Since 2009 I have been gradually building and establishing a platform of sorts and I didn’t even know it, until recently.

What began as a way for me to connect with friends and interact with new ones on Facebook has become an outlet for me to express my political beliefs, observations, and criticisms. It’s also been a way for me to support candidates and positions that I resonate with.

In 2009 when I signed up for Twitter I originally did so because I wanted to use the platform to find employment and work. I originally heard about the micro-blogging service on a podcast for job seekers. I think it was called “Secrets of the Job Hunt”. I was really amazed at a story they cited where a person tweeted that she was looking for a job because she was going to be laid off soon. Through her network she was able to secure interviews, prospects, and finally landed a job in a short amount of time. In a similar fashion I have expanded my network and been able to connect with people I would have only dreamed about with out the 140 character medium.

As I continue to use these two services I realized something shocking. I have actually been building a platform, a means by which I can say something to others. With that I have been building an audience. Each follower or friend has followed me because I’ve either distinguished myself in my field, or because they find what I say interesting enough that they want to hear more.

When I meet people on the street or events they have said, “Oh, you have that blog or I’ve been on your website” and It confirms that I am building an audience and platform.

So now with this new realization I come to a decision I have to make. Now that I have built it, what do I do with it?  Really, I think I need to continue to use my platform to influence others, champion principles that I believe in, and work to increase my audience.  I need to continue building value into my platform and continue to utilize it wisely.

So, what about you? Are you building a platform and not even knowing it? If you have a platform, what are you using it for?

With the advent of social media, or as political operatives call it, “new media” there is a whole new realm of communications and conversation.  Some call it the “back channel”.  Both political candidates, their staffers, and the potential voters who are active in social media all contribute to the conversation leading up to election day.  Listening to the conversation is a bit daunting. Here is how I’m listening to the new media conversation leading up to Kentucky’s 2011 election.

1. Use lists to manage Twitter followers. The first thing I did is to group the candidates into different lists to make tracking easier.  I created a list for Republican candidates and a list for Democratic candidates so I could keep track of their most recent posts.  In a previous post I outline how to create lists on Twitter.

2. Search for relevant terms on Twitter. In listening to the conversations of the election, I had a few questions of Twitter about the election.  A few questions I have are:

What is being said generally about the election on Twitter?

To listen to general conversation I search for the hashtag #kyelect and #kyelect11. Any tweet that is tagged with these terms will show up in my feed. I can then read the tweets and know what is being talked about.

What are people saying to other people about the election?

Similarly, to listen to conversations to specific people I set up a search for their individual Twitter username.  For example, I want to keep track of questions people ask the host of Kentucky Tonight, Bill Goodman (and sometimes Renee Shaw).  To do this I searched for Bill and Renee’s twitter handle (@BillKET, and @ReneeKET).  This way I get to hear what questions are being asked to the candidates from Kentucky Tonight viewers.  You can search for other names if you want to listen in on other personalities. This, by far, is the best example of listening to the “back channel”.

3.  Track relevant hashtags. Lastly, I wanted to list some of the hashtags I am tracking on Twitter regarding the election.  Any tweets with this term shows up in a search column so I can read it.

• #kyelect
• #kyelect11
• #kygop
• #kydem
• #kytonight

Finally, I use Hootsuite to do most of my social media management.  I have all these lists, searches, and hashtags in a tab in my Hootsuite application.  So, how are you listening to the conversation?  Do you use lists, searches and hashtags?  Are you using anything differently?

Politics and political organization is no easy venture. Part of winning a political campaign is the maintenance and use of good lists. These could be donor lists, voter lists, or any other kind of lists.  Did you know that Twitter allows you to create lists of Twitter accounts to help you wage an effective campaign?  In this post, I’ll show you how to create a list and then how to use them for your campaign.  Let’s get started!

Creating the List

Twitter has a how-to on creating a list so why try to explain something already?  Here’s what Twitter says about creating a list:

1. Visit the profile of the first user you would like to add to your list
2. Click the person icon. This brings up a drop-down Actions menu.
3. Select “Add to list”
4. Enter the credentials of your list and choose whether others can see it or whether it is private
5. Check to see if the user you wanted to add was successfully included in that list: to do this, click the person icon and select “Add to list”. A checkmark will be added next to lists in which that user is included (shown below under “Adding or Removing People”).

That’s it!

List Building: Oh the Possibilities!

When creating a list you have infinite possibilities.  As a campaign manager, new media director for a state party, or candidate you might want to create a list of liberal bloggers’ twitter accounts, traditional press members, or even influential Twitter-ers.  For example, I wanted an easy way to track all the Republican candidates in Kentucky, I wanted to allow others to follow the same list, and have a separate timeline for their tweets.  For your purposes, get creative with your own lists and what you want to listen to or track.

Examples of Lists I’ve Created:

I’ve created lists mostly for political candidates and elected officials. I’ll just list my lists here:

• Kentucky Statewide Democratic Candidates
• Kentucky Statewide Republican Candidates

There are other lists that I’ve created. To look at all of them, you can click here.

Why Lists are Cool

Lists are especially helpful for listening to what people are saying about you or your candidate with out explicitly following individual accounts.  Further, any list you create can be hidden or made private. You can follow whole sections of people without anyone knowing. Mostly though, it’s a way to manage and maintain your Twitter connections.

