Social Media Tips for the Obama 2012 Campaign
With the Republican side of the Presidential campaign heating up, I know the Obama camp is getting down in the trenches for a tremendous 15 months of long hours, multiple brainstorm sessions and data streams that go on for miles. President Obama's recent use of Twitter to urge movement with a debit ceiling decision is a solid step forward. Here are some other ideas: Tweet Tracking
Obama's team provided the Twitter IDs of various Republican members of Congress. If each tweet included a link to the landing pages of those states' pages, a whole stream of insight could be found. Which state reps were most popular? Who seemed to get the most traction in phone calls and tweets? By using a tool like Simply Measured, Team Obama can also look at spikes in Twitter conversation and track which Twitter stream of the Republican Congress members get the most attention. This same method should be used for understanding what the American people are talking about. Which issues matter most? What tag clouds can be created? Is there a group of Twitter users with a high Klout score who are talking about a niche topic that shouldn't be considered so niche?
Facebook Mining
I'm sure there are citizens who comment on POTUS' Facebook page every day or every week. By keeping track of the volume of conversation by fan page member, it may be possible to cross reference this name with the overall donation list. Is this person also donating $5 every week? Could this person be turned into a local organizer or community leader? By organizing advocates and dissenters, the Obama camp can use this information to motivate both a new voter base, but also those voters on the fence. Throw in demographic data and you have deeper layers to understand voters.
Getting on Google+
At this point, Ford Motor Company is the only official Google+ test account. I wouldn't doubt that the Googlers and Obama-ers are talking about ways 2012 can have a place in Google+. Can you imagine the Huddles? There could be Huddles for Community Organizers and, within minutes, an instant video conference call can begin. Those advocates I mentioned from Facebook can be in an Influencer Circle - an easy click away for Obama 2012 to bounce ideas off of. SEO would be a dream. The more issues are discussed in Circles, the higher likelihood they are to be indexed. A voter who may be confused about President Obama's stance on Issue X can find the Google+ conversation (especially if it's public), see multiple points of view and decide from there. Donations
This one is most likely going to be one of their most challenging tasks, but given the state of transparency in American politics today, I think it would be a pleasant surprise. 2008 was a banner year for using social media to galvanize a community, raise money and make a difference in standard issue politics. Social media's made a tremendous leap in the comfort level of Americans, but it's also set the stage for a heap load of expectations. If there was a way that I knew the $5 I contributed last week went to a set of index cards at the Iowa Caucus, I'd Twitpic and Facebook post the heck out of those index cards. And my friends would see that. And my extended social network would see that. And I would feel like a mini rock star for the day. Any ideas you have? Comment away because, in the world of social media, there is always another idea.
Obama's team provided the Twitter IDs of various Republican members of Congress. If each tweet included a link to the landing pages of those states' pages, a whole stream of insight could be found. Which state reps were most popular? Who seemed to get the most traction in phone calls and tweets? By using a tool like Simply Measured, Team Obama can also look at spikes in Twitter conversation and track which Twitter stream of the Republican Congress members get the most attention. This same method should be used for understanding what the American people are talking about. Which issues matter most? What tag clouds can be created? Is there a group of Twitter users with a high Klout score who are talking about a niche topic that shouldn't be considered so niche?
Facebook Mining
I'm sure there are citizens who comment on POTUS' Facebook page every day or every week. By keeping track of the volume of conversation by fan page member, it may be possible to cross reference this name with the overall donation list. Is this person also donating $5 every week? Could this person be turned into a local organizer or community leader? By organizing advocates and dissenters, the Obama camp can use this information to motivate both a new voter base, but also those voters on the fence. Throw in demographic data and you have deeper layers to understand voters.
Getting on Google+
At this point, Ford Motor Company is the only official Google+ test account. I wouldn't doubt that the Googlers and Obama-ers are talking about ways 2012 can have a place in Google+. Can you imagine the Huddles? There could be Huddles for Community Organizers and, within minutes, an instant video conference call can begin. Those advocates I mentioned from Facebook can be in an Influencer Circle - an easy click away for Obama 2012 to bounce ideas off of. SEO would be a dream. The more issues are discussed in Circles, the higher likelihood they are to be indexed. A voter who may be confused about President Obama's stance on Issue X can find the Google+ conversation (especially if it's public), see multiple points of view and decide from there. Donations
This one is most likely going to be one of their most challenging tasks, but given the state of transparency in American politics today, I think it would be a pleasant surprise. 2008 was a banner year for using social media to galvanize a community, raise money and make a difference in standard issue politics. Social media's made a tremendous leap in the comfort level of Americans, but it's also set the stage for a heap load of expectations. If there was a way that I knew the $5 I contributed last week went to a set of index cards at the Iowa Caucus, I'd Twitpic and Facebook post the heck out of those index cards. And my friends would see that. And my extended social network would see that. And I would feel like a mini rock star for the day. Any ideas you have? Comment away because, in the world of social media, there is always another idea.
