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Barack vs Hillary: A tale of two who twitter

Barack vs Hillary: A tale of two who Twitter
But can they Tweet?

I've been caught up in the twitterverse and become an avid user of Twitter. I tweet often and really like the loose interaction between friends & acquaintances I normally wouldn't email, IM, SNS or text very often. It's like a perpetual group chat with my different network clusters. I also like the exchange of information; links to media articles about virtual worlds, backchanneling & commentary at conferences and events. In other words, the micro-blogging side of it. But I'm also getting more personal information: what people had for lunch, what class they're teaching, who they're in a meeting with, life commentary and more. I feel connected and caught up with this kind of shared personal information, especially with some of my 'weaker' ties (the somewhat close ties & acquaintances). I may not chat with them directly (although I do find myself commenting from time to time on their tweets, which is a great quick little interaction), but I feel connected. So, Twitter actually strengthens my weak ties - much like Facebook only faster. Some people don't like the TMI-Tweets their friends share though, so it's not for everyone.

What does this have to do with Barack & Hillary?

I looked at Barack and Hillary's Twitter pages and examined their tweets. I was curious what route they would take with their tweets (not that I expected them to share what they had for lunch with the world). The first thing I notice is that they both have about the same number of updates: Barack has 98 and Hillary has slightly more at 110. Hillary started tweeting Jan 13 2008, whereas Barack started April 29 2007. Barack jumped on the bandwagon much earlier. Is Hillary trying to make up for lost time?

The next thing that jumps out at me is the number of followers. Hillary has 2960 followers on Twitter. Barack has 23,238 followers, a huge number more than Hillary (same thing on Facebook). Here's the other big difference: How many people is Hillary following? ZERO. Barack? 23,042. Regardless of whether he actually keeps up with them, at least he gives the impression of interest and some reciprocity in the people who are interested in him (and perhaps voting for him).

As I start to read the tweets of Hillary & Barack, I immediately see another difference. Hillary's updates sound scripted, cold and distant at times. There's a pattern of "I'm excited to be in...", "I'm looking forward to...", "I'm happy to be in.." and so forth. It lacked some feeling when I read it. Barack does the same type of thing, but he tweets much more commentary:

"Wondering why, four years after President Bush landed on an aircraft carrier and declared 'Mission Accomplished,' we are still at war?" 01:12 PM May 01, 2007

or this one:

"Troubled by today's unemployment figures, the latest indicator of how badly America needs fundamental change from Bush-McCain policies." 12:48 PM April 03, 2008

Barack also posts links to videos of his speeches, media articles, YouTube broadcasts and websites (mostly his own) - and I really liked the tweet about sending a texting for a free bumper sticker. I felt much more connected to Barack's twitterverse than Hillary's (even tho I'm a fan of hers). I liked Barack's tweets about ice cream socials and reminders of Martin Luther King drive towards social & economic justice. His commentary is also entertaining and engaging:

"In Columbus,MS & wondering how somebody who's in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who's in first place. Vote Tues!" 12:46 PM March 10, 2008

I'm not sure what happened because Hillary's earlier posts seemed more connected to the world, but I don't get the feeling that Hillary 'gets' what twitter could do for her - or her supporters. Hillary could do with some of Dr. Kaye Sweetser's knowledge in Social Media & Public Relations.

While Hillary maybe losing the battle with Twitter, she's not having much luck in Second Life either; her virtual headquarters in Second Life has been under protest by Barack's virtual supporters:

"I had one of those brief Yay, we can win! moments, but then I saw they were all clutching Obama banners and flags, and my heart sank," Lestat types, her waif-like avatar starring off into the tropical distance. "Holding an Obama demonstration on Hillary Island ... have they no shame?"

Perhaps no shame, but they sure do know their social media tools!

posted by Netwoman @ 10:48 PM