Better than email? Twitter as a campaigning tool

Eric Lee:

Those of us trying to use email as a campaigning tool are running into some serious problems these days. Getting heard over all the background noise is becoming more difficult. Inboxes are filling up rapidly. At best we skim, and don't read, the hundreds of messages we receive every week. And that's the messages that actually get through our spam filters.

Unions need to find a way to cut through that noise and reach their members. Members need an alternative to the spam-filled, overflowing inbox. Everyone needs messages to be brief and to the point.

Twitter may offer a solution.

It might, certainly an interesting experiment.

Comments

[Jonathan Este]

I'm not sure. I think twitter is more "noisy" than email and - not sure about this - won't get to people who aren't already part of your network...

[Bruce]

Twitter can be really noisy - but if you use it to keep in touch with your network its quick and easy, having said that, email is still my main method of communication. Its hard to get people to use twitter!

[Ben Shepherd]

I think it's an interesting concept. Twitter CAN be noisy ... but at least you;re buying into what you receive (as you opt in to follow). Whereas email you are receiving unsolicited messages most of the time.

I don't think it'll ever reach the same volume of eyes as email ... but if used well it could reach a much smaller, but far more influential group. I think Obama used Twitter well during the Democratic primaries.

And the character limit may keep political rhetoric to a minimum.