http://vyous.com/sports/nfl/thechargers/2009/01/13/politicians-tap-into- myspace-generation---san-diego-union-tribune
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders "tweets" on Twitter, or rather his staff is doing it on his behalf, sending out short messages about water conservation or his upcoming State of the City address. Councilman Carl DeMaio promotes causes on Facebook and YouTube. DeMaio's colleague, Councilman Todd Gloria, invited people via MySpace to join him on a march to City Hall for his swearing-in last month, and 150 people turned out. Social-networking sites, pervasive among the tech-savvy, are finding their way into politics as younger politicians come to prominence and older ones catch on. The social-networker in chief has been President-elect Barack Obama, but politicians from Chula Vista to Oceanside are finding uses for the technology as well. Casey DeLorme, founder of Getspine Communications, a local firm that advises clients on communications and marketing strategies, said politicians who don't use the technology risk being upstaged by their competition. Because of its interactive and unfiltered nature, he said, social-networking sites allow elected officials to get a pulse on their community without having to conduct surveys or focus groups. "It's like a built-in, constantly going focus group," said DeLorme, referring to Twitter in particular. The two-year-old Twitter service allows users to broadcast short messages of up to 140 characters - tweets - to computers, cell phones and other wireless devices of "followers" who sign up. DeLorme went on Twitter and critiqued Sanders' tweets, encouraging him to interact more and announce less. Sanders' Twitter account has about 200 followers. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has about 7,000 people following his tweets. DeMaio has more than 900 signed up to be part of his Facebook network. DeMaio aggressively uses YouTube, radio, television and newspapers to spread his political messages. "People don't pay attention because they've got busy lives, so you have to engage them through multiple modes," he said. On his Facebook page, DeMaio is waging a campaign to eliminate the use of free VIP tickets to Qualcomm Stadium and Petco Park by City Council members. DeMaio plans to have online feedback displayed on a large screen during the public comments portion of council meetings. Gloria has about 1,300 people in his Facebook network and about the same number on MySpace. "It's really turned out to be a neat way to get the word out," Gloria said. Stacey Fulhorst, executive director of the San Diego Ethics Commission, said council members and their staffers can use social-networking sites as much as they like as long as they are using them to engage the public on city matters. However, Fulhorst said, using city computers or employees to promote re-election or campaign fundraisers on Facebook or other such sites is against ethics rules. In Chula Vista, Councilmen Steve Castaneda and John McCann used Facebook as a campaign tool, and McCann plans to use it even more this year to get out information on the city. In Lemon Grove, Councilman George Gastil uses Facebook to stay in touch with political contacts throughout the county. "I found it really easy to pile up a bunch of friends and contacts," Gastil said. "You become someone's friend, next thing you know some of their friends want to be your friend." Not all elected officials have embraced social-networking sites. None of the five San Diego County supervisors, whose ages range from 60 to 69, use social-networking sites, according to a survey of their staffs yesterday. San Diego Councilman Tony Young said traditional means of communication, such as paper fliers and newsletters, are still necessary because many of his constituents in southeastern San Diego lack computer access. "A lot of folks want to know that you are real," Young said. "I don't want to be a virtual councilman." Even Sanders, whose staff is advancing his agenda through social networking, is not personally into the technology. He didn't know what Twitter was when asked recently. When told about the use of social-networking sites by DeMaio, 34, and Gloria, 30, Sanders replied, "They are a new generation. They are young people. "I am an old guy," said Sanders, 58, running his hand through his white hair. DeLorme, who signed up for the mayor's tweets, said he was hoping for more back-and-forth conversations. Twitter allows for exchanges between senders and recipients of tweets. His advice to Sanders' office: "Make me feel like I am there with you." DeLorme said that because Twitter is such a new technology, there is a learning curve for officials to master the art of using it well. Users have to figure out how often they should tweet - too many tweets in one day can annoy recipients and infrequent tweets may lead people to think you are inactive. "A lot of social media is still in a stage where it's so early, you really have to experiment with it," DeLorme said. Santee Mayor Randy Voepel won't be experimenting. Voepel describes himself as an "old-school, hard-core, non-computer type" who only uses his computer for work and e-mail. "All of the other computer pastimes are a frivolous waste of time to me," he said, albeit by e-mail. "I would rather talk with someone face to face than type them in Facebook." Staff writers Michele Clock, Craig Gustafson, Anne Krueger, Tanya Mannes, Chris Moran, Lola Sherman and Tanya Sierra contributed to this report. Helen Gao: (619) 718-5181; [email protected] *********************************** * POST TO [email protected] * *********************************** Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
