The Political Session

THE POLITICAL SESSION
@Kegill, @Sairy, @Jasonp107

twitter + politics

The 2008 Election

Twitter Stats

Twitter Updates 19 Sept 2008 - 24 Oct 2008 13 Jan 2008 - 30 Oct 2008 29 Apr 2007 - 5 Nov 2008 8 Jan 2007 - 14 Nov 2007

Updates: Tech
Edwards: all posts from phone; (staff) posts from web
Obama: all posts from the web
Clinton: all posts from the web
McCain: all posts from Twitterfeed

Updates: Style
Edwards - personal, from the candidate (“I”); exceptions noted
Obama - clearly campaign updates, announcements in the main
Clinton - personal, from the candidate (“I”); exceptions in third person
McCain - clearly feed (Twitterfeed)

Obama Stats
Mostly one-way mass announcements (262)
201 posts: “where am I?”
27 posts: “call to action”
24 posts: “announcements”
13 posts expressed an emotion

QOTD: Why did 165,000 people sign up to get messages that were the equivalent of adverts ... in a space where “experts” insist participants value “real” human interaction?

Archiving requirements
Use of public resources requirements
Electioneering v Governing

Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)
Sen. James DeMint (R-SC)
10 Downing Street
Among The First

Current office holders: @GovGregoire @SimsRon @CouncilmanTim @jenngreg
Seattle Mayoral candidates: @mcginnformayor @normansigler @jandrago4mayor
Seattle City Councils candidates: City Council Candidates: @mikejobrien @SallyBagshaw @BobbyForch @brokenlantern @davidginsberg
SOURCE: @jjtweets
WA Politicians On Twitter

Where do we go from here?
What the 2008 Election Teaches Us About Politics and Twitter
Sarah Granger, PublicEdge

Twitter High Points in ‘08 Election
Twitter hit a critical mass just before national conventions, allowing for broader and more intimate participation in convention events
@barackobama became top twitter feed
Twitter became an essential component of the overall new media strategy of the campaign
The convergence of Obama’s success online and Twitter’s growth was historical

The Chain Reaction
Candidates on Twitter
+ news media on Twitter
+ political activists on Twitter
+ Twitter mobile integration
= Twitter as fastest way to get campaign news
Example: Joe Biden VP announcement via SMS; most people knew via Twitter first.

2008 Twitter Trials
Twitter Debates (techPresident & others)
Twitter During Debates (CurrentTV project)
Questions for Town Halls using Twitter
#hashtags for political events & topics
Candidates’ experimentation
Political organizations engaging on Twitter at different levels (i.e. @moveon & @womencount)

2008 Strategic Successes & Failures
Twitter was ridiculed as just another opportunity for sound bites and dumbed-down information
Twitter emerged as an essential tool for political bloggers
Supporters mobilized via Twitter during GOTV
Twitter Vote Report was a huge success in using twitter to report election problems and concerns around the country

Lesson Learned from ‘08 Election:
Candidates who engage voters via social media have an edge over those who do not.

What’s Next?
#tcot, #topprog, #rebelleft, #p2 are taking hold for the activists and bloggers
Tweetcasts are becoming more common
Twitter is being integrated in political campaigns at all levels
With the mainstream acceptance of Twitter (i.e. @oprah), we can expect political activities to continue increasing

Trending…
2009 Special Election candidates got on Twitter
Serious congressional & gubernatorial 2010 candidates are building a presence on Twitter, like @GavinNewsom and @BobbyJindal
Elected officials are putting more effort into Twitter, such as @schwarzenegger, @govgranholm, @clairecmc, @dbowen

What the Candidates Need to Know
Twitter use takes finesse
Candidates (like business executives or other high profile celebrities and public figures) must walk the fine line between providing public and private information on Twitter
Twitter takes time and persistence
To gain respect and be successful, it should be a 2-way conversation

For the Adriel Hamptons of the world…
Twitter is still avant-garde enough that it’s a novelty in politics
Social media schticks and gimmicks can still work, for a while
As part of the “online is fast and cheap” school of thought, Twitter can be a powerful strategy in campaign organizations with low budgets
State legislators and local candidates will be next

Business vs. Politics on Twitter
There’s not much difference in content types – pushing announcements, events, interviews, sending people to blogs, etc.
Public figures use the same content filters whether for financial, political or social gain
Twitter can be used to advocate for or against policies, whether corporate or legislative
Customer or voter, the people will call out their issues on Twitter; everything is public

@Oprah meets @BarackObama
Twitter is being used in a variety of ways to augment and assist our culture
Twitter is just a tool for good or ill – it can save lives in disasters or spread false information
Twitter can be a leveling mechanism: everyone gets the same 140 characters
Twitter allows everyone to be a part of the national political process; it can bring everyone together.

Don’t forget the API

Twitter Survey Quotes
Like moving into a neighborhood where you get to choose knowledgeable & interesting neighbors. You may not spend all your time on the front porch, but you get a lot out of it when you do.

As a journalist, this is the best way to follow the news of the day and to find out how our industry is changing. Twitter is my new media seminar, every day.

It's not just "I'm making pancakes". Instead it's the great hum of human thoughts that add up to something much bigger than the sum of their parts. It's what's going on *right now*

Twitter engages people on too many levels for it to be going away as a passing fad. Instead, it's likely to evolve into something even more ubiquitous as it becomes more mature and more tools and possible uses emerge. Get on board now so you're less likely to be left behind!

At its core twitter is a no frills communication platform which forces you to be short and to the point. Because you need to be short and to the point, information is shared quickly and plentifully.

It's like sex. Everyone does it differently and most everyone can find something they like about it. Some people just don't get it, and never will. Trying too hard makes it worse. Just have fun with it and be safe.

Questions? JASON PRESTON [email_address] O n Twitter: @Jasonp107 h t tp://parnassusgroup.comhttp://eatsleeppublish.com KATHY E. GILL http://faculty.washington.edu/kegill On Twitter: @kegill SARAH GRANGER [email_address] Primary (& political) feed: @sairy Business feed: @publicedge Articles feed: @sarahgranger http://www.publicedg e.com / CC Info - Images: Twitter.com logo, UncleSam from http://test.mla.lib.mi.us/files/images/UncleSam_2.gif

The Political Session

by jasonp107 on Jun 01, 2009

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The Political Session — Presentation Transcript