French Presidency: Committing to communication

Recognition of some of the web's unique strengths leads to more dynamic communications.

The Site

The official website of the French president, Jacques Chirac, carries a mix of background information about the office itself and the presidential palace (the Elysée) alongside news of the president’s day-to-day activities, an archive of his speeches and an invitation to e-mail him.

Yesterday (Monday 24 November) Mr Chirac was in London for the 26th Anglo-French summit. From early morning, his site had a prominent link from the home page to a summit index page that gave access to the day’s programme, a list of the participants, a history of the venue (Lancaster House), the UK’s vital statistics and summaries of the relationship between the two countries.

Although this content was not readily available on the site’s English, German and Spanish versions, the site of Mr Chirac’s host, Prime Minister Tony Blair (www.number-10.gov.uk), had no mention at all of the event until after its conclusion.

The Takeaway

The office of the French president is obliged by public expectation and its own pro-internet rhetoric to have a website. Where it differs from many government institutions and corporations is that it appears committed to exploiting the medium.

Contrast the way the president’s site approached coverage of the summit with that of the prime minister’s office in London. The French were out of bed early to update their site for the coming day and assembled a package of news and background specifically for the summit: a compelling blend of topicality and information to deepen understanding of the event. In London, the PM’s site as a whole showed no signs of being updated from the previous Friday until into the afternoon, and only introduced coverage of the summit once there was a communiqué to publish.

While the British are using the web as an extension of their existing communications and news management, the French have recognised some of its unique strengths – such as updatability and content packaging – and are prepared to exploit them.

First published on 25 November, 2003