Diving Into Social Media
Posted on April 1, 2009
In a recent National Journal column, Charlie Cook pondered the unconventional media that politicians are rushing to employ with President Obama leading the pack. “…Just because a medium is new doesn’t make it a great idea,” Cook writes, noting that he had yet to see a single intelligent remark twittered by an elected official. I am not sure Mr. Cook is correct.
Emerging new media tools are worth embracing by the political sector if done so thoughtfully and strategically. I’ve started following several Members of my home state delegation on Twitter and actually find it quite interesting to see who they are meeting with, what they are working on, and where they travel. It allows me to see first hand (via Tweets) where my taxpayer dollars are used.
I recently embraced social media myself in a run for the U.S. Senate Credit Union Board. Although I failed to pull ahead of any of the incumbents, I am proud to have garnered more than 700 votes from just over 1,000 voters. My entire campaign depended on digital media (primarily email, blogging, Twitter and Facebook.) Since I’m no longer in the Senate where I could have more easily twisted the arms of co-workers for votes, and advertising in Hill publications wasn’t in my meager campaign budget, these tools were the only way to introduce myself to the electorate. Along the way, I learned first hand which tool was best for which type of campaign communication.
So, I heartily encourage elected and wannabes to jump into the digital media pool with both feet – just make sure you take a few swimming lessons with an experienced coach first.
