By Lauren Malone

It's campaigning Mr Rabbit, but not as we know it ...

If the lead-up to tomorrow’s Federal Election has taught us anything, it’s that the cool kids already knew the power that the Internet and social media would have this time around.

Media events like the great debate were still in the 2010 pre-election mix, along with tonnes of newsprint, however new media was onboard too, as a new and very tasty ingredient.

Politicians still had sound bytes and newspaper headlines, however these were all instrumental in providing fodder for a non-stop flurry of tweets and status updates, blogs and Youtube posts, and basically, all things social media. This seems an unprecedented level of discussion in the public arena, and for new media professionals, being savvy with the social sites has never been more important.

While Gillard and Abbott have had a lot to say, so has everybody else. Which is perfect when you consider social media as such a handy, and reciprocal vehicle where everybody gets a go.

If we look at recent history, this makes a lot of sense. Take Obama’s US election campaign for example. Obama’s 2008 campaign heavily utilised social media, and set in stone the notion that the internet has changed the way candidates communicate with their electorate. On election day, Obama had 3,000,000 friends on Facebook, together with Youtube postings, Flickr streams, and a Twitter account which altogether engaged millions of viewers. On local shores, Obama’s marketing tools have been the standard for campaign teams, interest groups, and all manner of individuals with something to say.

Whether it’s a fresh opinion or weighing in on that of another, the snowballs quickly take hold. One cannot help but question the implications of this on the advertising dollar. There’s no mistaking that government advertising dollars are lucrative. But, consider these constantly changing media forms, converging and emerging, and the landscape starts to look different.

So what will it be that we remember most about the 2010 Federal Election? And, if the best way to answer this question is to post it on Facebook, perhaps we have our answer already: that the 2010 Federal Election marked the birth, in Australia, of new media political campaigning.

For more information around the election on your chosen form of social media - plug some key words into your Twitter and Facebook account and read all about it ...