Labour is busy beefing up the party's communications team ahead of next year's general election and — inspired no doubt by the Obama team's phenomenal success with Facebook and Twitter a year ago — are focusing a lot of attention online. Up for grabs at the moment for £30k on a fixed-term contract is the post of 'Online Communities Manager', who will be responsible to the 'New Media Campaigns Taskforce Leader'.
And the job description? The top four responsibilities are to 'play a key role in the creation, implementation and maintenance of content across Labour's web platforms; maintain, monitor and report on Labour's presence on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter; promote Labour's campaigns online using social media tools; build relationships with key online stakeholders and encourage the creation of user-generated content from our online communities'.
And the experience required? 'Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and the latest trends in social media; and a proven ability to interpret data, identify and analyse trends and implement key findings'.
I'd love to know what the New Media Campaigns Taskforce Leader's job description is, though by using a gobbledegook generator I could probably sort it out in about sixty seconds.
In common with so many corporate bodies — for that after all is what a 21st century political party is — Labour appears to have completely missed the point, despite that point now being very loudly and publicly made by an increasing number of people who understand what drives social media. For the avoidance of any possible doubt, here it is again:
Social media is about conversations. That's why it works; that's what makes it work.
It is not about one-way traffic, hammering home messages, or any of the other Old Rules interruption marketing methods. It is definitely not about the 'maintenance of content', or a quest to 'maintain Labour's presence', or promoting campaigns 'using social media tools'. And I have absolutely no idea what a Labour 'online community' might comprise or how it could be 'encouraged' to create 'user-generated content'.
Where are the real people in all this? Where will we find an authentic voice with an authentic contribution to an authentic debate? Will the men and women fighting for their political lives be allowed to speak their own minds? Or will it all be down to the New Media Campaigns Taskforce to create 'user-generated content' for them, issuing ersatz Tweets matching that day's on-message template and updating Facebook profiles en bloc?
Perhaps I'll be proved completely wrong and Labour's social media strategy will be a stunning success, winning for Brown and Co an online following and respect that Obama's strategy did for him, followed by the votes.
But you know what? I somehow rather doubt it.
Even if you put Malcolm Tucker in charge.
Illustration credit: A Wordle comprising words from this job description. Wordles rock!
