A proposed methodology for studying the function and effectiveness of party and candidate Web sites

The growth of party and candidate activity on the World Wide Web over the p ast 5 years has provoked much comment and criticism. Although initially mos t assessments were descriptive and anecdotal, more recent studies have take n a more systematic and quantitative approach to this topic. This article b uilds on the existing literature by developing a coding scheme that address es two basic questions applicable to all political Web sites: (a) what the purpose of the sites are, and (b) how effectively they deliver their conten ts. In doing so, this article attempts to standardize the study of party We b sites and to promote the growth of cross-national and longitudinal compar ative research in this area.