For quite some time now, we here at OhMyGov! have been harping on about social media's usefulness for improving government transparency and communication. It's not surprising that new media services such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have emerged as forums for facilitated engagement between representatives and their constituents. However, some Congressmen have been quicker than others to embrace these new media. Sometimes, a bit of good friendly competition is necessary to really get people involved. Luckily, Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers has launched the New Media Challenge, a competition for the House Republican Conference to expand their presence on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter... tournament-style. 
 
Launched on April 20th, the 6-week contest pitched dozens of Republican representatives and caucuses against one another to gain more followers, subscribers and fans/friends on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, respectively. At the end of the 6 bracket phases, an overall winner will emerge.

What the top performers win, other than expanded online presence and influence, is unknown and beside the point. The goal of the competition, as explained by Patrick Bell, the Director of New Media for Rep. McMorris-Rodgers, is to "encourage colleagues to be active, social, and to expand their existing online presence"; the quantifiable aims are more followers gained, meaning more interactions with voters and constituents. 
 
Week 1 inaugurated the Twitter Round, in which 56 participants gained more than 8,000 new followers. The following week saw 46 participants scramble for fans on Facebook; House Republicans gained over 11,000 new fans. The third week marked the YouTube Round, and the 24 participants added over 800 new subscribers. The last three weeks are an all-out all-medium contest.  
 
Politely, the Congresswoman's staff gave a bit of advice to competitors: re-tweeting, asking constituents to participate and spread the word, reciprocating follows and responding to direct messages or @ replies are all examples of encouraged strategies. Some, like Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, chose to incorporate familiar methods into social media, with this Facebook note/letter asking for support:

Rep. Jenkins's letter notably relays the significance of social media to her Facebook subscribers, and welcomes followers to engage on multiple social media platforms. Naturally, some competitors are so serious that they refuse to reveal their tactics until the challenge is over. Speculation on strategic specifics aside, the tactical mantra seems to be, as Patrick Bell reminds us, to maintain "a human voice, don't just automate." When it comes to social media, personality is key.

The benefits for increased engagement aren't merely tilted for one side's political gain; constituents enjoy and feel empowered by having their representatives just a tweet away. Moreover, imagine how it feels to find out that Rep. John Shimkus, the notorious bible tweeter, has reciprocated your Twitter follow. 

The past year alone has seen steep increases in government's social media participation, and the contest has pushed participation numbers among GOP representatives even higher. Between January 2009 to April 2010, the numbers of GOP social media users jumped from 37% on Facebook to 79%, 28% to 64% on Twitter, and 56% to a whopping 98% on YouTube. Even before the contest, Republicans in government had the edge on Democrats in regards to social media activity; the contest has exaggerated the gaps, with GOP figures towering over the Democrats' January 2010 Internet presence with 34% on Facebook, 20% on Twitter and 65% on YouTube. Perhaps the GOP's revitalized social media activity will inspire a similar response on the other side of the aisle as well.

Rep. McMorris-Rodgers brought up her idea for a social media competition at a brainstorm meeting with her staff, and they excitedly hashed out the March Madness-style bracket setup. Fittingly, the Challenge used social media tools to organize and disseminate information throughout the competition. The contest's setup is user-friendly, and it provides both good-natured competition and ever-flowing sports analogies. Case in point: this tweet from Representative Darrell Issa early in the competition, which set his tone for the game, preluding a good-humored rivalry with Peter Roskam.

 

The New Media Challenge is an impressive attempt to utilize social media in aiding government and affecting a more open and connected democracy. And, with midterm elections in November, expanding one's contact pool is no waste of time. So, hats off to Congresswoman McMorris-Rodgers and her staff, and good luck to both the competitors and the Democrats, who seem to have some catching up to do.