Update: As I’m writing this, CNN projects Obama as winner of the 2008 Presidential Election.

This evening, I was inspired to write a blog post from two speakers at our PRSSA Chapter meeting. Kelly Rossman-McKinney of the Rossman Group and Daniel Bergman of the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at MSU spoke to our Chapter about the presidential election. As with many other meetings this semester, the discussion turned to social media and how each campaign used it.

I’m not here to critique each campaign. I think each side learned about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to social media. But here is what I learned from this election:

• People don’t like to be shouted at. They like to have a discussion. With all of the mudslinging in campaign ads and messages pounded into audiences, how effective can it be to actually change public opinion? My generation is independent and rebellious, and we don’t like to be told what to do. We do like to see what our friends are up to on Facebook and Twitter and what they’re thinking. Engaging an audience is key to success.
• People don’t like to be lied to. They like to check their facts. I think in this election more than ever, people are looking to clarify what the candidates are saying. Web sites such as Fact Check allow visitors to get a third-party confirmation, therefore giving it more credibility. More generally, there have been plenty of times when I said to “Google it” after a candidate said something in a speech. A while ago, these resources were not available to voters so the credibility of these negative ads were high- but that probably won’t work as well anymore.
• People don’t like to have decisions made for them. They like to participate. People blog. They tweet. They write notes. They discuss. They share. And the list goes on, but moreover, they have a presence online. To be successful, it is important that you’re giving people positive things to talk about and share online.

Social media allows for all of this. While younger people are primarily the ones using these tools, my generation will eventually become the older generation. This generation knowledgeable with social media will continue to grow and grow. Is social media going to change while this growth occurs? You betcha (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Even so, the importance and impact of the Web in learning and conversing will be here to stay.

I believe this is a fundamental shift in not only presidential elections, but also in how any organization communicates to its publics. It’s not a fad. It’s here to stay. And it’s dramatically changing the world as we know it.

I think it’s a good thing. But what do you think? Are there any negative effects to this evolving world of social media?