On the campaign trail: Does social media matter?

Ask any candidate in this year's civic election how to win votes, and the number 1 answer will likely be simple: Meet voters.

Which is why you'll find candidates out there doing what candidates have always done: knocking on doors, attending public meetings, shaking hands, putting signs on lawns.

But you'll also find them increasingly turning to new ways to "meet" people - ways that don't need either big budgets or the ability to physically introduce yourself to tens of thousands of people.

The new campaign trail is a virtual one: the web, and social media in particular, is rising in prominence on the civic scene this time out. But how important is it, really? Are Twitter, Facebook and their like simply bandwagons? Or are they truly important to those who want to serve on council, in the mayor's office and on the school board?

For Cort Ray Caldwell, who's running for school board, the answer is simple: yes, it's important.

"Social media not only offers resources (and reach) to my indie campaign I couldn't otherwise afford, but it also opens the door to a dialogue with a younger demographic (for example) who may feel as though their views are under-represented," he pointed out on Facebook.

Caldwell noted that one way of increasing voter turnout is to have voters feel engaged - and social media, used well, opens the door to doing just that.

He notes that with Twitter, especially, many candidates tend to use it as a "broadcast" channel, but that doesn't tend to be effective. Instead, he says, candidates should be adding value by proactively looking for feedback and providing input on areas of expertise.

"When you engage with people in the community, providing value, real connections usually develop," he said. "I see this as a sort of virtual doorstep, a new brand of retail politics."

Jeremy Perry, who's also running for trustee, says it's important to him to be present on social media because it shows he's accessible and it gives people a place to ask him questions.

" I've had a few reach out to me to ask questions," he tweeted. "It's been great to be able to connect with people."

Also solidly on the social media trail is David Brett, who's in the council race for the first time.

"Social media is not only important in my campaign, it's critical," he said on Facebook. "We live in a world overloaded with information, and attention is a scarce resource. People want fresh, timely and relevant information in exchange for their attention. Social tools like Twitter and Facebook help people filter out the noise, zooming in on information already deemed relevant by friends and trusted sources."

But that doesn't mean he intends to let other forms of campaigning go by the wayside.

"These tools are primarily complements to the main work of door-to-door campaigning," he said. "The real magic happens face to face, with social media enabling us to share and multiply that magic."

Ditto for incumbent school trustee Casey Cook, who's added Twitter, Facebook and the web to his arsenal of campaign tools: "SM provides gr8 opportunities to communicate," he tweeted. "Doesn't replace face to face, but still very effective! Primary means for many."

Similar sentiments are expressed by Patrick Johnstone, a longtime local blogger and social media user who's in the race for council.

"Short version - it's important, but so is traditional media," he tweeted.

He points out in a post on his own blog (www.patrickjohnstone.ca/media) that social media has been good to him.

"Pretty much my entire campaign team (aside from my long-suffering partner and financial agent) are people I met in some way through social media," he says in the post.

But he's also quick to note that social media alone won't cut it, admitting that "our hyper-connected social media worlds can give us a false sense of connection to our physical neighbours. Many people I meet on the doorstep have never heard of @NWimby, never mind the blog I have spent 5 years stuffing with words. To get those people connected, even in this online age, requires traditional media."

Which means you'll find him, yes, buying newspaper ads and putting up signs - not just Tweeting and Facebooking.

Mike Folka, a first-time council candidate, is also a social media supporter - while recognizing its limitations.

He calls social media "fairly important, while understanding its limited reach."

"I don't have a big budget like most other candidates," he said on Twitter, adding that he's found it useful in having discussions with voters. "I definitely feel I've been able to engage some residents via social media and am trying to use it to gather feedback."

Scott McIntosh, in the council race for the first time, says social media is useful but far from the end-all and be-all of campaigning.

"I find the social media a new way to meet people, but the old grass roots so much faster and more impact!" he tweeted.

MaryAnn Mortensen, an incumbent trustee who's running for school board again, admits herself to be a "reluctant user of social media."

"Social media has the ability to connect to a wider demographic of our population who might not otherwise engage municipal candidates," she said on Facebook, but added that social media doesn't allow for the same level of connection as face-to-face discussion.

"Face-to-face communication allows a person to read the social cues and emotions behind a candidate's platform or public persona in a way that social media cannot," she said.

For Mortensen, the value of social media lies in large part in how it is used.

"Used wisely, social media can connect us to ideas and thought streams we might have not otherwise considered," she said. "Conversely, Twitter and other forms of social media can be used negatively to attack, shame or bully and as candidates running for election, I think we should model the kind of behaviour we ask of our children. Speak the truth, be kind and be respectful."

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Want to comment on this story or other #elxnnw issues? Find Julie MacLellan on Twitter, @juliemaclellan, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/JulieLMacLellan.