Phil Goff has apparently returned to Twitter. I say apparently, because so far he has only sent one tweet:
This is his first tweet since he stepped down as leader of the Labour Party:
Some have already questioned his return:
and
How will this return be received on Twitter? Those who are Labour supporters will see it as a good thing:
How the rest of Twitter receives his return will come down to how he uses it. Returning after such a long gap, and so close to the election runs, the risk that he will come across as someone who sees Twitter as just another means to promote the message, and not actively engage. Taking a quick look back at some of his tweets, from nearly 3 years ago, they are, in general, very much of the push the message out type. If he continues with this style of tweeting, I think the it would be fair to draw the conclusion that he plans to use it as just another way to push the message out. The other question will be if he keeps up his use after the election?
There are plenty of other MPs out there that use social media in this manner. Who don’t engage with those who follow them. However, coming back after this period of time, and at this point in the election cycle, if Phil Goff takes that approach, it will be seen as a cynical attempt to use social media without really understanding it.
I hope Phil actually uses it the way it is intended, and engages with people.
