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Publication: my paper, p A4 Date: 12 January 201 2 Headline: Social media: Getting it right
Social media: Getting it right
Y OU are their friend on Facebook. You follow them on Twitter. They
may even have shared breaking news with you on their blogs.
Yes, parliamentarians armed with social-media tools are part .of a growing bunch.
Former minister for foreign affairs George Yeo was, for a long time, one of only a few poli- ticians to use social media to en- gage netizens.
Last year's general election proved to be a turning point, as Facebook profiles of candidates from various political parties began popping up.
But those who know how to best harness social media re- main few and far between.
Having a Facebook account does not make one an instant public-relations guru, as a re- cent faux pas involving a senior minister of state has shown.
To use Facebook effectively, a person has to regularly update his or her profile page and be able to engage in open and hon- est discussion, said Mr Peter Breitkreutz, a blogger and bank- ing executive.
He or she must be "able to speak to people, to help them un- derstand policies or decisions. Skill is needed to be objective when responding", he said.
Mr Breitkreutz, 45, is an ac- tive grassroots leader in Seng- kang West. A regular Facebook user, he visits Member of Parlia- ment (MP) Lam Pin Min's page, as well as local constituency Facebook pages to keep up-to- date with events and residents' feedback.
Dr Eugene Tan, a politid ob- server who teaches law at Sin- gapore Management University, said a politician who treats his Facebook page as an "e-version of his notice board" is clearly not sawy with social media
When used correctly, Face- book can be "an additional set of eyes and ears", helping to gather feedback ffom voters and mean- i n a l l y engage them, he said.
He lauded National Develop- ment Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin and opposition MP Chen Show Mao as great users of social media.
Referring to Mr Khaw's blog, Dr Tan said: "He reaches out in a fairly accessible manner that doesn't seem contrived, even though there is a lot of official speak coming out of it."
Mr Chen - the most popular politician among the three, if the number of "likes" on his Facebook page is anything to go by - has a unique way of reach- ing out to netizens, Dr Tan said.
"(Mr Chen) is able to use dai- ly events and his reactions, his thoughts on something that hap- pened or something that he
TAN CHUAN J l N
Social-media presence: Very high. The Minister of State for National Development and Manpower updates Facebook almost daily and writes timely notes on hot-button issues. He has a blog, but is mainly active on FB and Twitter. Number of "likes" on FB: 6,942. Online persona: An animal-lover who has his ear to the ground. How savvy? Very. He pens well-balanced and carefully worded arguments in his notes. He uses FB to rally for causes in the community.
GERAUI GlAM .Social-media preserice: High. The Non-Constituency Member of Parliament is the media representative of Workers' Party. His FB page and blog are updated regularly; he tweets occasionally. Number of "likes" on FB: 3,058. Online persona: A professional, 24P press secretary How savvy? Good. He reveals very few personal details on these online platforms, saving all the airtime for parliamentary debates. His FB page and blog are one-stop sites for Par!iament debate tran- scripts and links to news reports.
CHEN SHOW MAO Socialmedia presence: Fairly high. The Workers' Party member tweets and regularly updates his Facebook page with simple but subliminal messages. Number of "likes" on FB: 34,500. Online persona: Philosophical scholar oozing Obama-esque charm. How savvy? A natural. He knows how to promote himself without appearing to be doing so. His FB pictures tend to attract a lot of attention - one of him standing in front of a billboard featuring PAP MP Fatimah Lateef garnered more than 2,000 "likes".
INDRANEE RAJAH Social-media presence: Fairly high. The Tanjong Pagar GRC MP has even replied to FB comments at 5.22am. Number of "likes" on FB: 1,058. Online persona: MS Fixit How sawy? Good, but her FB presence might be working against her. Constituents are using her page as an extension of Meet The People sessions, demanding her attention for municipal matters that can be time-consuming. If she does not get someone to help moderate her page soon, she may be accused of being unresponsive.
read to engage in dialogue. He sets the agenda and influences the discourse."
Mr Arun Mahizhnan, deputy director at the Institute of Poli- cy Studies, said: "There is no single right modus operandi for social media.
"Twitter, Facebook, a blog, a website - each is very different ... and requires very different ver-
nacular. "One universal tenet in social-
media use that will serve all poli- ticians well: Don't use 20 words when two will do. Brevity is a cardinal virtue.
"Moses did a marvellous job with his own tablet and our po- liticians can learn much from him." [email protected]
KHAW BOON WAN Social-media presence: Very high. The National Development Minister is very responsive to comments on his Facebook page, replying within minutes at times. His blog is updated . regularly and even used to make important announcements. Number of "likes" on FB: 3,419. Online persona: Friendly uncle next door. How savvy? Rather. He chooses to engage in meaningful dialogue on Facebook and switches off comments on his blog, presum- ably to avoid convoluted argu- ments about policy issues.
LEE BEE WAH 1 Social-media presence: Fairly
high. The president of the .
Singapore Table Tennis Association and Nee Soon GRC MP updates her FB almost every other dav and tweets several times daily. Number of "likes" on FB: 805. Online persona: Consistent with her offline persona - hard- . working, vocal MP with strong grassroots links. How savvy? Surprisingly s a w , but has rehived less attention from netizens in comparison to the other five. She needs to beef up her personal profile.
HELPDESK EHPB Netizens: RE wBng min
Faux pas: gub shi
Conbived: $ $%# bu zi rAn de
Modus opemndi: Ealii%% guhn ybng zub fB
Source: my paper O Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
