Facebook wants you...to make your voice heard this November.
In the past if you happened upon Hillary Clinton or Arnold Schwarzenegger on Facebook, you'd have good reason to question the authenticity of the profile. If you search for them today, you're going to see something different.We've now got about 1,600 profiles for candidates running for House and Senate seats and state governorships this November. These profiles are controlled by the politicians, so they can show you a side of themselves that you'd never see in TV spots or even on live debates.
Add candidates and campaign issues you support by going to the Election tab on the Edit Profile page.
We wanted to do something to increase the political voice of the people on Facebook, a group that tends to be on the younger side of the electorate and which is often underrepresented in Washington and state capitals. By bringing politicians to Facebook, you can engage with candidates on your turf, in ways that are familiar and meaningful to you. Where better for politicians to meet you guys than on the "series of tubes" where you spend so much time?The candidates' profiles are visible to all users, and you can easily find the ones in your area by going to the Election tab on the Edit Profile page. You can add candidates you support to the new Election 2006 box in your profile. Also, you can join and create groups dedicated to the campaign issues that affect you most, which will also appear in the Election 2006 box.
Make your voice heard this fall: poke the leaders of the free world.
Ezra Callahan is the product manager for this project.
