Charlie Rangel Needs to Engage Online

(I-Newswire) July 28, 2010 - Trufflenet: Rangel Shouldn’t be Discouraged About Negatives with Online Community

Leading UK Internet Social Media Agency, Launching in US, Says It’s Not Too Late to Campaign Online and Reverse Negatives

New, York, NY, July 28, 2010 – Embattled New York Congressman Charlie Rangel has scored strong negative ratings when his name is associated with the words “trust, confidence and support” online according to Trufflenet, a leading internet monitoring and consulting agency that is launching in the United States; however, the company notes that Rangel still has an opportunity to positively change attitudes and opinions online.


In the days leading to the announcement by the House Ethics Committee concerning the charges against the Congressman, Rangel was the subject of thousands of mentions online, including hundreds of tweets, with highly negative influence scores, according to Trufflenet monitoring and analysis and propriety algorithms.


“It’s no surprise that the social media community has predominately shown some negative feelings toward Representative Rangel,” said John Casey, Director of Trufflenet USA. “However, given that the congressman has not begun to address the online world, there are now opportunities for him and his team to start changing and affecting opinion.”


Casey, a former public and media relations director for three of the nation’s largest retailers, was also a Capitol Hill press secretary, and helped shepherd his former boss through an ethics committee hearing and full House reprimand in the late 1980s. The House member went onto be re-elected three times, and have a bill signed into law after the episode.


“The explosion of social media presents Congressman Rangel with an added platform, which we didn’t have, to positively interact and reach his constituents, fans and other political aficionados,” says Casey. “What is said about the Congressman by a seemingly innocuous tweet in California, or blog posting in Chicago, can quickly reverberate to NYC and beyond. The Congressman can begin to favorably shape the discourse online.”


For starters, Trufflenet's Casey recommends that Rangel, who is not a client, implement the following:

· *Avoid posting prepared statements and press releases on his Twitter account

· *Start talking personally to his followers on Twitter and fans on Facebook

· *Create a microsite on his professional website about his “top achievements for Harlem”

· *Create compelling viral videos “Charlie is Harlemous” about Charlie being marvelous for Harlem

· *Encourage constituents to start a Facebook page/campaign “Keep Charlie in Congress”



“If Representative Rangel chooses to fight this out, and seek re-election, he is going to have to successfully confront the comments bubbling forth from the online community,” says Casey. “The congressman needs a strong ‘call to action’ to help him build a case for himself online, and effectively use his 1,800 Facebook fans and 2,500 Twitter followers to start going to bat for him!”


Trufflenet, a leading British social media monitoring and consulting agency, provides rigorous online search programs, analysis and consultation to high-profile public officials, government agencies and businesses and organizations. The company is preparing to launch here in the United States. For more information about Trufflenet, please visit www.trufflenet.com

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