Twitter

By David Bartlett on Feb 2, 09 05:35 PM

Fresh evidence has emerged on social networking site Twitter of Labour's unpopularity and its failure to properly grasp new media.

For the uninitiated Twitter is a "real-time short messaging service". It is said to be the next big thing after Facebook. Popularity is judged by the number of "followers" one has.

If you click here you can start following me.

A fellow twitterer has established the Labour Party's official feed @UKLabour has fewer than a third of Tory rival @Conservatives.

Labour has failed to recognise that Twitter is about having a conversation, not just broadcasting. So while @UKLabour follows no people at all, @Conservatives follows more than 1,450 people.

The use of the internet and social media is attributed as one of the major factors in US President Barack Obama's successful campaign.

It allows politicians to connect with the grassroots, younger voters, in a way that was previously not possible.

Posting on twitter is cooler than knocking on door steps. It is also cheaper and easier.

I can see the critics crying out at me: "But Dave, you only started using Twitter in the last couple of months."

And they would be right. But the point here is that, just like me, Labour also has a lot to learn about new media.