If Ottawa's online political landscape were a virtual high school, the Green Party's Kevin O'Donnell would be class valedictorian.

The Ottawa Centre candidate gets top marks for his online presence from local social media analyst Mark Blevis, who graded the candidates from nine eastern Ontario ridings in his digital campaign report card released today. In fact, of the 36 candidates Blevis looked at, O'Donnell got the only "A"—perhaps not that surprising, as O'Donnell's bio highlights his extensive background in the tech sector.

In addition to O'Donnell's grade, Blevis hands out nine Bs, 17 Cs, six Ds, and three Fs. Generally speaking, the online world remains an "afterthought" for candidates, he says:

Digital remains an afterthought in many campaigns. Oddly, this is just as apparent, perhaps moreso, among the younger candidates as with some of the more seasoned politicians. The role of digital in our lives and as part of politics has evolved substantially in a short time. Candidates and their campaigns need to do their homework when they prepare a strategy. They should know how traditional and digital campaign activities augment each other. Campaigns should also know that people expect to find what they’re looking for, online, and quickly. And, they want quality. The newest wrinkle is, increasingly, people want to engage with their elected representatives.

Blevis points to YouTube channels and blogs that have lain fallow for months, online content that merely echoes party talking points, and overly-busy websites designed more for "parties rather than the visitors." Here are his overall grades for all 36 local candidates:

Read Blevis's blog post for a more complete breakdown of how each candidate fares with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media mainstays.

Image via Kevin O'Donnell's website