Speaking at a forum at Howard University on the effective use of social media, political communications experts urged college students and other young voters to transform their Facebook and Twitter contacts into powerful political networks in advance of the 2012 elections.

The non-partisan forum on Wednesday was convened by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Media and Technology Institute, in partnership with Howard's School of Communications, NAACP, National Action Network, Voto Latino, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Hip Hop Caucus, IMPACT, Politic365 and BET Networks.  "African Americans in particular are over-represented on sites like Twitter," said political commentator Jamal Simmons. "Transforming the contacts to good works can make a significant impact if this year is anything like the last election when African Americans played a critical role in getting this president elected."

Social media can be effective tools for anyone, according to conservative commentator Lenny McAllister. He cited the success that the Tea Party has had with social media, saying, "These are not 22-year-old conservatives that are using Facebook and Twitter. These are your grandparents!"

"As the 2012 election season gets underway, this is the first in a series of events by the Joint Center to highlight the role of social media in civic engagement," said Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee, Vice President and Director of the Joint Center Media and Technology Institute. "We want to energize African Americans and other people of color, especially young and potential voters who are comfortable with the technology and can lead the way to broader adoption."

Read more at politicsincolor.com.

It was previously available at The Sacramento Bee.