So I finally got around to signing up on Facebook and immediately poked Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion, and Jack Layton. I'm not exactly sure what 'poking' is but it sounds fun to say “I just poked Stephen Harper.” I assume he'll be able to poke back. But I wonder what you think about services like Facebook or Orkut. Do you see a role for these things come election time? Are you using these services right now to organize, communicate, and network for political purposes. I'm curious how or if these online services are being harnessed to help advance political causes in Canada. Do you think they'll be effective and actually make a difference at the polls? Let me know what you're doing on Facebook or what you think of the political value of these services. Feel free to post a comment or contact me directly.
I'm not sure how effective social networking sites like facebook are as political tools, but they seem to have become an extension of student government politicking- Carleton's recent student elections saw each of the two main executive “slates” have facebook groups, and a polarizing ban on anti-abortion activities on campus in the fall saw similar actions.
On the one hand, they provide at least some way of connecting with potential voters, as group administrators can send out bulk messages to members, but on the other I really doubt that people pay too much attention or that joining a group is a great indication of solid support. That said, it requires almost now effort, time, and money, so why not gain any marginal benefits?
cheers,
Michael Powell
http://www.mikepowell.ca