Lessons in Social Media from Politicians

A few days ago, New York State Senator Roy McDonald had a few hundred "likes" on his Facebook page. As of the time of writing this post, he was fast approaching 7,000. He has gone from a little-known local politician to an International Sensation (and yes, international -- some of the comments on his page are from people in Canada, the UK, and Australia, to name a few of the countries where users who have liked his page and left supportive comments reside).

So what changed? What launched Senator McDonald to such Internet stardom? It can't have been his reversal on the issue that's brought so much attention to him, going from against to being in favor of marriage equality; NYS Senator Alesi became the first GOP Senator in New York to come out in support of marriage equality.

Quite frankly, we believe it was his frankness. The Huffington Post reports:

Reacting to pressure from the Conservative Party, anti-gay marriage groups, and religious leaders, McDonald gave a statement to the press which included a remarkable quote.

From The New York Daily News:

"You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn't black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing," McDonald, 64, told reporters.

"You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it, I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing.

"I'm tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I'm trying to do the right thing, and that's where I'm going with this."

Was dropping the F-bomb the impetus behind propelling Senator McDonald to such fame? I doubt it. However, combined with his other statements, taken in context as a whole with the sentiment of his expression, and the level of transparency he has shown, people couldn't help but react in a positive way (for the most part). Frankness, openness, honesty, and transparency -- these four adjectives appear to describe the Senator's remarks in an abstract fashion, a way in which others can learn from and duplicate such success in the realm of social media.

After reading through the literally thousands of comments being left on the Senator's FB page, a few patterns emerge:

• 98% of the posts are supporting his decision.
• A vast majority of the posts commend his courage for speaking out.
• A super majority of the posts appreciate his frankness and honesty.
• The people posting to the Senator's page come from around the globe.

So what bit of social media wisdom can be learned from Senator McDonald's explosion and propulsion into Internet stardom?

Be open, honest, frank, and transparent, and people will respond. Such qualities are attractive to users in the social media sphere around the globe. To wit, the commenters

• express a profound gratitude to the Senator for restoring their faith in the political process,
• have never "liked" a politician's page before but were moved to do so by the Senator's remarks,
• are shocked, amazed, surprised, never thought they would ever, etc. like and/or side with a Republican before,
• appear to be equal parts straight supporters and gay/lesbian individuals/couples,
• have a greater tendency to be a Democrat but will support the Senator in whatever ways they can,
• come from all walks of life: young, old, gay, straight, married, single, Republican, Democrat, American, Canadian, Australian, European, African, Asian, etc.,
• express the sentiment that they wish Senator McDonald (with his straight-forward, transparent, no-nonsense gumption) represented them where they live,
• have invited the Senator to drinks and/or a meal if he should ever find himself in their area, and
• have suggested the Senator should run for President and expressed support for him (regardless of their political affiliation) should he choose to follow that path.

Indeed, a few moments ago the Senator changed the photograph he had on his FB page from one where he is shown with his family to a more politically-oriented one where he states that he is standing up for "EQUAL RIGHTS" and asks others to stand with him.

Let's hope that more politicians--and business and everyone else who uses social media in some fashion--will continue this trend and be more open, transparent, and honest with each other. The more transparent, open, and honest one is in social media, the more others can relate to and appreciate the content being produced, and the great the experience for everyone. This axiom exists not just in politics but across the spectrum.

So how transparent are you in your social media efforts?

* UPDATE 1pm: As this post was about to be published, Senator McDonald launched a "Stand With Roy" campaign, asking people to stand with him supporting equal rights by signing a petition: http://on.fb.me/l7xTWR A number of comments left on his Facebook page were asking how they could make a donation to his campaign to help in any re-election efforts he will face in the future. Within 24 hours, the Senator's team had responded and instituted a link on his page where donations could be made to the Senator's re-election campaign.

Senator McDonald also changed his profile photo to the above, asking people to "Stand with Roy" in his support of Equal Rights.

This was the profile photo Senator McDonald was showing on his Facebook page until early this afternoon.

** UPDATE 10pm: Politicians, take note. This is how to capitalize on a moment of Internet stardom: Senator McDonald just announced that, since starting his campaign a scant 10 hours ago, he's received over 100 donations to his re-election fund from people who are standing with him to support equal rights. His Facebook page likes are approaching 10,000 and there is no sign that momentum is slowing; rather, every indication is pointing to a building of momentum.

Senator McDonald has hopped on board 110%; he is more actively engaging the folks on his page and has created a re-election campaign that is capitalizing on the surge of support he's been receiving from around the globe. Throughout it all, he remains transparent in all of his efforts, and that's what people are really responding to.

*** UPDATE 20 June 2011: Late last night, NYS Senator McDonald crossed the 10,000 mark in the number of "likes" he has received on his Facebook page. That's nearly 9,000+ likes in the course of half a week. People continue to leave supportive messages to the Senator on his page, and are continuing to donate.

What's next for this straight-talking, no-nonsense state Senator? We've noticed that McDonald doesn't have a Twitter account (at least that we can find). It's time for him to get one and fill out his social media profile. It would be great to see him publicize some of the human stories behind the movement for equality and appeal to people from all walks of life, as NYC Mayor Bloomberg routinely does.

NYS Senator Roy McDonald is proof positive that being frank, open, and honest will garner a wealth of support in the social media sphere from people across every possible spectrum. Again, it's not just what he did but how he did it that's garnered the admiration of so many individuals across such a broad spectrum of backgrounds, beliefs, interests, etc.

Way to go, Senator McDonald! We salute you, and hope you enjoyed your Father's Day.