twitter + politics

The 2008 Election

Twitter Stats

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

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

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 participant
value “real” human interaction?

Electioneering v
Governing
• rchiving requirements
A
• se of public resources
U
requirements

Among The First
• en. James Inhofe (R-OK)
S
• en. James DeMint (R-SC)
S
• 0 Downing Street
1

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

Twitter Survey Quotes
Like moving into a neighborhood
where you get to choose
nowledgeable & interesting neighbor
You may not spend all your time on th
ront porch, but you get a lot out of it
when you do.
- Anonymous University of Washington Twitter survey (@UWSurvey) participant, May 2009

Twitter Survey Quotes
As a journalist, this is the best way to
ollow the news of the day and to find
out how our industry is changing.
Twitter is my new media seminar, ever
day.
- Anonymous University of Washington Twitter survey (@UWSurvey) participant, May 2009
responding to the question “What would you say to a friend who asked you about Twitter?\"

Twitter Survey Quotes
It's not just \"I'm making pancakes\".
nstead it's the great hum of human
houghts that add up to something
much bigger than the sum of their
arts. It's what's going on *right now*
- Anonymous University of Washington Twitter survey (@UWSurvey) participant, May 2009
responding to the question “What would you say to a friend who asked you about Twitter?\"

Twitter Survey Quotes
At its core twitter is a no frills
ommunication platform which forces
ou to be short and to the point.
Because you need to be short and to
he point, information is shared quickl
nd plentifully.
- Anonymous University of Washington Twitter survey (@UWSurvey) participant, May 2009

Twitter Survey Quotes
It's like sex. Everyone does it differently
nd most everyone can find something
hey like about it. Some people just don'
et it, and never will. Trying too hard
makes it worse. Just have fun with it and
e safe.
- Anonymous University of Washington Twitter survey (@UWSurvey) participant, May 2009
responding to the question “What would you say to a friend who asked you about Twitter?\"

CC License:
share&share alike, attribution, non-commercial
• Presentation by Kathy E. Gill
27 May 2009 @ TheTwitterConference
• http://parnassusgroup.com/twitterconference/sessions/
• http://faculty.washington.edu/kegill
• @kegill
• Images: Twitter.com logo, UncleSam from http://
test.mla.lib.mi.us/files/images/UncleSam_2.gif