Google adds elections tips to its Public Policy Blog

With this year's elections fast approaching, web giant Google on Wednesday added some internet-based elections tips to its Public Policy Blog. 

Google's Elections and Issue Advocacy team, which works with political campaigns to help capitalize on the internet, posted the tips intended to help candidates running in this year's midterm elections. 

"Today's electorate is hungry for political news and is eager to voice opinions online," wrote Chris Talbot, a member of the team, "This requires campaigns to adopt thoughtful and integrated strategies."

The third item on Google's list recommends that candidates "Join social networks to further amass and interact with [their] list of supporters."

Here is the entry:

Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube represent massive gatherings of audiences, so they can't be ignored. Social networks allow supporters to "subscribe" or "follow" your campaign, and they're great for sharing information about your candidate and seeing that information passed on. Keep your free YouTube politician channel fresh with short videos that call out your supporters and show your candidate's human side. And don't hesitate to ask your followers to take action when needed.

Other recommendations include utilizing online search advertising to build e-mail lists and raise money, "blasting" the Google network to announce campaign news, using data about online platforms and to quickly respond to events online.

You can read the full entry here.

Cross-posted from the Twitter Room