Even the Vatican is using social media

If anyone still doubts the relevance of social media then perhaps they should take notice of this article where Pope Benedict discusses how the Vatican is embracing social media to bring the gospel to the masses.

Pope Benedict said "The content of the Gospel message remains unchanged but the church must learn how to transmit that message to new generations and must do so by taking advantage of the new technology and new attitudes toward communications."

A neat analogy for most of us in business, the message we are trying to convey to customers hasn't changed but we do need to change how we communicate it.

A significant step in UK politics

(Note: It's only fair to disclose before you read this post that I am a paid up member of the Conservative party)

Yesterday saw the public launch of http://www.myconservatives.com/

According to the site itself: MyConservatives is a new online network that gives you the tools to campaign for the candidates you support, and issues that you care about.

Here are some of the things you can do:

* Take part in campaign activities and social action
* Donate directly to individual campaigns
* Ring voters from the comfort of your home
* Set up fundraising events with online ticketing

And you can learn more about the site by watching the video on the right.

In essence, the conservative party has built a campaign machine based on that of Barack Obama, which was so influential in him winning the election. Allowing people to engage, fund raise & campaign at a local level is a very smart move. The how to you tube videos are a nice feature too. The site is still in BETA & there a few niggles to iron out but it will be very interesting to watch it grow & I hope many of you will get involved too!