Photo contribution Austin Paetow, content contribution Chloe Nordquist
When you see a tweet from @MayorStanton, chances are it came directly from the thumbs of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton.
Today at Social Media Day Phoenix, Mayor Greg Stanton shared his take on social media and how he uses this medium to communicate with the community. Robbie Sherwood, aide to the Mayor and voted Best Twitterer by Arizona Capitol Times, was moderator for the lively chat.
Stanton said he uses social media to keep tabs on happenings in the city, breaking news and celebrating “atta boys” in the community.
“We want to use social media to show that we have our ear to the ground,” Stanton said.
If you are a follower of Stanton, you’ll notice that he captures his moments on multiple platforms, Twitter, Facebook and recently Periscope, “You may see a lot about activities I’ve participated in,” Stanton said.
As a public official, Stanton said he is quite familiar with trolls and non-supporters, but whether it’s live or online, he said it’s important to be respectful; most importantly, don’t feed the trolls.
“I definitely try to show respect for all people whether they agree or disagree.” Stanton said. “I’ve got to be the leader for all people and that not only includes in person, especially on social media.”
During his talk, Stanton recalled his first tweet about his son’s basketball game and most famous social media moment with Phoenix Mercury player Diana Taurasi. During a scrimmage game with Stanton, Taurasi came down from a rebound and broke Stanton’s nose in two spots with her elbow. One of his staff members caught it on video, posted it, and like any good #Fail, the clip went viral-even ESPN picked it up.
Stanton discussed how social media can create change in the community and cause public officials to take notice of a particular issue. He specifically referenced Donald Trump’s recent derogatory comments about Hispanics, followed by the waterfall of disgust that spread through social media. This outcry led to thousands of people to sign a petition and ultimately encourage NBC to pull ties with Trump.
In 2016, the public is going to see a massive amount of social media strategy for political candidates. Stanton said he too will be using social media strategies as part of his re-election campaign.
“If you want to get an elected official’s attention, use social media,” Stanton said. “People use to send a lot of letters to the office, and that still works, but now social media can be used too.”
Head over to Periscope and you’ll find this mayor livestreaming. While Stanton is not sure what this particular medium will mean for public officials, the use has been effective to share his activities with the public.
“I don’t know where live streaming is going,” Stanton said. “I like the medium. I think it’s an effective medium of those who are hardcore followers of you. When it comes to live streaming, at least for elected officials, we haven’t quite figured it out yet. It’s a new toy, if you will.”
Sherwood, known for his quick wit and use of puns on social media, also shared some thoughts about Twitter during the discussion. “It needs to be your voice at all times,” Sherwood said.
Read more about happenings in Phoenix at AZ Tech Beat.
