Netas, spread your network

Madhukar Kumar advises politicos to blog to connect with GenY

Netas, spread your network

Madhukar Kumar advises politicos to blog to connect with GenY

Elections 2009 will see 100 million first-time voters exercising their franchise. In a nation with a billion-plus population, this new segment can hardly influence the final outcome, but it certainly can upset a few applecarts.

Also with issues like the ongoing economic slowdown, job cuts and terrorism, the traditionally laidback urban middle-class is likely to participate actively in the election process.

But the campaign planners are yet to take note that the conventional one-way communication and propaganda methods are not ideal when it comes to reaching out to the youth, who are informed, inquisitive and interactive.

Campaign strategists should explore and employ the power of the social media to reach audiences for whom blogs and networking sites and websites are the new newspapers.

For GenY, YouTube and Metacafe have replaced television.

The absence of young leaders like Rahul Gandhi from the Internet is especially galling. Google 'Rahul Gandhi' and the first result is his profile on Wikipedia. Even his website is at best a static piece of personal profile. The leader and his advisors don't seem to realise the powerful potential of blogging. Unexpectedly, the not-so-young L K Advani is miles ahead in tech-savvy communication. He has a vibrant, information-loaded website and a regularly updated blog, which allows people to comment and connect. The politicians, especially those who have long term goals, cannot get away with ignoring social media while campaigning for the elections.

With elections fast approaching, they should befriend Internet and mobile communication.

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