Facebook, CNN team up for election 2012

Facebook and CNN are no strangers to partnering on election coverage. In 2009 they teamed up to live-stream the presidential inauguration, setting a web record with a whopping 18.8 million total online viewers. In addition, Kay Madati, the social network giant’s head of entertainment and media, has CNN roots. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when the two companies recently announced they’re joining forces yet again for the 2012 election. The central piece of their election effort is the “I’m Voting” Facebook app, which lets people share their commitment to vote and their views on candidates and certain issues. The information then appears in your timeline, news feed, and a real-time ticker. The two companies will aggregate the findings, and CNN will incorporate it into its coverage. “By again harnessing the power of the Facebook platform and coupling it with the best of our journalism, we will redefine how people engage in the democratic process and advance the way a news organization covers a national election,” KC Estenson, senior vice president of CNN Digital, touted in a release.

But some can’t help but wonder if the move is yet another example of businesses making information too social. “As usual, Facebook wants to push the boundaries of what you share in public. But there’s a reason individuals vote behind a closed curtain—politics, like religion, can be a divisive topic,” explained San Francisco Chronicle’s Benny Evangelista. Marketing Pilgrim’s Frank Reed agreed. “It used to be that your vote was your vote and it was somewhat of a private event,” he wrote. “In this new age of openness, however, there may be less of a chance for that to be the case. I for one am not convinced this is a very good thing.” And what remains to be seen is whether the partnership can help bolster CNN’s ratings. The cable network has struggled in the cable news ratings war, drawing an average of 319,000 total viewers and 129,000 viewers ages 25-54 in the second quarter.

• Facebook Wants to Be the ‘Second Screen’ of Election 2012 Coverage (Mashable)

• CNN and Facebook go all social on the 2012 election (CNET News)

• Facebook, CNN Team On Election Coverage (MediaPost)

• Facebook, CNN want you make your vote social (San Francisco Chronicle)

• CNN taps into Facebook to bring political chatter to the newsfeed (VentureBeat)

• Could Facebook Be the Real Difference in Election 2012? (Marketing Pilgrim)

• CNN partners with Facebook for social election experience (Lost Remote)

• CNN Picks Facebook for Presidential Running Mate (Search Engine Journal)

• CNN, Facebook announce ‘America’s Choice 2012 partnership (CNN)