How do our local politicians use social media?
The use of social media has
undeniably become an important
facet of any public figure's open
life, whether used as a platform for
announcements and campaigns, or
merely as a public wall of personal
thoughts. Most of us are aware and
even follow many celebrities on
twitter, maybe even like their
Facebook pages.
But what about our very own London city council members?
Citizen Engagement in London Ontario (CELO) is a study that aims to find out exactly that. Conducted by a handful of ordinary citizens, the CELO is an annual survey taken of the various London city council members. The 25-question survey covers a litany of topics not entirely limited to (but very inclusive of) social and electronic media, asking the members whether they maintain a mailing list or newsletter, among other queries.
But the survey seeks to do more than just find out if, say, council member Matt Brown uses Twitter (by the way, he does, daily). As interesting as it would be to find out how our mayor uses his Facebook page, the true nature of CELO, according to its webpage, is to understand how engaged politicians are with citizens through more modern methods.
"At CELO, we believe that having an informed electorate directly relates to voter turnout and a healthy democracy," the website states. "In the past, all levels of government could rely on citizens receiving healthy doses of political news through their local papers and radio stations. However, with newspaper readership on the decline and audiences tuning into other forms of media, it's imperative that we find new ways to inform the electorate and keep them engaged in the middle of an election cycle."
The CELO website (ldnccreportcard.wordpress.com) is fascinating and interesting to explore. On the front page, you'll find what you probably came to the site for, the individual questionnaire as filled out by each council member. You can also view statistics of the yes-and-no questions as well as a summary on the Results of Survey page.
Whether you're a political student wanting to gain a better understanding of campaign management or simply an avid politico, CELO offers plenty of insight on our local politicians and their ways of conducting all things political.
But what about our very own London city council members?
Citizen Engagement in London Ontario (CELO) is a study that aims to find out exactly that. Conducted by a handful of ordinary citizens, the CELO is an annual survey taken of the various London city council members. The 25-question survey covers a litany of topics not entirely limited to (but very inclusive of) social and electronic media, asking the members whether they maintain a mailing list or newsletter, among other queries.
But the survey seeks to do more than just find out if, say, council member Matt Brown uses Twitter (by the way, he does, daily). As interesting as it would be to find out how our mayor uses his Facebook page, the true nature of CELO, according to its webpage, is to understand how engaged politicians are with citizens through more modern methods.
"At CELO, we believe that having an informed electorate directly relates to voter turnout and a healthy democracy," the website states. "In the past, all levels of government could rely on citizens receiving healthy doses of political news through their local papers and radio stations. However, with newspaper readership on the decline and audiences tuning into other forms of media, it's imperative that we find new ways to inform the electorate and keep them engaged in the middle of an election cycle."
The CELO website (ldnccreportcard.wordpress.com) is fascinating and interesting to explore. On the front page, you'll find what you probably came to the site for, the individual questionnaire as filled out by each council member. You can also view statistics of the yes-and-no questions as well as a summary on the Results of Survey page.
Whether you're a political student wanting to gain a better understanding of campaign management or simply an avid politico, CELO offers plenty of insight on our local politicians and their ways of conducting all things political.
