Filed under: Clicking with voters •Election

Filed under: Clicking with voters

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

I've been looking at how it's going for the three main parties as they raise cash online. They were hoping that voters would point, click and pay.

We talked to all three parties. The Lib Dems say they received a 700 percent increase in the number of donations after the first TV debate. It was mostly in the form of small donations - £5 or £10 a person. They didn't give us an overall figure.

The Conservative Party says its raised about $800, 000 online, and the Labour Party, more than $400, 000.

Compare that to what U.S. President Barack Obama raised in 2008. He got about half a million dollars in online donations.

We chatted to Joe Rospars, Obama's digital advisor for his campaign, who says all the parties have been running a "strong traditional campaign," and that "the online stuff is somewhat of an afterthought and not and central to the relationships they have with voters or supporters."

To be fair, Obama had two years to campaign. The British candidates have had only six weeks. We also chatted to Facebook's director of European Policy, who used to be an MP himself. He says even so, there are still ways the candidates could have done more to click with possible donors.

They could have done a better job of more closely tying their "fundraising to specific events and specific targets that people can reach."

For the next election political parties may need to sharpen their cyber style to tap into more money on the Web.

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

A new online game called Downing Street Fighter will let you slug it out.

London, England - If you're looking for a way to vent your anger and frustration with any of the three main candidates I've got just the thing for you.

An online game called Downing Street Fighter will let you slug it out. A left hook, a right jab, and uppercut with three players.  Just take your pick.

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Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

London, England – Oh Gordon. When you've got a mic on, the tapes are always rolling. C'mon. It's being-in-the-public-eye 101. It's easy to just forget the small, black clipped mic, I know. But days away from the big election day, a major mess-up.

Calling a voter Brown just met with a "bigoted woman" on tape could be costly. He looked two-faced, and out of touch with voters at a moment he needs to show just how in touch he is. Unfortunately for Labour this also changes the news agenda for the day and focus on it could be costly. Could it dash Labour's chances at the polls? The media having been waiting for a juicy election muck up all campaign long, and this is it. Sky TV is wall-to-wall with this coverage. It was their mic he drove away with.

Brown's apologised to the now-famous Gillian Duffy, on the phone and then in person, at her home. Was he wearing a mic for the apology?

An attack on colleagues or rivals caught on tape may not be as bad as an attack on a voter. I see some tweets saying Bigotgate lost Brown their vote. @sara_sands says "Gordon Brown should resign in my opinion. He is an absolute disaster." From @Pavideo: "Brown lost pensioners vote after calling her bigoted."

Some on #bigotedwoman are complaining that Brown apologised to Duffy. They say it gives credence to her negative views on immigrants. They're telling the PM, he was right, why go back on it.

He has to because it's too close to the election not to do public damage control on this. Otherwise his political death knell tolls.

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

Labour leader Gordon Brown in Milton Keynes, southern England, takes questions via Twiter (Getty)

London, England - I did a bunch of live shots today and the thrust was that social media is not setting the election agenda here in the UK, as many previously thought it might.

I interviewed media expert Roy Greenslade of City University, London, who says social media has been more "reactive and hyperactive" but not that influential right now because it's responding to the agenda set by traditional UK media.

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Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

Nick Clegg (left), David Cameron (center) and Gordon Brown (right) made UK election history Thursday (Getty).

London, England – Full-on American-style politics came to Britain Thursday, as the leaders of the three big parties held the country's first-ever televised election debate.

British voters go to the polls in three weeks to decide whether Gordon Brown will stay on as prime minister, winning a historic fourth consecutive victory for his Labour party.

A snap poll after the debate suggested that Nick Clegg – leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third biggest party in the UK - won the debate resoundingly.

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Posted by: Richard Allen Greene, The CNN Wire
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Debates •Election

London, England - I have a new beat for the next three weeks and I’m thrilled about it. I’ll be reporting on the role social media will have in the UK election. I think it’s one of the more exciting beats to cover, and it’s going to be pretty important. It’s my first time covering British elections, and the first time I’m really dabbling in all social media platforms, so I’m in new territory.

So here’s what I’ve learned so far after doing a some homework and chatting to Alberto and Andrew over at Tweetminster. It’s not clear if candidates reaching out to voters on social media will get them votes. Some say this isn’t going to be an Internet election, but the Internet will change the dynamics of the debate and campaign.

There are others who think that if you have a positive connection to a candidate and they are responsive, chances are you’ll be thinking about them in the polling booth. We need to watch this.

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Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media