Keeping up in the digital world has arguably been a struggle for the Republican Party, more often than not coming in second to the tech-savvy ways of Democratic leaders in social media. But things might change this year, as they unveil their Republican National Convention App, "Tampa 2012", just one week after the Democrat's release of their own mobile app.
Could they be catching on to the importance of social media? Their Convention app features many of the same features as the Democratic app: live-stream of events, maps to aid in navigating around the Convention, social sharing etc.
Carrying the convention's theme of "Convention Without Walls" into the digital world, the Republican app will incorporate Google Hangouts as a way for followers to connect with speakers during the convention, distinguishing it from the Democrat's app. The RNC will also include updates on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Foursquare, and their official website, reports The Hill, reflecting the committee's attempt at utilizing all digital platforms.
In a statement about the new mobile app, Ken Jones, president of the convention host committee explained the GOP's reasoning behind designing the app:
Four years ago, at the last convention, iPhones and other smart phones were just making their debut,” said Ken Jones, president of the convention host committee, in a statement. “Now, these devices are everywhere, and we have the fantastic opportunity to provide our guests, and the public who are interested in the convention, with a mobile application that is cutting edge, easy to use and fun.The GOP not only provides its attendees with the resources necessary to navigate and document their experience at the 2012 convention, but they bring the convention to the viewer at home with their inclusion of the up-and-coming Google feature of Hangouts.We give the GOP +1 for including Google into their mobile strategy.