The document discusses 10 leading socially engaged politicians and analyzes their social media presence and engagement. It finds that politicians who have left office, like Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and George W. Bush have been able to leverage social media more effectively to continue their missions and engage constituents. Mitt Romney is highlighted as a current presidential candidate actively using social media as a campaign tool. The document advocates that politicians can benefit from finding their fan base and encouraging online discussion.

2. Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged
Politicians
Elections have long-reaching consequences, and Election 2012 is no exception.
Social media makes it almost inevitable that any given candidate’s online buzz will
influence the result. At minimum, it will certainly influence the conversation both
online and off as the election season heats up. That’s why we decided to look at
politics through a social media lens this week—with the goal of finding those
politicians best tapping into the “power of the people” online.
We started our research with the slate of known contenders for U.S. President,
governorships, and more. Then we expanded our scope to include those politicians
who were grabbing their fair share of the social media dialog, even if they weren’t in
the running for office anymore. From there, we researched their social media activity
using FanPageList.com and our own Sysomos MAP listening tool, and found the
standouts. We felt like we had to mention the obvious candidates, but we also
wanted to share some surprises with considerable international social media fanfare,
as well. We know that the citizens will ultimately be the ones to decide in the voting
booth, but for us, these political picks certainly are in the running as the most social
media savvy politicos.

3. 1. Barack Obama
Tweeter in Chief
The President of the United States is not
social media averse and his numbers
show it. He has 25M+ Facebook fans,
12M+ Twitter followers, 52K Foursquare
followers, and a 90.4 Klout score. The
online buzz and social media conversation
will always be high around any sitting
president, but it’s spiking now as election
drama intensifies.
Particularly resonant are the ways his
social media is being handled. For
example, Obama’s live stream includes
everything from his singing “Let’s Stay
Together” to event appearances, providing
a mix of advocacy, education, and even
entertainment that drives a personal
connection for followers. For that, we say,
hail to the chief!
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

4. 2. Sarah Palin
In the Running Without Being in the Race
Palin is a force of nature. Love her or
hate her, her charisma cannot be denied.
She has toured the U.S. in a bus on a
family vacation to locations that just
happened to be political epicenters at the
times she visited. Her 2008 run as
McCain’s vice-presidential candidate
caused a buzz that she is still leveraging.
She has become a moose-hunting, jet
ski riding reality TV star and more.
Of course, she’s not just an active voice
in the offline world. Her social media
numbers have impact, too: 3M+
Facebook fans, 730k+ Twitter followers,
and a 72.2 Klout score. For popular,
buzz-worthy and biting commentary, we
had to give this Grizzly Mama her props.
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

5. 3. George W. Bush
Building a Legacy
Bush, or “Dubyah” to his friends, is
another surprise choice not actively
participating in the current election cycle.
As a former two-term U.S. president, he
can’t be in the running, but what we see
and like about his social puts him in the
must-notice category.
Bush uses a multi-profile rather than a
strong multi-channel approach to his social
conversation. His Facebook page, host to
1.6M+ fans, integrates not only his current
travels worldwide, but also the postings of
former First Lady Laura W. Bush and the
George W. Bush Presidential Center, as
well as several websites. His Twitter
presence is not yet robust, but for multi-
profile integration, we tip our hat to him.
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

6. 4. Queen Rania Al Abdullah
Social Media Royalty
Rania Al Abdullah is the current Queen
Consort of Jordan as the wife of King
Abdullah II of Jordan. She came in with
high social media numbers and is our
international exotic choice for this politically
themed Pulse.
Her Majesty hosts 900K+ Facebook fans,
1.9M Twitter followers, and participates in
nearly a dozen websites. She impressed us
with her online discussions related to being
a mother, a philanthropist, a woman, and
an entrepreneur. She radiates warmth and
kindness with her verbiage. In an
international political environment that can
be hostile and divisive, the Queen has a
high 93% favorable sentiment rating. For
that, we honor her commitment to
authenticity and humanity.
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

7. 5. Newt Gingrich
A Master of the Call-to-Action
Newt Gingrich has been coming out
swinging this primary season, both in
traditional and social media. Leading
with his Twitter following at 1.4M+,
Gingrich also hosts a Facebook fan
base of 277K+ and comes in with a high
Klout score of 83.9. What we notice is
his consistent call-to-action on all of his
online platforms.
Nearly every one of Gingrich’s tweets
features a strong call-to-action, e.g.,
“watch this now,” “meet this volunteer,”
“join us today,” “support us here,” and so
on. We’d prefer to see a bit more
engagement with the fans in the form of
@ replies, but we had to admire the G-
team’s commitment to action, so we’re
calling him out.
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

