Upon first glance these two Web sites appear to be both equally impressive. But the first thing that caught my eye on Hutchison's page was a big blue link at the top that say "En Espanol," meaning "in Spanish." By clicking on this link, you are redirected to the Spanish version of Hutchison's Web site.
Granted, Hutchison's Spanish version of the Web site does not contain as much information or interactivity as the English version of her Web site. But the most important thing to note is that by using this version of the Web site, Spanish-speakers are now able to navigate through her page by clicking on different links written in the Spanish language.
So, I was very impressed that Hutchison, or the people who run her Web site, decided to include this option for the viewers. This was a very smart move for Hutchison since she is running in a state with nearly 40% of its population being Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Hutchison is showing her recognition of the large target segment and is using her Web site to appeal directly to them.
I then moved over to Gov. Perry's Web site, expecting to see the same link, possibly at a different location but still obvious and accessible. After looking through his page for several minutes, there was no such link to be found. I even tried searching for a Spanish version of his site by using Google and Yahoo! but found nothing.
After examining his Web site a little closer I realized that some of his articles, such as one regarding the H1N1 virus, did offer many resources in both the Spanish and English language. But if you decided to look at some of Gov. Perry's priorities, such as promoting Texas tourism, you could not find this information available on his Web site in the Spanish language.
Although I am not of Hispanic origin, I found this discovery rather frustrating, especially since Rick Perry is currently the Texas governor. I was surprised that he would not have his Web site more accessible to people that speak Spanish, especially in a state with such as large population of Spanish-speakers.
Therefore, I feel that Kay Hutchison was being more strategic with her Web site - possibly even looking at Perry's Web site to see what he lacked and what she could include in her own to make it better than Perry's site. What do you think of this discovery? Do you think Perry should open his eyes and see that he is isolating a large segment of the Texas population? Or do you think offering his site in the Spanish language is not that necessary for his campaign?
I find it surprising that Perry wouldn't have a more Hispanic/Latino oriented Web site. Maybe they weren't a necessary demographic in the elections of the past, and might think he doesn't need to appeal to them to be elected next year. Whatever he does believe, ignoring the Hispanic/Latino population is a mistake, in my opinion.
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