Social media is a great way to connect with your legislator and other Mainers who care about our extraordinary environment. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram provide you with almost instant contact with your legislator and allies working on environmental issues in the state and across the country.
Facebook is a great tool for connecting with legislators and organizations working on environmental issues. Many legislators have pages on Facebook to keep in touch with constituents. Typically, after you "like" your legislator's page, you can write on the page wall, post or share pictures and videos, and receive updates from them. The same is true for organizations - by "liking" an organization's page (like Maine Conservation Voters), you can receive updates on legislation and campaigns.
After you've "liked" a legislator or an organization, you can "mention" them in your status by using the "@" sign and type the organization or legislator's name. This is helpful when you're trying to draw attention to a bill, urge someone to vote with you, or thank them for standing up for important initiatives.
Twitter is another networking site where users post or "tweet" updates that are 140 characters or less. It is a quick way to broadcast the latest headlines of current events. Users "follow" other Twitter users to receive the latest "tweets" or posts. Twitter users can "retweet" the latest news, rapidly spreading news to their followers. You can direct a tweet to a specific follower by "mentioning" them or by sending them a specific email. You can find our sister organization, Maine Conservation Voters, on Twitter here.
Join conversations already happening on Twitter by using hashtags. Some of our favorites are #mepolitics, #ActOnClimate, and #VoteEnvironment.
Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social media platform that has become a popular medium for legislators to connect with their constituents in place of or in tandem with Facebook and Twitter. You can "follow" accounts and share posts that stay in your personal feed or in your account's "story" (which only stays visible to others for 24 hours). Many legislators use the story feature on Instagram to share live updates from the State House and post in their feed when they want to bring attention to a particular issue or summarize an event. Overall, Instagram is a great way to stay informed and make your voice heard. Go follow our sister organization - Maine Conservation Voters - on Instagram here.
YouTube is an online community where users can share originally-created videos. YouTube users can post their own "video messages" and subscribe to users' channels. You can find Maine Conservation Alliance on YouTube here.