Alaska Governor Sarah Palin signed on to Twitter and already has 34621 followers. Governor Rick Perry claims 10340 followers. Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell has 3526 followers. This translates to one thing: the GOP is beginning to understand technology and can utilize it to effectively communicate with constituents reporters staff and promote their causes whether it be with news articles announcements of upcoming events or just tweeting about something personal.
Twitter can be a powerful resource to quickly and concisely disseminate a message to thousands of followers in just seconds. The social networking site has proved its influence by creating a public arena to communicate about the crisis in Iran.
According to CBS News Secretary of Defense Robert Gates lauded the use of twitter during the Iranian elections.
Its a huge win for freedom around the world because this monopoly of information is no longer in the hands of the government" said Gates to CBS News.
Politicians and government agencies alike are utilizing social networking applications like Twitter and Facebook to more broadly communicate a message. The mediums are more read and more accessible to many than email newspapers and other traditional forms of media. As a result politicians producers and reporters are turning to social networking sites to distribute content and hear more diverse opinions.
Governor Rick Perry has utilized Twitter to communicate about upcoming events and important business news in Texas. His utilization of Twitter also establishes an open and honest policy sharing details about his travel schedule and even his personal life.
Good report from the doctor. Bones are lined up nicely and healing properly. Thanks for the prayers" Perry said in a Tweet from his BlackBerry.
Citizens across the nation are using Twitter more not just to communicate with friends and family but also to voice their opinions to their elected officials and reporters.
ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper has 17975 followers and communicates with them frequently proving that Twitter is not just to promote oneself and ideas but to find information and connect with people in an innovative way. Tapper even conducted a Twitter interview with Arizona Senator John McCain. McCain was sharply criticized during the Presidential Election for not being technologically savvy a quality he has clearly improved on.
