The old rules about Twitter and political candidates just don’t seem to apply anyone. The number one rule used to be: don’t get in Twitter fights. Take the high road and keep your campaign message positive, confident and respectful. Leave the fights and back & forth nonsense to entertainment folks and comedians. The second rule: no name calling. That was then.
Pocahontas is at it again! Goofy Elizabeth Warren, one of the least productive U.S. Senators, has a nasty mouth. Hope she is V.P. choice.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2016
No, seriously — Delete your account. https://t.co/O1u7oc0jAR
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) June 10, 2016
Twitter actually published The Twitter Government and Elections Handbook, an exhaustive, 139 page e-handbook with basic instruction such as how to set up an account (page 36), the definition of a tweet (page 26) and a follower (page 39), how to add a picture to a post (page 29) and a reminder to use a strong password with at least 20 characters (page 31 – does anyone really do this?) It also gives best practices for when to tweet during certain campaign events (page 121) and how to engage followers (page 12). That was then.
Today, seasoned politicians are well aware of the value of a Twitter account. Particularly during campaign periods, they can be found tweeting up a storm. Most are versed on the basics and need no instructions about how to post a selfie (page 58).
First #selfie! Great to see the kids from the Georgetown School of Arts and Sciences in DC today. pic.twitter.com/TRULXpUiID
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) April 9, 2014
This is now:
- Do not give total tweet control to a staff person. Approve your tweets or if you post your own messages, have someone else take a look at it first. As the saying goes, “two eyes are better than one.” Make sure you trust the people who have your password. This tweet from Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador got blamed on a staffer. It was sent after a Superbowl promo spot for a Two Broke Girls episode – something about a stripper pole.
- Use your account to provide information about your position on issues, campaign event details, your accomplishments and things happening in your region. It’s also useful to find support for your causes and bills and from voters in general to increase your likability.
- Pause before you tweet. Take a deep breath. Reread it. Tweets can be deleted immediately, but there always seems to be someone who sees it and takes a screen shot. People are hired to monitor tweets and they are sure to pick up on it, like this one from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He said it was only up for seven seconds and blamed it on auto-correct.
- If you hire a social media manager, make sure they have systems in place so they will tweet from the proper account.
- Make sure everyone with access knows the basics including the difference between a private message and a public one. Anthony Weiner learned this lesson too late to save his political career when he infamously tweeted his private parts to the twitterverse.
- Find the sweet spot for the number of tweets to post. If you don’t really have anything to say, don’t say anything.
Since we’re old-school, we still advise politicians and candidates to take the high road, especially on the road to the White House. And no name calling.
Leisa Chester Weir
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