The Maine College Republicans have launched a great new website, www.MaineCR.org, built on the open-source CMS Drupal. I had some fun helping with a few parts of this, and it's great to see the Maine CRs ahead of the curve in yet another venue.

Here's their press release:

Maine College Republicans Announce the Launch of Groundbreaking New Website

MaineCR.org Now Includes New Media Capabilities, User-Friendly Interactive Features

AUGUSTA - The Maine College Republicans have announced the launch of a groundbreaking new website after several months of planning and design. The statewide organization’s new website, which can be found on the Internet at http//www.mainecr.org, provides an impressive combination of new media capabilities, original content, and user-friendly interactive features.

One of the most prominent features of the new Maine College Republican website is its diverse array of new media capabilities. Visitors to the site now have the ability to watch videos produced by the Maine College Republicans and other political groups, view photos of the statewide organization’s recent events, and to become part of the Maine College Republicans’ presence on popular social networking sites. These features are made possible by the direct linking of the Maine College Republican website to new media sources such as YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook.

In addition to these new media features, the new website also provides comprehensive original content regarding the Maine College Republicans. Visitors to the site can browse press releases and news stories about the statewide organization, read the official Maine College Republican newspaper, The Pachyderm Press, and peruse information on statewide College Republican leaders. Furthermore, prospective members can easily contact the chapter College Republican leader at their college/university on the site, in addition to reviewing internship opportunities available exclusively to Maine College Republicans. This diverse array of features makes the new Maine College Republican website as practically informative as it is groundbreaking in its use of new media capabilities.

Nathaniel Walton (Bates ’08), State Chairman of the Maine College Republicans, offered strong praise for the statewide organization’s new website:

“Maine College Republicans are excited to lead the way in utilizing the Internet to further the political activism and involvement of young Mainers from Fort Kent to Wells. Our groundbreaking new website has features that will allow the Maine College Republicans to spread the statewide organization’s message further and more effectively than ever before. Furthermore, the integration of new media capabilities and the ability for a high degree of user involvement will help make this site as appealing as it is practically informative both in Maine and across the country.

With an important election year fast approaching, the new Maine College Republican website will play a crucial role towards the recruitment and motivation of Maine College Republican volunteers. The website will also be essential towards the coordination of these volunteers, who will play the crucial grassroots role in decisively reelecting U.S. Senator Susan Collins and ensuring Maine sends a Republican to the White House in 2008.”

The new Maine College Republican website also includes a number of user-friendly interactive features. For example, it is easy and simple for anyone to join the Maine College Republicans or to register to vote in Maine on the site. A defining feature of the website in this regard is its reliance on open sourcing. Chapter chairmen from every college/university in Maine have the ability to post on the site’s Blog, as well as upload event listings and photos from campus events that have already taken place.

In recent years, the achievements of Maine College Republicans have been repeatedly recognized by state and national Republican leaders, and the statewide organization has become widely regarded as the national standard for state College Republican federations. In July, the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) recognized the Maine College Republicans as the “Best State Federation in America” for the second time in three years. Major accomplishments in recent years include delivering the grassroots margin of victory for numerous Maine House and Senate candidates in 2006, ensuring the Republican Second Congressional District candidate a spot on the 2006 ballot, and delivering the Maine youth demographic for President George W. Bush in 2004. Over 5,000 students on 24 of Maine's college campuses claim membership to the Maine College Republicans.