It’s SOCIAL media, not just media.

Recently I posted about how the PM and the Opposition Leader were Twittering. This morning Malcolm Turnbull posted this:

I thought that was kind of interesting so within minutes I had replied:

And that, my friends, is where the conversation ended.

Funny, but I thought Opposition leaders were always looking for a chance to get their message out?
Here is a prime opportunity to have a minor bit of engagement (which I would have retweeted) and Malcolm did not reply.

The silence is surprising, take at look at Mr Turnbulls tweet stream and you can see that he generally does seem to engage well, with replies to many people…in fact that is the vast majority of what he tweets. Has it become too much? Are his staffers exhausted with pretending to be him? Were there too many trolls?

It will be interesting to see over time how politicians adjust to the use of Social Media – it’s not a broadcast channel, that gets tired very quickly. It is a chance to engage, but that means eating into what are undoubtedly busy days. Should we expect the level of access to our politicians that these tools can give?

I don’t know, but to not even have a staffer be able to shoot back something as simple as ‘The Economy’ (etc) indicates a lack of awareness of the new reality of the media you are playing in.

It’s also just polite.

UPDATE: Malcolm replied AND included link to the speech – I will actually now read it.

I’ll chat to Kev about it.

Our PM Kevin Rudd is on Twitter.
As is the leader of the opposition Malcom Turnbull

The PM’s page is restrained whilst Mr Turnbull’s is a riot of pics, not unlike a Myspace profile. Neither are prolific tweeters at this stage.

How much of a cue are they taking from the Obama Campaign and the way they engaged with younger voters through social media? The PM was active online in the last election campaign, and both parties are stepping it up a notch now.

Mr Turnbull seems to be responding to a number of tweets directed to him whilst the PM, at this stage, is using it more as a broadcast tool. The PM however does instantly follow you back, and has a direct message channel available.

Now I certainly don’t think the PM is sitting at his laptop watching the DM’s roll in, but someone is. Unlike sending snail mail which feels as though it would merely bounce from desk to desk somewhere in Canberra, with the DM option you do feel like you have a more tangible connection to the PM’s office. This is a strangely exciting feeling…I could have a chat with Kev (well, one of Kevs staffers).

Does it get much more Aussie than this? The common bloke can jump on-line and get the ear of the PM, or the leader of The Opposition.
I love the internet.