This SFGate article addresses the issue of whether politicians’ “tweets and status updates should be held to the same standards as paid advertising that voters see on television, hear on radio or find in their mailboxes.”

As with so many issues relating to the Internet, the answer once again begins with: “It depends…”

If John McCain is on Twitter and saying something about his daughter Meghan’s blog, well, that’s not necessarily something that should fall under some sort of campaign advertising standard. If John McCain is posting the same videos to his Facebook account that he’s using for paid advertising, then maybe it should.

(I know, I know, John McCain isn’t doing anything on Twitter or Facebook, it’s all done by his operatives, but you get the idea.)

If social media platforms were advertising outlets this would be an easy issue to address. They’re not and it’s not. Social media platforms are … well, social.

Try this question on for size: If John McCain were at a backyard barbecue and discussing the issues of the day with those in attendance, should his words there “be held to the same standards as paid advertising that voters see on television, hear on radio or find in their mailboxes”?

Because when it comes to politicians and social media, that’s closer to the real question at hand.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Internet Stuff, Social Media.