On a national level many politicians have embraced social media. The White House and several Congressman have Twitter accounts.  Now George W. Bush is on Facebook according to BBC News. Check it out http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10221253.stm

There is some debate on allowing politicians to manage their own online identities. Bush has received some criticism (what else is new?) about allowing his persona via Internet to be managed by a media representative. Bush did ask, “Are is our children learning?”. I don’t blame his manager for not giving him the reigns to his social media accounts. I think that for a national politician it is acceptable to allow your online presence to be handled by someone other then yourself.  Obama’s first tweet wasn’t even from his “personal account” but from the Red Cross account when he and the First Lady took a visit to the Disaster Operation Center in D.C.  in an effort to raise money for the people of Haiti. He says that he doesn’t know how to use Twitter. Personally, I don’t expect my President nor my state representatives or Senators to manage their own social media presences. Their responsibilities lie beyond updating Twitter. After all, that’s what they have staffers for.

On a local level, however, I think social media can be a huge benefit for politicians.

As the loss of traditional journalism increases and smaller newspapers close down, local politicians can and should utilize social media in their campaigns. Fewer and fewer people are reading the paper and news reports last a minute or two if you’re lucky. Adapting to today’s technology means cranking up a facebook page or twitter account.

This doesn’t mean uploading a picture and some information and calling it a day. Social media is like a toddler. It requires near constant attention. Update religiously and respond to what people are saying. Social media is not advertising. It’s a conversation. Twitter and Facebook are the perfect platforms for local and state politicians to speak directly with their constituents. Once a community is built it can run on it’s own but still needs supervision. Virtual town hall meetings, debates and rallies are all possibilities. It is also important not to flood your viewers with legal jargon. Speak in layman’s terms so the average Facebook user can understand.

And one more thing. Keep it consistent. The biggest mistake made when creating a social media campaign is not keeping it consistent with their non-social media messages. Put the same slogan/message/information on your roadside posters and flyers as your web site, Facebook and Twitter. Obviously, the conversation can be more in depth in your online communities but the basis of your message should be homogeneous.

I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a #jaxtownhall. 🙂