Google+: David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg to sign up for profiles

 

POLITICAL leaders from the three main parties have signed up to Google+, the latest social networking site . PM David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg will all have their own profiles on the website, which they hope will make them more accessible to voters. One report on the 2010 general election found that 57% of adults surveyed online read or received information about the election on the internet during the course of the campaign. Advertisement >> Tory leader Cameron said: ”Anything that makes politics more open and accessible is to be welcomed, and I am proud that Britain politicians are leading the way when it comes to embracing new methods of engaging people online, from e-petitions to the latest developments in social media.’’ Labour chief Ed Miliband added: “Labour is determined to be a party that looks outwards, not inwards.  “That means talking to people, but also listening and responding to them too. That’s what I’ve been using social media for, and that’s what I’ll keep doing.” And Nick Clegg said: ”The Liberal Democrats are always open to new and innovative ways of communicating with voters, so creating a Google+ account was an easy and logical step.” Google+, which now has more than 25 million members, was launched in a trial in June with the aim to make sharing on the web more like sharing in the real world. One of the features it offers is Circles, an easy way to share content with specific groups of people. That means the party leaders will be able to communicate with different groups like local constituents, MPs or the general public. Matt Brittin, MD for Google UK says: “It’s great to see David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband embracing new innovations. “Britain’s political parties and the UK Government are leading the world with new innovations in citizen engagement, from Google+ to online petitions and open data.” The service also has the ability for live video ‘hangouts’, so political leaders can take part in group video chats with members, colleagues or constituents.