With the election campaign officially underway, much of the chatter today is about how social media will affect it.

None of the parties has emulated the example of the Obama campaign in America, getting individuals to donate online, for instance. But, as I posted a couple of weeks ago (Online election fever, March 24), the Tories lead on Facebook, where David Cameron now has 19000 supporters, and their skill at posting video clips on YouTube compares well with Labour’s, whose recent clip of Gordon Brown smiling madly is still giving me nightmares. The Conservatives are also making good use of Twitter. Party chairman Erick Pickles and head of press Henry Macrory are said to be issuing rebuttals to Labour claims with admirable speed.

Labour has some bright spots of its own on social media. According to the Telegraph, a 20-year old activist named Ellie Gellard, a protégé of Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy, has emerged as a ‘spirited unofficial spin doctor for the party’. Jack Straw’s son Will is running a blog call Left Foot Forward, and the party’s Membersnet system is considered to be better than the opposition’s at mobilising supporters.

These sorts of initiatives are attracting attention, but it strikes me that there isn’t as much going on as you would expect. Why aren’t the three parties running more blogs, more Facebook pages?  Why has no politician attracted a big following on Twitter, comparable to Stephen Fry, for instance? Or is it there, but just too dull to be noticed?

Perhaps more of that sort of activity will emerge as the campaign develops. But in the meantime it’s the voters who will be making real use of social media, aided by traditional media channels such as the BBC, which is encouraging viewers to send clips and comments. It will be really interesting to see how quickly and effectively these public opinion barometers react to the speeches, pledges, gaffes and pratfalls that the politicians will be laying on for us in the next few weeks.