8. 6. Gavin Newsom
Rabble Rouser Ready for His Close Up
Gavin Newsom, elected in 2010 as Lt.
Governor of California, is not afraid of
causing trouble. He championed the
legalization of same-sex marriage in
California. As the youngest San
Francisco mayor in 100 years, he backed
a “Care not Cash” program to move the
homeless into city-assisted care. He’s
tackled municipal rail issues, restricting
tobacco advertising, landlord penalties
and more.
Newsom’s social numbers are strong,
too: 100K+ on Facebook and 1.M on
Twitter. Newsom is also a prolific video
interviewee. His use of multimedia in both
the offline and online worlds is worth
noting. He’s handsome, engaging, and
was voted in 2010 as “The Most Social
Mayor in America” by Samepoint. We
couldn’t agree more!

9. 7. Corey Booker
Jersey’s Social Media Mayor
Cory Booker is mayor of Newark, New
Jersey. He is also featured on Samepoint’s
list of most social mayors, and with good
cause. His numbers look good. Booker’s
Twitter account comes in 1.1M+, but his
Facebook hosts quite a bit fewer at 56K.
Booker’s YouTube channel has seen
almost a million views and the videos are
a mix of people-on-the-street interactions,
legislative appearances, and
presentations. They really demonstrate his
engaged, personable style on social. He
uses inspirational quotes, tons of videos
and pictures, and features the community
often. He doesn’t lead with hard-core
policy declarations, but instead prefers a
subtler role model approach. His fans
quote him often and we understand why!
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

10. 8. Kevin Rudd
Aussie with Serious SEO Chops
Kevin Michael Rudd is currently the
Minister for Foreign Affairs in Australia.
He’s also rocking the social media space,
so we picked him as another international
entry.
Rudd’s Twitter account comes in with 1M+
followers. His Facebook comes in with 60K
fans. He is a master at using effective
keywords in his social stream, in that his
status updates typically use the keywords
others would use to search for him online.
He’s not shy to call out other politicians or
even nations by name to drive dialog and
search pickup. He regularly posts using
keywords tied to specific policy actions and
more. This sophisticated use of keywords
to maximize search pickup is not typically
exhibited by many politicians. Rudd is
breaking ground.
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

11. 9. Al Gore
Influence Beyond the Oval Office
We all remember former Vice-President
Al Gore for his Inconvenient Truth book
and movement. His 2.4M+ Twitter fans
and 74K+ Facebook fans are helping to
keep his environmental advocacy and
climate change message buzzing.
The conversation on his Facebook page
includes numerous likes and comments
on every single post, and Gore’s social is
basically open. Negative comments are
given free rein, including comments like
“Al, please SHUT UP. Do something with
your life that is based on fact and not
some lie you are spreading in order to
make you $$$.” Not many brands would
have the courage to let the conversation
happen at this level, but Gore does. We
admire that.
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

12. 10. Mitt Romney
The Contender Enters the Ring
Romney, one of the current contenders
for the GOP nomination in this year’s
upcoming U.S. Presidential election, is
an enigma. He is considered the
leading nominee contender, but there is
intense polarization about him in the
Republican Party, as well as in the
general public. His favorability
sentiment comes in around 77%, which
is relatively low compared to the others
featured here.
Romney’s got the social numbers. His
Facebook page hosts 1.4M+ fans. His
Twitter account comes in with just
300K, but he’s got nearly 5M views on
his YouTube channel. We have to
admit that he’s a social media
contender, no matter how you look at it.
Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Politicians

13. Elections 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged
Politicians
Power of the People…
You may have noticed than many of the politicians doing the best social are those who
have moved to the next stage of their lives after public service. In many ways, that’s
easy to understand. In-office politicians and their communications staffs are busy, and
those facing elections largely leverage their social platforms as one-way promotional
channels—and less as vehicles for true online dialog with constituents. On the other
hand, former politicians are often building new foundations and focusing on cause-driven
work, which usually requires more sustainable, two-way social media engagement.
To us, this list really highlights the way that public figures and all of us, in fact, can
leverage our time in the spotlight to continue our missions in life. Tapping into the “power
of the people” comes from finding our fan base, having a consistent message, and
encouraging community conversation. That is what those featured here do well and
that’s the takeaway this week. Let your vote be heard and tell us your favorites in the
comments below!
To read all the Pulses and other Slideshare.net presentations, click here.

14. Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged
Nonprofits
Next on “The Pulse”:
Oscars 2.0: 10 Oscar Nominees with the Most Online Buzz
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