I am currently reviewing the use of social networks by political parties and their leaders, on the whole it is nothing more than cyber squatting only by the party themselves as opposed to opponents or satirists. However there are signs that some MPs at least are choosing one network and using it as a communication tool with their constituents as well as others. One such is Adrian Sanders LibDem MP for .On one of his many blog posts on his Myspace profile page he comments that one constituent only contacted her MP due to him being on Myspace and I guess actively using his site; so it is a way of being accessible. Another comment is congratulating Sanders on his responsiveness and exceeding one constituents' expectations; so it helps his representativeness and constituency service.
To many Myspace and other social networking sites seem to be a gimmick, to be on but not to really engage iwth the community. Hence they have few friends and their profile is less interesting than the first websites that appeared around ten years ago. Adrian Sanders has 1313 friends, blogs regularly and responds to both public and private messages. Perhaps this is a model of communication others could learn from.
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