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California Politicians Go Tweet, Tweet, Tweet in the Name of Transparency
SF Mayor Newsom models the iPhone (Photo via Echelon)
California Governor-hopeful and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is part of a trailblazing trend: Politicians and social media. Along with current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Golden State politicos are part of what is re-shaping the face of campaigns, according to an Associated Press report:
Online social networks are rapidly making traditional political advertisements obsolete, said veteran political strategist Joe Trippi, who used Internet fundraising to propel Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign. The social networks are giving elected leaders like [Newark, NJ Mayor Cory] Booker and Newsom a new way to satiate the public’s hunger for transparency. “These are the first politicians to build considerable followings on Twitter, and they’re doing it by taking the filter out and showing people who they really are,” Trippi said of Booker and Newsom. “Twitter and these other social networks and new media demand authenticity. This is the future.”
Both Newsom and his NJ counterpart are doing well in the numbers--the Twitter numbers, that is. "As of Saturday, Newsom ranks ninth on Twitter among all elected officials carrying the 'political' tag, according to Twitterholic. Booker is 13th." On that list, the Governator is 10th, topped by President Obama, former Vice President Gore, and Senator John McCain. But of all the Twitter users, Newsom is currently ranked a respectable 101st--putting him between pop diva Mariah Carey (95th) and socialite Paris Hilton (237th).
Will Twitter change the face of politics?
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