On Tuesday night, Jane E. Scott (@JaneEScott) became Governor Perry's 10,000th follower on Twitter, an important marker along the path to a vibrant online community of friends, supporters, and other like-minded individuals.
I decided to find out a little bit about Jane, because number 10K was an exciting milestone for us here at the Perry campaign. It turns out Jane uses Twitter the way many successful professionals like herself use it.
She told me:
I use Twitter to keep up with the people whose actions might affect my business, like Governor Perry. As CEO and owner of cPubs, an Austin-based small business, I spend my days with our clients and employees. Finding time to sort through the news on a regular basis can be difficult. The format of Twitter – a lot of information in small bites delivered in real-time throughout the day – makes it easier for me to stay current.
Governor Perry caught on to twitter early this year for similar reasons. Because twitter is accessible to busy people on the go via their blackberries and iPhones, and the Governor is obviously on the go almost all the time, he became a "Tweethead" (as he says) almost overnight. Since joining twitter earlier this year, @GovernorPerry has published everything from a shout-out to the Texas Federation of Republican Women for their work on Voter I.D. legislation to photos of the black lab Belle and her new puppies.
Jane told me that it was a Tweet from the Governor about a small business tax cut that caught her eye:
When Governor Perry mentioned in a tweet that he’s signing legislation that gives tax cuts to 40,000 small business owners, I knew I had information worth further research.
So who is Jane supporting in 2010? Like many people, she has a lot of time to make up her mind, but writing from the perspective of a certified resident of Perryland, I obviously hope it's Governor Perry.
Here's what Jane said about her likely choice for Governor in 2010:
Learning more about the elected officials I follow on Twitter also helps me decide how to vote in the next election....
I’m leaning toward supporting Governor Perry because of his pro-business track record and the excellent job he’s done with economic development in Texas.
Jane and others are using twitter as a news source, as a social networking resource, and as a way to express their 1st Amendment rights. If you're not yet on twitter, it is easy to sign up. Go to www.Twitter.com and click on the green "Get Started- Join!" button. It only takes a few minutes to set up an account and get started.
Once you're on, be sure to follow @GovernorPerry, and he'll follow you back. Perhaps you can help Governor Perry go from 10,000 to 15,000 followers!
Our campaign staff twitter account, @GovPerry2010, and the Perry campaign interns' account, @Interns4Perry are growing as well, but 10,000 means that the Governor is beginning to reach a critical mass of people that see his ideas without the traditional media or even layers of staff filtering him.
While some view this new level of transparency as dangerous or frightening, I personally think it is refreshing to see the kind of candor Governor Perry displays via his tweets. To me, it demonstrates that Rick Perry is utilizing technology to fundamentally change the way the Governor of Texas and Texas' citizens interact.
It lets voters learn more about their options, so they can make an informed decision when they enter the polling booth. My view is that some people have a perception of Governor Perry that is based far too much on rough-and-tumble negative ads from past campaigns, and not enough on the real Rick Perry. When apolitical or ambivalent folks meet the real Rick Perry and hear from him directly on the issues, they tend to gravitate his way.
While only a tiny fraction of the Governor's daily activities and thoughts show up on twitter, it is still an important window into not only Rick Perry the Governor, but Rick Perry the husband/father/son, Rick Perry the veteran, Rick Perry the history buff, Rick Perry the runner/hunter/cyclist/dog owner/Torchy's Tacos lover, and Rick Perry the baseball fan, etc.
You can follow the Governor's tweets and connect with Governor Rick Perry on his Facebook page.
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