Vancouver-based tech firm HootSuite has developed a social media tracker to publish real-time social media updates about Australia’s upcoming federal election.
According to a HootSuite press release, the election tracker will “highlight the social element of this hard-fought campaign in one place right up until the next prime minister is announced.”
Candidates in the election are Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, of the Labour Party, and Tony Abbott, leader of the opposition Liberal-National Coalition.
The Australian election tracker will monitor:
- the number of Twitter mentions of each party and their Twitter handles;
- the share of voice and sentiment around each party's Twitter handles;
- the sentiment of Twitter discussions about the candidates;
- the most recent Tweets of the candidates; and
- the “Likes” and number of people “Talking About” each party on Facebook.
“Social media is revolutionizing politics. It's opened up whole new lines of communication between people and their governments and it's letting those important conversations happen in a very public and transparent way,” said Ryan Holmes, CEO of HootSuite.
“The Australian election is a perfect example of how both politicians and voters can now leverage social media to ensure their voices are heard, when it comes to what matters to them and their country. And we're excited to provide an integral tool in the process: the HootSuite command centre.”
