Facebook Public Relations - A Page Devoted to Voting

At the start of the past election season, I did not know who I was going to vote for. I obviously could not trust the TV ads, as they were mostly negative and very biased. I also felt that most of the “news” reported, whether it was on television or from the internet, seemed to favor one candidate over the other and did not tell both sides of the story. I eventually learned that even the news stations themselves are politically affiliated (ex- FOX is conservation and NBC is liberal).  I really felt like this election was an important one and that it was my civic duty as an American to cast an educated vote. In general, it was difficult for me to find facts without opinion included.

Politics can be a controversial topic as I think people are always ready to defend what they believe. But how does a person form political beliefs? I wanted to have a place that could help me and other undecided voters to be "in the know" about politics and candidates. Facebook is the perfect venue for discussions and informative posts. Sarah Skerik writes about using Facebook for public relations and notes, "the potential for this platform to communicators is undeniable." She also highlights audience research, considering your desired outcomes and fitting Facebook into your PR plans.

So with this information, I created my Facebook page - Non-Partisan Politics As Usual- Helping You Decide. This is a page to post information, videos and comments to help non partisans form educated political opinions and decide which candidates, laws, and proposals they agree with the most. People can come here to get information, do their own research and have conversations with others.

The most important element to consider for my page is content. In Dana Zenack's article on The PR Pro's Guide to Facebook, she notes it is easy to start a page but you have to set the stage and decide what you are going to say. "Each and every post you publish should give your fans reason to engage." Engagement is exactly what I want!  I want my fans to use my page to get un-biased information so they can form their own political opinions. So I started my page with links to pages where by filling out quizzes you can see which candidate fits best with what you believe.  I also posted a video of the first debate highlights and some general political articles to get people thinking and commenting their opinions.

Plan

For all comments, I will follow some guidelines similar to what Gil Rudawsky posted in his article:

• Focus on targeting the intended message to my audience
• Respond in a prompt manor, especially to address anything negative posted
• All responses will be clear and concise
• Transparency is messages is important to gain trust with my audience
• Also compassion is an important factor to keep in mind, as I want my audience to know I care about what this page represents

The key to this page will be monitoring comments, almost like a debate moderator. I will welcome all thoughtful comments, as this is a discussion site and not everyone will agree. What I will need to watch for is any extremely negative comments with foul language or name calling. I anticipate that people who have already formed strong political opinions could come to this page and attack what is written. These attacks will not be tolerated and will be removed. Again, I will be walking that fine line of friendly disagreements with those who are mean spirited and not there to help. I would love for any media to ask questions and/or be involved with the discussions. The more people who like and participate in the page, the more discussion there will be. This is meant to open peoples minds to varying discussions and facts so that non-partisans can see what their options are.

Pitch

Non-Partisan Politics As Usual is a page for undecided voters to come for the facts. We will have postings and links for voters to do their own research and discussions to help with questions so that a thoughtful political opinion can be formed.  

Non-Partisan Politics As Usual Facebook Page