Tweeting. Facebooking. Blogging. Chatting. Networking. Call it what you will, but it's all part of a modern election campaign.
Love it or hate it, it's here to stay: shaking hands and kissing babies just doesn't cut it anymore. And it's the foolhardy politician (some of whom call New West home, apparently) who ignore the changing face of politics.
And that's not just my two cents.
"More and more politicians are taking this more seriously," Derek Moscato, a communications expert and public relations instructor at Douglas College, told The Record. "It used to be that there were a few outliers (who were active with social media), but there is much more of an acceptance of social media as a tool in politics, advocacy, even (political) fundraising."
Moscato says Barack Obama's presidential campaign was a watershed moment for the marriage of politics and social media. (Consider this: Obama has nearly 11 million followers on Twitter. Not many politicians can "talk" to that many potential supporters all at the same time, with a few deft strokes on a keyboard.)
Obama's success in using social media, particularly in engaging a younger demographic of voter, is now being echoed around North America, at various levels of government: Moscato points to politicians like Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and premier Christy Clark as two who are leading the pack in B.C.
On the local front, several candidates - both incumbents and newcomers - seem to have a good handle on the use of social media, but from my perch, most of them appear to be fumbling around in the dark, late to the game with brand-new Twitter accounts and not much time left before the election.
Meanwhile, local bloggers, like the crew over at Tenth to the Fraser, are using social media, particularly Twitter, to talk politics with both candidates and fellow residents, even live-tweeting from all-candidate debates. (They're so invested in the local political scene that they're putting together a list of endorsements for their followers.)
It's unfortunate that more politicians aren't maximizing the potential of social networking.
"There is an opportunity for people in politics to use this (to their advantage), particularly newly emerging candidates. ... For newcomers, this is a great way to get their name out there and reach out to a newer, younger audience," says Moscato.
But to those who are still fond of the "old-fashioned" techniques, don't fear: those tried-and-true methods of campaigning are still important.
"At the end of the day, social media complements what you're already doing. You still need to do the door-knocking and you still need the signs. There's still room for the debates. This is a layering on, of reaching a different or new audience," he said.
And though many New Westminster candidates aren't using these platforms successfully, those who do could well see the payoff at the polls.
"We're already there in terms of it having an impact for a candidate ... there is a tangible benefit," said Moscato. "Quite frankly, there is a great benefit for all municipal politicians because at the municipal level it's all about engaging with people and social media is about engagement."
And it's only going to become more important: "If you're not engaged in these media, you could be missing out on an important part of the conversation. ... They can't afford to miss out on what's being said."
Meanwhile, I notice that only a few candidates - including Jonathan Cote, David Phelan and Casey Cook - are using their election signs to plug their websites so that voters know where to find more information. Thumbs up to those who had the foresight for that.
All in all, the city has a few front-runners on the social media scene but most are falling behind - and my hunch is that these are skills that won't be optional by the next municipal election in 2014. Now's the time to get on the band-wagon - and get with the times.
Behind the scenes: See reporter Christina Myers' blog at www.royalcityrecord.com for more on our analysis.
Want to make a comment? If you think we have it all wrong, or you just want to share your opinion about social media use in the New Westminster election, visit Christina Myers' blog at www.royalcityrecord.com, or follow her on Twitter, @ChristinaMyersA.
