Social networks encourage users to vote in today’s elections

By Aemon Malone November 2, 2010

If you’re not planning on voting in today’s general elections, then the Internet might not let you forget it. Several popular social networking sites are taking up the cause and motivating users to participate in today’s General Election.

Facebook is doing its part by encouraging users to momentarily forget about browsing through last weekend’s Halloween pictures long enough to head to a polling place. Users over the age of 18 who sign into Facebook today will be greeted with a message reminding them that it is, in fact, Election Day. There is also a link to Facebook’s Polling Place Locator widget, which will kindly direct folks to the nearest place where they can cast their vote. Facebook users who do vote – or who want their friends to think they voted – can click the “I Voted” button to broadcast their commitment to the democratic process. The site will be keeping a running tally on which of your friends clicked the “I Voted” button along with the total number of Facebook users who claim to have cast ballots.

In a statement the Palo Alto-based company affirmed its commitment to civic engagement saying, “Today is Election Day in the United States and Facebook is committed to encouraging people who use our service to participate in the democratic process.”

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Foursquare is offering would-be voters similar incentives. Users of the location-based mobile app will be able to check-in when they arrive at their voting places and alert friends of their civic participation with a special “I Voted” badge — the badge system is like a virtual trophy case for showing that you’ve accomplished certain tasks. Foursquare plans to compile voting place check-ins on a Webpage with a statistical breakdown of users’ voting activity.

Twitter won’t let users slip easily into apathy either. In a blog posting, the company directs users to the Twitter feeds of political parties for some last minute micro-guidance on election issues. In similar fashion to Facebook and Foursquare, Twitter also encourages voters to skip out on the traditional “I Voted” sticker and go virtual by signaling their participation to followers by using the hashtag #ivoted.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Computing

Save $100 on this Netgear mesh Wi-Fi system at Crutchfield

netgear orbi ax6000 tri band wi fi system deal crutchfield april 2024 lifestyle

If you want every corner of your home to have access to a stable internet connection, you're going to want to buy a mesh Wi-Fi system. There are lots of options out there among all the router deals online, but here's one that we recommend -- the Netgear Orbi AX6000 tri-band Wi-Fi system, which Crutchfield is selling at $100 off. Instead of $900, you'll just have to pay $800 for this mesh Wi-Fi system, but only if you hurry. The discount is expected to last for a few more days, but we're not sure if stocks will still be available by the end of the sale.

Why you should buy the Netgear Orbi AX6000 tri-band Wi-Fi system
The Netgear Orbi AX6000 tri-band Wi-Fi system includes a router module and two satellites to create a mesh network that supports Wi-Fi 6 and will provide coverage across 7,500 square feet. The router and the satellites will use a single network name for a seamless connection as you move around -- horizontally or vertically -- and MU-MIMO technology will allow for simultaneous streaming across multiple devices, so even if everyone in the family is connected to the mesh Wi-Fi system at the same time, nobody will experience any lag or buffering while watching streaming shows.

Computing

This popular Dell business laptop is discounted from $849 to $579

Dell Vostro 14 sitting on a table

If you're looking for a solid business laptop that's both portable and won't break the bank, then you'll be very happy with the Vostro 14. Not only is it highly rated, but it's still packed with features for being such a small device, and while it can be a little bit pricey at MSRP, you can get it for a steep discount. Dell has knocked an impressive $270 off the usual $849 price tag, bringing it down to a much more affordable $579, making it an excellent deal if you've been looking for a new device.

Why you should buy the Vostro 14
For being only a small 14-inch laptop, the Vostro 14 has some pretty good specs and a couple of ones that maybe should have been slightly better. For example, you get 16GB of DDR4 RAM, which is really excellent, especially for a more business-oriented laptop, so you can open a lot of apps and tabs at the same time. On the other hand, you only get an Intel Core i5-1335U, which is a mid-range processor, and while it's absolutely fine for business work and productivity, it would have been nice to get the higher-end Intel Core i7-1355U for a bit extra power and versatility.

Computing

The best resume templates for Google Docs

2010 career building tips resume

éé

During these times of heavy competition in the job market, you want to be sure that your résumé stands out as much as possible. There are many resources online to assist you in building a stellar resume, especially using templates compatible with Google Docs.