Every year in Washington, D.C., Campaigns and Elections holds a conference called Campaign Tech. I had the opportunity to go to it this year and I enjoyed it.

Here is a description of Campaign Tech 2013 from their site: “How did the 2012 election season change the craft of digital politics and advocacy? What are digital public affairs professionals doing to evolve outreach and engagement? How can technologists and digital communications professionals create cohesive, effective campaigns? Join CampaignTech’s hands-on trainings, workshops, round-table conversations, and panel discussions that will enhance your knowledge of digital advocacy, refine your communications skills, and inspire you to exceed your goals in politics, advocacy, and public affairs.”

One of the panels on the first day talked about how memes are used to promote political messages. Candidates in the last election used memes in their campaigns – using catch phrases, pictures – which went viral on the internet through social media, search, and other channels.

For those who don’t know, memes are internet sensations that become popular for a short amount of time. They mentioned a meme one of the panelists had created, where they compared members of Congress to characters from the Muppets. It was entertaining to see the members of Congress being equated with Muppets characters.

Another panel talked about convincing leaders in your organization of the importance of using social media. It was an interesting panel because they talked about how social media are powerful tools for getting news out there and engaging with people.

This was a great trip. The event seemed to go by fast.

I encourage you to go to this conference next year. I had a fantastic time and I know you will too!