The internet and the 2010 election

With contributions from some key election observers and practitioners, this short volume sets out to cut through some of the hype that surrounded the election and provide some empirical evidence of the internet's place in the election and also assess what realistically we might expect from the internet. Edited by Rachel Gibson, Andy Williamson and Stephen Ward and with contributions from Mark Pack, Matthew McGregor and Will Straw, this volume lifts the lid on what really happened online and stands as a reference on the 2010 election and an informative guide to anyone interested in political campaigning online.

Online Campaigning: 10 Lessons from the General Election

The internet played an importantpart in the 2010 election campaign but attempts to build up its significance and importance were misguided and naïve. Behind the scenes, it was database management and email that were vital. In the public domain, party websites and third-party sites failed to excite the public but social media and existing online communities played important roles. The internet was not a game changer but given its widespread adoption and increasing media convergence it was important, allowing for the creation of resources that could successfully be deployed alongside other traditional methods.

Britain’s voting system is no longer fit for purpose

It wasn't just sewers that the Victorians gave us, we got a voting system too. One that like the water pipes under our feet has been exposed to be in serious need of an upgrade. The British voting system is no longer fit for purpose. Even before the vote took place, we were subjected to misleading advertising telling us to register online. You can't. The post-election shambles seems to have everyone involved ducking for cover. Is it acceptable in 21st Century Britain that those responsible have done nothing to fix a voting system that our first-ever international observer's describe as "worse than Kenya" and "possibly the most corruptible in the whole world"? It seems blindingly obvious in this digitally enabled age of IT-led process transformation that we should be able to register, vote and count those votes so much more efficiently and reliably if we use the right tools and develop better processes to support them.

Tweeting the big night

The election is nearly upon us and, whilst this does not seem to be the first truly online election as some had predicted, there will be a number of tools available during election night allowing people to track what is going on both at the local and national level.

Read this article to find out more.

Calm down dear, it’s only a tweet

Last night's leader's debate was a real opportunity to test out the value of social media as a democratic enabler. But we know tweets might persist in the ether but their half-life is in reality incredibly short. The second problem with Twitter is content or, as last night demonstrated, the lack of it. What the leader's debate confirmed was that Twitter is a great place to make a comment, state a strongly held opinion or make a joke or sarcastic remark. Last night it lacked much else and didn't add to the quality of the debate.

The Digital Election: Bubbling but not boiling

The 2010 general election campaign has begun, and a number of different online tools created by the parties themselves and third-party organisations to help us make up our mind. So far, it does not appear that a direct link has been created online between citizen and candidate/party in this election.

New constituency-level hashtags launched for the general election

Following the election announcement last week, PoliticalBetting.com have made an effort to organise conversations on Twitter around each constituency with the introduction of standardised hashtags. Hashtags are a way for users on Twitter to organise themselves; if people agree to use a certain hashtag when talking about a particular topic, it becomes easier to find that particular topic using Twitter's search function.

Political parties are digital followers not leaders

Our new report examines the work done by the political parties' digital teams in the build up to the 2010 election. It demonstrates how their strategies have been influenced by digital campaigns in other countries and outlines the development of the ‘perpetual campaign'. It concludes that while the internet unlikely to lead to dramatic changes in the electoral landscape in this election, there are some noteworthy aspects to the general election digital campaign

Politicians Get Their Clicks

The UK general election is upon us Once again this is heralded as the first true ‘internet election’ – and once again, it will probably disappoint. Although much media attention has been given over to the use of the internet in the last US presidential election and, from this, conclusions drawn about the internet’s impact here in the UK, it is important to step away from the hyperbole and look at a few key facts and, most importantly, key differences.

Can your MP use their email once parliament is dissolved?

When Parliament is dissolved our MPs (and their staff) will have to contend with some significant changes to the way they can use IT (and other parliamentary services). From the day of dissolution their status changes and they can longer do many of the things that MPs have taken for granted. Networks get switched off and email must be forwarded to third-party accounts. Most importantly, any reference to being an MP has to be dropped, potentially affecting numerous websites and online identities.