This image from twitpic.com shows a photo posted by a group Twitter from Teheran University and captioned "MirHossein Supporter." – AFP photo

June 2009: The US may be keeping a distance from the dramatic protests after the Iranian elections, but the State Department is making sure that Twitter and other social networking sites are still up and running.

The department on June 16 requested that Twitter re-schedule its maintenance as the Obama Administration is relying on the site to keep tabs on what is happening in Iran due to a ban on foreign media reporting. This certainly demonstrates the importance of the social media to the administration.

Just a week earlier, the man who created the online buzz which helped then presidential candidate Barack Obama set foot in the Oval office – Scott Goodstein – told audiences in Singapore that social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are certainly more than just for personal networking and fun.

Mr Goodstein was in town to speak at infocomm event CommunicAsia 2009.

If used correctly, social networks are an effective way for businesses to gain customers or for groups and individuals to raise money for their causes. This is because such applications are free most of the time, and can reach the masses.

As the external online director for the Obama campaign, Mr Goodstein made use of social networks Facebook and MySpace, Twitter, online videos and ringtones to encourage people to vote or donate.

An example of what he did for Mr Obama was a text messaging campaign, where supporters could win tickets to watch Obama on popular TV host Oprah Winfrey's show in the flesh.

He said that new media tools like Twitter allow the man in the street valuable insight into the minds of politicians who "tweet" or blog, resulting in people feeling more connected and brand-loyal. This in turn may led them to contribute and support your campaign.

Mr Goodstein also quoted an example of how rock group Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor used Twitter updates to bond with fans. As a result, his 500,000 Twitter "followers" raised US$1 million (S$1.46 million) to help a friend with cancer.

In the years to come, mobile phones which come with social-media applications could well be the weapons of choice for politicians and businesses to boost brand loyalty.

This is especially so for Singapore, which has the huge potential to harness the power of social media tools, says Mr Goodstein. Singapore (population 4.5 million) has 6.45 million mobile subscriptions. This makes the city-state one of the world's most-connected populations while the free incoming text-messaging service offered by telcos makes it easy to engage a wider pool of people.

Mr Goodstein’s advice for companies who want to see success in the online realm is to engage the people and harness the energy. When people were excited about Barack Obama in the election, the online social media campaigns gave them something to do with that energy such as telling friends, or sharing comments, photos and information on their Facebook page.