These inclusive campaigns will be judged by a panel of industry experts in March 2010. SRLC 2010 is pleased to announce today that this panel will include: Saul Anuzis, Chairman of the RNC Committee on Technology; Matt Scofield, Director of Online Communications for Newt Gingrich, and Todd Herman, RNC New Media Director.

Saul Anuzis, aside from his chairmanship of the RNC Committee on Technology, also currently serves as the National Chairman for the “Save American Jobs Project.”  He is a former Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, and he was a candidate for RNC Chairman in 2008. Saul and his business partner own Quick Connect USA, a telecommunications firm providing local, long distance, VOIP, Internet, and data services to residential and small businesses throughout Michigan.

Matt Scofield is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s top-ranked Information Systems program. He has worked with the web in various fields since 1996. He is currently the Director of Online Communications for New Gingrich where he is putting his efforts toward his greatest passion: the nexus of politics and education in the online world. His previous projects include mobile ecommerce sites at Nokia, developing e-learning courses for Gatlin education, and assessing government agency websites on an international scale at CyPRG.

Todd Herman currently manages all aspects of the Party’s digital strategies in his role as RNC New Media Director. Prior to joining the RNC, Herman served as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of SpinSpotter (an online media bias software start-up), General Manager of Media Strategy and Monetization for MSN, and held several senior positions with MSNBC.com – amongst other roles. He is one of the first 25 initial inductees in the “Streaming Media Hall,” and was named “the media guy at Microsoft” by AdAge Magazine.

SRLC 2010 is excited to have these judges participate in this fun and important competition. More NMC judges will be announced in the near future. For more information about the New Media Challenge please call (225) 753-3549. If you are interested in being a NMC judge or if your company is interested in sponsoring the new media component of SRLC 2010, please contact Kirstin Hopkins, khopkins@srlc2010.com.

The 2010 NMC promises to highlight the best of the new technology used to promote our candidates, activate our roots, and integrate the party from top to bottom. Some frontrunners are emerging – but I wouldn’t wager any bets yet, there’s a lot of time left in this race!

Some of our favorites so far:

This video the Alabama GOP put out last month:

And this video from the Republican Party of Texas:

And kudos to the Republican Party of Virginia. They utilized videos to help their winning ticket reach the finish line last month. They had many insightful, hard-hitting, and sometimes hilarious videos – this was one of our favorites.

One last update and props, Florida is doing a great job sending out emails and getting a strong delegation to represent the Sunshine State next April in New Orleans. They are currently ranked third in delegates, but with continued efforts, look out Mississippi and Louisiana!

We’re pleased to announce the 2010 Southern Republican Leadership Conference
NEW MEDIA CHALLENGE!

The New Media Challenge (NMC) is a competition between each of the 14 Southern States to see which state GOP has the most comprehensive and cutting edge new media strategy.

According to Charlie Davis, SRLC Director, “The goal of the competition is to tap into the competitive spirit at each state organization, to share best practices heading into the 2010 cycle and, of course, to have a little fun.”

A champion and runner-up will be chosen in each of the following categories – Website, Email Campaign, Facebook, Twitter, Viral Video and Independent Social Network.

An overall winner will also be selected.

Finalists in each category will be announced in March and the winners will be announced and congratulated at the conference. State party staff as well as consultants (if applicable) will be recognized for their accomplishments. The winners will be chosen by an independent panel of experts.

75% of each score will be based on the details below, 15% on the effectiveness of SRLC 2010 promotion and 10% will be left up to the judge’s discretion. The panel of judges will be announced over the next few weeks.

Best State Party Website:

Each state party’s website will be judged on both objective and subjective qualities. Areas of judgment include quality of design, ease of use, relevance, timeliness and interactivity.

Email Outreach Campaign:

States should ensure that info@srlc2010.com is subscribed to their lists and/or submit their top three campaigns prior to January 15^th. The email campaigns will be judged on their overall effectiveness including design, graphics, call to action and formatting.

Facebook:

Half of the score for this category will come from the total number of fans/friends and half from the quality of your page/feed.

Twitter:

Half of the score for this category will come from the total number of followers and half from the quality of your feed.

Viral Video:

The videos will be judged on quality, effectiveness and reach. You can submit your top 3 and/or our judges will evaluate any that are emailed to us, linked from your website or in your YouTube account.

Independent Social Network:

Independent networks, like Ning or other custom community applications, will be judged on the number of members; the quality of posts, videos and pictures and the overall vibrancy of the community.

If you have any questions about the competition please call 225-753-3549 or email khopkins@srlc2010.com.