American Public Media: Engage 08: Select A Candidate Widget

Select A Candidate™ Widget
For stations, organizations, and people interested in using the Select A Candidate™ tool on your Web site, you will find instructions and contact information on this page. We have created a "widget" version of the Select A Candidate™ tool that allows you to easily embed the tool on your Web site. Below you will find information about how to add it to your page, how to customize its display, how to include a credit to the source, and whom to contact with questions or comments.

v Example v Instructions

v Modifications v Credits/Terms of Use

v Questions

Select A Candidate™ Example
The following code snippet created the Select A Candidate™ widget embedded below:

Instructions:
The Select A Candidate game can be embedded on your Web site by using an <iframe> in your source code. Please embed the game in the following manner so that American Public Media can maintain the game's accuracy as new issues arise and candidate positions change.

Cut and paste the following code snippet into your page's source code. Locate this code snippet within an <html> element in the position you would like it to display.

Modifications:
Within the above code snippet you can make the following modifications:

Width: The width attribute is set to "100%" by default. This means that it will expand to 100% of the width of the element in which you place it. You can change this width by giving it a smaller percentage or by declaring the desired width in pixels.; To change the width, change the code text width="100%" to width="xx%" or width="xx" (width in pixels). Select A Candidate should not be scaled down to any width narrower than 450px. Display and usability issues will occur if the <iframe> is narrower than this width.
Height: The height attribute is set to "500" pixels by default. You can change this height by giving it a percentage or by declaring the desired height in pixels.; To change the height, change the code text height="500" to height="xx%" or height="xx" (height in pixels).
Border: The frameborder attribute is set to "0" by default which prevents a border from displaying around the <iframe>.; To show a border, change the code text frameborder="0" to frameborder="1". However, be advised that this will not show a border in all browsers.
Scrolling: The scrolling attribute is set to "yes" by default. This means that when there is content that extends beyond the width or height of the <iframe>, scrollbars appear to allow users to access that content.; DO NOT CHANGE the scrolling attribute to "no" unless you are certain that you have allowed enough room for all the content on the poll page, results page and candidate position page. If you have not, users will not be able to use the widget effectively.
CSS Styles: You can use CSS styles to style the <iframe> itself, but the styles will not affect the Select A Candidate content.

Credits/Terms of Use:
Select A Candidate™ is built and maintained by Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul, Minnesota and American Public Media, the producer and distributor of national public radio programming. Stations, organizations, and individuals who wish to use this widget on their Web sites may do so at no cost. However, we do ask that you:

Credit American Public Media as the widget's creator
Let us know where/how you are using this widget by contacting Melinda Driscoll at mdriscoll@americanpublicmedia.org or 651-290-1237.

Questions
For questions about using this widget, please contact Melinda Driscoll, New Media Channel Distribution & Marketing Manager, at mdriscoll@americanpublicmedia.org or 651-290-1237.

For end users, the following "Frequently Asked Questions" are included at the end of the Select A Candidate™ widget.

Does Select A Candidate™ tell me who to vote for?: Absolutely not. Its main purpose is to introduce you to the candidates who are running and their positions on the issues.
Are the results scientific?: No, there is absolutely no scientific value to the cumulative results and American Public Media does not at all claim they are representative of the electorate. Also, on a periodic basis we reset the results when new candidate positions are released, new issues arise, or if we determine existing results have been tampered. Therefore, the results do not reflect an ongoing accumulation of the submissions until the elections.
How did you come up with these questions?: The questions mirror the campaign. There might be issues we are interested in that haven't come up in the campaign so far, and those aren't listed here. Should they come up, they will be added to Select A Candidate™. The choices from each question mirror positions that candidates have stated. If no answer is close to your position, do not answer the question, for there is no candidate with that position.
How does the scoring work?: A: Each candidate gets 1 point for each question that matches your answer. If you indicate that an issue is very important to you, the candidate gets 3 points. If you indicate that the issue is of no importance to you, the candidate gets 0 points. In this way, the "match" is weighted to reflect those issues on which you decide elections.
Who makes Select A Candidate™?: Select A Candidate™ is built and maintained by Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul, Minnesota and American Public Media, the producer and distributor of national public radio programming. It is regularly updated during the course of the election to reflect changing issues and candidates.