Supported gateways are Plug ‘n Pay, Verisign Payflow Pro, and Authorizenet “AIM” (Advanced Integration Method). We may be able to provide additional payment gateway options. Please contact us for more information.

Depending on your setup, your campaign may be able accept the following contribution methods:

The user will be presented with a disclaimer before entering the contribution system. This disclaimer will list any and all applicable rules and regulations for contributing to your campaign. At the bottom of the disclaimer there will be two buttons to press - one to cancel out (if the disclaimer contains information that excludes the user's contribution) and one to proceed. Click below to see a sample contribution form.

All transactions are fully secured via SSL encryption.

All contributors will automatically receive a customized thank you message via email.

The included Clear Platform User's Guide will be customized to detail how your fundraising system works (depending on which technical setup your campaign requires).

See Product Details at the bottom of this page for more information on the packages and products we offer. .

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** Founded in 1998, PayPal, an eBay Company, enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. Read more about PayPal here.

Visitors to your website will be able to easily opt-into your email list database. Their address will automatically be entered into your list at Constant Contact.

Your campaign can send unlimited targeted email to the supporters on your list. The maximum size of the email list will vary depending on your package (See Product Details at the bottom of this page for more). If your list goes over the maximum size allowed by your package, your service will continue as if nothing had changed. Incremental costs, however, may apply.

Email campaigns sent through Constant Contact are sent using the latest mail server technology. Your supporters will no longer miss your targeted email messages because of spam blocking software*.

Your campaign can easily import an existing email list into your Constant Contact account.

Message tracking is included with all accounts. Your campaign can see which emails are getting opened and read the most. This can help to refine the creation of your messages for maximum impact.

Other features include: Templates to create HTML and text versions of emails, supporters will receive the mailing in the right format (even AOL users), list management, including subscribe/unsubscribe & bounce backs.

See Product Details at the bottom of this page for more information on the packages and products we offer. .

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* Clear Platform and Aurorian Group Inc. do not support or condone bulk emails to any email lists other than specific opt-in lists. Each email your campaign sends will contain unsubscribe information for the recipient.