Your Turn

So, I’ve explained how to create lists in Twitter, examples of my lists, and why lists might be used.  How are you using lists and what can we learn from you?

During a campaign you’re always fundraising. Asking for money keeps staffers employed, advertisements on television, and your consultants paid. I’ve seen it all on the trail; personal solicitation, direct mail, urging meeting goers to donate online afterwards, a basket to accept checks, and the dreaded fishbowl of cash (election finance nightmare anyone?) Is there a way to use technology to make fundraising easier?

Be Square!

Square is a revolutionary tool to accept credit card payments. It’s an app for your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphone. Signing up is simple:

1. Download the app
2. Create an an account and add your campaign’s account number.

After signing up your card reader is shipped and delivered in about a week.

Why Use It?

First, Square’s fees are reasonable and better than other services. Square charges %2.75 per transaction or 3.5 + ¢15 if you have to manually enter in a card number. There are no monthly fees or charges for a machine. The reader is free! Second, your campaign should be able to take credit cards in person at events or meetings. Let’s say your candidate just delivered a roaring good speech and made the ask for contributions. People don’t carry cash and they barely know where their checkbook is. They do carry their credit or debit card. Your campaign needs to capitalize on those moments.

Tips on Usage:

Let’s assume that you have multiple staffers and your campaign are in different parts of the state. Equip your staffers with an iPhone, a Square Card Reader, and of course the app. Tie the account to the checking account of the campaign so you can allow multiple streams of donations to come in. At your campaign’s booth be sure to display your decal that Square gives you (a sign with credit card logos) to notify passerby. When this device is used, it’ll create buzz around the crowd and people will be drawn to see this neat little device. Maybe this will get more donations? Lastly, try giving the device to dedicated volunteers who go door knocking for you. Taking a small donation would be a great help when going door-to-door, if a voter expresses interest.

The Drawback

Square is a trendy, hip, and cool way to show that your campaign “gets” technology. As it turns out, Square does have some drawbacks. Currently, there is no way to capture address or occupation and employer data, all necessary for election finance compliance. You only get the name and amount. Solve this by recording that data manually on a paper form. Just record the missing data points with a date and amount and your finance team should be able to comply with election law.

Yes, it’s true, fundraising is probably the hardest part about politics. Hopefully, with Square you can make it easier.

Have you used Square before? How are you using it? Any tips you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments below!

As a social media observer and new media enthusiast, guru, I have seen candidates or their staffers Tweeting out that the candidate is now doing something, usually with a picture on Twitpic or similar service. This is wrong, wrong I say. Why?  Basically, it puts your audience in crisis mode and neglects the before and after effects of your tweet or status update.  Here are three tips to make that one tweet a much more effective message.

1. Tweet Well Before the Event

Every day your campaign will have a schedule of appearances. You’re either going to meetings, appearing on television or radio, or some other event.  If these events are on the record and you can tell people about them you should tweet to your audience that your candidate will be attending or doing whatever he/she is doing.  It would be best a few days earlier and at least a post every day before the event occurs, with directions or more information. This will give your audience time to prepare or schedule to attend the meeting. It goes toward motivating your base to always come and show support!

2. Tweet During the Event

This is the time to tweet your status at the event.  Obviously, you want to tweet out a picture of your candidate in the studio of the television or radio station, but really what you should do is use your campaign website’s blog feature.  Using Twitpic or YFrog are great for personal use, but as a campaign, you should be directing people to your website.  You should be looking for opportunities to drive traffic to your site, not these other picture hosting services. For a radio appearance, a simple post with a picture in the studio and link to the station’s livestream is the best.  That way your audience can participate. Also, this is a great way to direct people to donate. Say something like, “Keep the momentum going, donate today!” You want to use this event in your day to keep your voter focused on the campaign, get them to do something (give $$ hopefully).

3. Tweet After the Event

After the event this is the time to let people know what happened. Yes, there are still people that are clueless and will have missed your radio spot, or television appearance. This is where you use the infamous acronym “ICYMI” (in case you missed it).  Direct your followers to the same page, some sort of a post thanking the host of the show, etc. And always ask for a contribution.

If you follow these simple steps; tweet before, during, and after, you’ll be more apt to see a greater return on your new media communication, fundraising, and supporter engagement.

Greetings and welcome to my website.  I want to give you a brief overview of the goals and aims of it.

Overview

I want to work for a political organization or official in their press shop in a new media directors role.  Therefore, this website is geared towards my career and contains then, my biography, resume, and portfolio. These elements are pretty basic, but as I’ve found out, many job seekers don’t have personal websites devoted to their career.  In fact, I’ve only seen one that seemed to do the trick when I was researching before setting this site up myself. Further, in my job search I thought it would be helpful to potential employees to reference my portfolio of work for their perusal.  In the age of the Internet it seems like a “no-brainer” to have my application materials online for the world to see.  Yes, I might be putting myself out there and that could be scary, but I take transparency and openness seriously.

Goals and Aims

Professionally, I want to work for a political organization or official in a new media director role.  This website will be successful if I can credit it with my being hired on staff in that role.  In addition to my biography, resume, and portfolio this website also houses my blog.  You’ll be able to read my political philosophy, answers to interview questions, and thoughts on the industry.  This site will aim then to give you a great perspective on who I am, what I can do, and why you should hire me as your next New Media Director.