When I first got onto Facebook, earlier this year, I was hooked for a short while. Now I barely remember to look at it once a month and when I do, there's usually two or three emails I should have looked at, and loads that I can instantly delete.
It worked for me when Facebook friends were people I knew, then I started accepting requests from anyone who asked (including people with no obvious connection to UK politics, or indeed, the UK, other than the fact they had persuaded lots of other MPs to become their friends already). I'm now bombarded with invites to join groups campaigning against a tree being chopped down somewhere in Northumberland, or to attend events that there is absolutely no possibly of me making.
For example, I've joined a number of 'XXXX for XXXX' groups, to show support for Labour candidates, several of whom I know quite well, but that means you get invited to every single canvassing session, when they live hundreds of miles away. (By some of them, others are more discerning in who they email, for which, thanks. And Paul Smith is allowed to, seeing as I live in what will hopefully be his constituency after the next election, but is mine at the moment).
I also don't like this Superwall business, and I don't want to hug, kick, give hearts to, slap, or do anything like that with anyone online, thank you very much. Nor do I particularly want to do quizzes, although I did do the 'Are you a chav?' one many months ago (calling my grandmother 'Nan' was my downfall. They should have just asked 'Is your name Kerry?' as that rapidly seems to be becoming the chav* name du jour, if Jeremy Kyle is anything to go by.)
So... is it worth MPs having a Facebook site? Is there any MP out there who makes good use of it? I'm thinking of maybe having two sites, one for people I know so that it's easy to keep in touch with mates, and one for anyone else who wants to join. But then what do you do if someone asks to join the A team, when you think they're only really a B?
*I accept there is a debate about whether this is an appropriate term to use, and I don't usually. But that's what the quiz was called.
