So this morning I saw a Twitter post by Meghann Parlett (@MeghannParlett) that the new gop.com site had gone live. So I launched my browser and found the page was almost completely blank and useless without Javascript enabled. Even the logo was not visible on the site.

This was disappointing as it indicated the site for even basic header and logo delivery was dependent on Javascript. So I enable Javascript and was greeted with sound and a flash video overlay of Chairmen Steele telling me how great the new site is. I have a huge pet peeve about sites that start audio as soon as you visit them. First it’s a move that reminds me of the early days of the web where people had midi tracks play some dorky song when you arrived. I was also irritated that in order to pause the overlay I had to hover over it to be presented with the controls.

Beyond these criticisms the site seems ok. The menus drop down seamlessly and there are integrations with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. I think Tom Serres of Piryx said it best in our Twitter conversation:

I think they were trying to go “super geek” and forgot about basic principles

I hope the GOP will continue to refine the site and leverage existing social networks to rally the troops and cultivate grassroots support for limited government principals that the Republican party is supposed to stand for.