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

14

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 protected]

On Twitter: @Jasonp107

http://parnassusgroup.comhttp://eatsleeppublish.com

KATHY E. GILL

http://faculty.washington.edu/

kegill

On Twitter: @kegillSARAH

[email protected] (& political)

feed: @sairyBusiness feed: @publicedgeArticles feed:

@sarahgrangerhttp://www.publicedge.com/

CC Info - Images: Twitter.com logo, UncleSam from http://test.mla.lib.mi.us/files/images/UncleSam_2.gif

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The Political Session