We have all been there. Sat in our cubicle/office space when you realise you may just have a few precious moments to look at your favourite site. Recently with Social Media this has made our surfing time even more enjoyable. Twitter, Facebook and even one in three of us who decide to read a daily blog have been spoilt for choice.
Company firewalls have in the past prohibited such use, but ever since they realised that by engaging their brand through social media they could start to see some real ROI, it was no longer a problem.
Twitter has also become a political activation point (PAP). These PAPs have shaped elections, become the outlet for voters voices and engaged policy makers in understanding what it is, that is affecting the political landscape.
Recently it was reported that the White House is stopping all use of Twitter within its offices. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced to CNN that he felt he “was on camera enough for the people to know what he was doing without Twittering”.
And yet, Americans are being called upon by their own Commander in Chief to “Tweet your Senator” to show support for their health care reform plans.
It seems the UK government has cottoned onto the fact that Twitter is an extremely powerful tool. With UK voters getting younger and voter turnout getting smaller, Twitter can be seen as a white knight to saving UK politics all together - if used correctly.
A recent 20 page booklet created for the government, by Neil Williams highlights the benefits of using Twitter are and what the best practices should be.
Barack Obama created his political strength through engagement with social media, understanding the voters needs and developing a strategy centered around public sentiment. He used the opportunity to develop a large and effective grass roots campaign that otherwise could not have been started without Twitter in today’s modern age. To this day, occasional tweets and Facebook updates show that he and his team are engaged with the voter base and, strategically basing their tactics against the GOP on the information being fed back to them.
Gordon Brown on the other hand has only just started to listen. He has realised the power of Twitter and how it can help salvage (if in any way) his political career. It makes you wonder though, if Boris Johnson has been using social media since taking the post of Mayor of London, why has it taken so long for Mr Brown to finally get up to speed?
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