A Politician’s Role in the Twitterverse, Part Three: Megaphone vs. Telephone
These posts on a “Politician’s Role in the Twitterverse” were a joint collaboration between Sandi Fox, Smart As A Fox Consulting (@smartasafox) and Sean Hurley, Hear Forward (@seanphurley). This article, the third in the series, originally appeared on SmartAsAFox. Also see the first and second articles in the series.
A Politician’s Role in the Twitterverse, Part Three: Megaphone vs. Telephone
It all began with a tweet from a college friend – and so began our Twitter discussion on the role politicians should play within the greater Twitterverse, and how they may view their own roles as part of the greater community.
Politicians are just like other tweeters, are they not? They use Twitter to share and disseminate information, while also striving to stay current and absorb additional news. Twitter is also a new way to hear from district and national constituents on specific issues that are being discussed. The real issue is that every politician approaches their use of Twitter differently, some don’t even utilize it at all.
Megaphone vs. Telephone
Obviously, today’s politicians see the Twitterverse as an asset, but there is still a disconnect in how it should be used. More than 70 members of Congress, including almost twenty sitting U.S. Senators, tweet. Candidates for public office, whether gunning for a position on the school board, state representative, or U.S. Senator use Twitter in a variety of ways – some more effective than others.
Most politicians these days (and businesses) use Twitter as a mouthpiece, instead of a tool for conversation. Too often, social media tools are seen as megaphones to blast a message, not telephones to foster engagement. The secret to using Twitter as a telephone is the same as any other basic community relationship: you have to listen as much as you speak. Engaging the community is the best way to communicate and have influence on Twitter.
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