BY SANDY THEIS
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- Want to donate money to Bob Taft's campaign for governor, procure a yard sign or find out where he stands on the great issues of the day? Visit the Taft for Governor Web site at http://www.Taft98.org.
A user-friendly menu will take your Visa, Master Card or Discover Card -- should you want to contribute. Visitors can see an audio greeting from the candidate himself. And if you're a talk-radio fan, just type in your zip code and a list of all talk radio shows in your area will appear.
"This is a communication tool you cannot afford to be without," Taft campaign manager Brian Hicks said Monday at a news conference to debut the site.
According to a Georgia Institute of Technology study, 92 percent of Internet users are registered voters, making them just the kind of audience political consultants want to reach.
"Much of this was pioneered during the 1996 presidential campaign, when all of the candidates who were running -- or wanted to run -- had a Web site," said Judith Trent, professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati.
While candidates often use Web sites to bill themselves as high-tech, Ms. Trent offered a note of caution to voters who access the information. "It's a slick campaign tool and like all slick campaign tools, voters should beware."
A spokeswoman for Lee Fisher, Mr. Taft's Democratic rival, had some additional advice for voters: Visit http://www.ohio.gov/sos/. The Web site put together by Mr. Taft for the office he now holds, secretary of state -- and compare it with the campaign Web site.
"The campaign Web site is very slick," said Fisher spokeswoman Judy Barbao. "The secretary of state's Web site is bare bones." When Mr. Taft first ran for secretary of state in 1990, he promised to computerize reports that list the source and amount of political donations to statewide campaigns. He kept the promise, but the office did not keep pace with changing technology.
As a result, a citizens group has make the reports readily available on the Internet -- something Mr. Taft's office is attempting to do. Mr. Hicks, who was a top-ranking appointee in the secretary of state's office before joining the campaign, deflected questions about the difference between the two sites.
"You'll have to ask the folks in the secretary of state's office about that Web site," he said.
The campaign's Web site cost about $4,000 to create. Curt Steiner, who managed Gov. George Voinovich's victory eight years ago, is credited with seeing the benefits of the fax machine and using it in ways that are now common.
