The third election TV debate in Birmingham last night did not fail to disappoint. This is even inspite of much talk during the day being about Gordon Brown's lose 'bigot' comments.

It was another well fought debate this time with more focus on economic issues as well as immigration. Gordon Brown did look a bit visibly rattled given the day's events. There was a lot of political point scoring between him and David Cameron. Brown brought up a lot of economic arguments but most seemed to be avoiding impending financial doom.

David Cameron was having a bit of difficulty in answering questions on immigration and other economic issues. At one point he could not even answer a simple yes / no question on his immigration policy.

Nick Clegg was of course trying to be the 'voice of reason' between the political point scoring of the other two. However, his policy on immigration came under attack. The others said his policy of the effective legalising and integration of thousands of illegal immigrants was sending out the wrong message to others who would try to get into the UK illegally. Nick Clegg pointed out that it was an issue that was not going to disappear and had to be dealt with immediately.

What happens over the next week is anyones guess but what is certain that Google searches in the UK for 'hung parliament' have overtaken searches for 'Britney Spears'. I don't think that has happened before!

I think it is quite clear that social media is going to be a significant factor that shapes this UK election whether it is Labour, Conservative or the Liberal Democrats.

With the respective manifesto launch it will be a challenge to get the message out especially to first-time voters. For the major parties, social media has become essential tool to target new audiences who may have been previously disaffected or disinterested in politics.

This is the first time that social media will play a part in a UK Election and no-one knows exactly how this will play out. It is all uncharted territory. I imagine many of their strategies are based upon what happened in the US Election of 2008. The Obama campaign certainly was a solid case study but times have changed a lot since then. Both social media and people's experience of it have evolved so no-one can really predict what will happen. Businesses are now taking social media more seriously and it is an almost indispensible tool for the personal lives of many.

With that in mind here are some interesting election social media figures.....

At the time of writing the number of followers for each party on Twitter are:

Conservative - 25,939
Labour - 14,048
Liberal Democrats - 12,430

However if you look at number of YouTube views of main party videos the figures are as follows:

Labour - 'Labour Manifesto 2010: A future fair for all' posted (posted 11/04/10)- 41,226
Conservative - 'An Invitation to join the government of Britain' (posted 13/04/10)- 26,989
Liberal Democrats - David Laws: Election 2010 Manifesto Launch (posted 14/04/10) - 187

This provides interesting snap-shot of what is going on social media wise for each of the parties but by no means the big picture. What the future holds is anyone's guess. I anticipate lots of twists and turns in the coming weeks.

As I recall, the US election between Obama and McCain became a mudslinging match before the end. Remember that guy 'Joe the Plumber'? However, Obama was very successful in getting his messages out on social media and it is beyond doubt that it played big part in his election win. Also it was his positive messages like 'change' were the ones that seemed to resonate most with the voters. This is something that I am sure Mr Cameron has been somewhat influenced by in his campaign, 'vote for change'.

As with US election we are seeing a fair bit of mudslinging here in the UK regarding tax, National Insurance and other policies. It is a shame that election politics all to often is about rubbishing opposing parties policies rather than focusing on actual value they could add to the country.

UK politics has been thrown in the deep end with the social media world. It will be interesting to see what effect it has in the coming weeks as the election hits fever pitch...

Many couldn't believe it could happen but it has. The USA will see an African-Amercian president for the first time in history. I had my fingers crossed yesterday but victory for Obama never really looked in that much doubt.

It was the most expensive campaign in American history fought over a period of 22 months with many twists and turns. Originally the key issue was Iraq but when the economic crisis happened in September it changed the course of the election.

As mentioned in a previous post both Obama and McCain used new media, internet, social networking very effectively to deliver their message. In doing so they have successfully gained a massive turnout at the polls from people who may not have normally voted. Obama has successfully engaged with different communities and his message has motivated young people. Even 'ghetto street kids' in Harlem know his name. His campaign has been helped tremendously by endorsements from people like Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, and other media and music icons.

The success of Obama signifies a shift in thinking in the US which will be felt around the rest of the world. Gordon Brown has indicated his support and says he will be looking forward to working with him. The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has also congratulated Barack Obama on his victory and hopes it will lead to better ties with the US and India.

While there were many issues that came up, the issue of race is one that couldn't be ignored. His victory will be especially poignant for African Americans who lived through the civil rights unrest. In the South of the US it was a long time before African Americans could even vote. People like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and others gave there whole life to the struggling for equality and justice for African Americans. The Obama win is built on their struggle and would not have been possible without them.

However, people should not forget other issues like Business and Foreign policy. Obama will have a tough time with state of the economy and will have to provide business with some hope. As far as foreign policy goes I was a little uneasy at his inflexible stance of 'just fighting and catching the bad guys'. Many people in other parts of the world hoped that he would have a more progressive stance to foreign policy. They may be disappointed with his position which is not much more moderate than the McCain alternative.

Whatever happens now Obama has a difficult road ahead and a lot to live up to. This should not take away from this victory has achieved. It is all certainly a step in the right direction...

I have been watching the US Presidential Race between Barack Obama and John McCain with much interest. To be honest I have a lot of disagreements with the way the USA generally handle themselves especially with their foreign policy. They don't do themselves any favours and whoever gets in will have a difficult road ahead especially with financial situation at the moment. Having said that it will be good to see Obama in though as he seems to have a plan and is certainly inspiring young american voters.

The final presidential debate yesterday made for some interesting viewing especially when they kept talking about Joe the Plumber! I initially thought like many people, 'who the hell is Joe the Plumber?'

Apparently Joe the Plumber is a small business owner who challenged Obama over his economic policy when he was campaigning in Ohio at the beginning of the week. His name has now become famous as unwitting symbol of the econonic situation in the US because of being mentioned so many times in the final presidential debate.

Barack and John went on to discuss the issue of negative advertising in both of their campaigns. Both of these guy have been have mudslinging at each other the last few months. I think it doesn't send out the right message generally to focus on the negative. The Americans need positive solutions from their presidential candidates not personal attacks on each other.

McCain choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate has also been the source of much debate. In my opinion I am pretty shocked that someone like her could rise to such a position of influence. She comes from Alaska and is known for her radical creationist views. I find it hard to take her seriously. Go American Soccer Mums! Yeah whatever...

One thing I will say about both Obama and McCain's campaign is their impressive use of new media and the internet to propel their campaigns. Both have used Facebook, YouTube and Blogs to very good effect to engage with especially younger voters. Our very own UK policians could learn a lot from this as they seem to be very slow in the uptake of new media. Number 10's YouTube channel is a start but doesn't seem to be getting many hits. It's a shame but I don't think British Politicians have the media savvy or 'Pzazz' of their American Counterparts.

Barack Obama is one of the most charismatic speakers I have ever seen. He seems to really engage his audience in their own language. If he got in it would of course be historic as he would be the first American president of African descent. He is even inspiring kids from the ghetto areas of the US which is amazing feat. Symbolically in the US and across the world (even here in the UK) his appointment would have massive affect and would mean a radical shift in thinking.

Also I know this may sound ageist but I would imagine the American presidential role to be very demanding if not one of the most demanding roles there is. It would probably be more suitable for someone in his forties.

Fingers crossed Obama gets in as we don't want another four years of a Bush-style Government throwing its weight around. A change we can believe in? We hope....as I'm sure Joe the Plumber will.