The story below the photograph suggests that the candidates for mayor are following different tactics -- Mario doing mainly traditional door to door canvassing -- the others using social media. Now in fairness Mario tweets etc, and the other candidates are canvassing but the question is one of emphasis.
There's no doubt social media is very relevant -- you're reading this on my blog -- but to my mind it just doesn't take the place of face to face meeting and discussion. Even if I get a tweet from, say, Candidate X it doesn't replace speaking to that candidate.
Clearly social media reaches more people than can ever be canvassed door to door. But to my mind it remains an adjunct only -- a political campaign means going out and meeting people.
1 comment:
As a candidate for Newmarket Councillor, I agree 100% with your opinion.
We have candidates gaging success on the number of "followers" and "friends" that other candidates have as compared to theirs.
I find this absolutely ridiculous, as many of our voters, although technically savy, want the personal "touch" with a candidate that they are considering.
I do believe that social networking is an effective element in a campaign, more so than ever, however, it can also work against a candidate. Candidates must be careful what they say and how they say it, the written word does not reflect a smile.
A smile and a handshake go further than a tweet or blog in my opinion.
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