Antoinette Pole is an Assistant Professor of Political Science & Law at Montclair State University. She studies the intersection of information technology and politics, exploring theoretical questions related to representation and political participation. Professor Pole recently authored Blogging the Political: Politics and Participation in a Networked Society (Routledge, 2010). An expert on political blogs, she has been interviewed for her work by the Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Tribune, Boston Globe, and Rhode Island Monthly Magazine. Her work appears in peer-reviewed journals such as Public Choice, American Journal Public Health, and International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society. Additionally, Professor Pole writes about state politics, coauthoring New York Politics: A Tale to Two States, Second Edition (ME Sharpe, 2010).

-political blogs
-New York state politics

"Farming Alone? What's Up with the C in Community Supported Agriculture" by Antoinette Pole, Montclair State University and Margaret Gray, Adelphi University

This study reconsiders the purported benefits of community found in community supported agriculture (CSA). Using an online survey of members who belong to CSAs in New York state, between November and December 2010, we assess members' reasons for joining a CSA, and their perceptions of community within their CSA and beyond. A total of 565 CSA members responded to the survey. Results show an overwhelming majority of members joined their CSA for fresh, local, organic produce, while few respondents joined their CSA to build community, meet like-minded individuals or share financial risk with farmers. Members reported that they do not derive a strong sense of community from either their CSA or other forms of community, yet they volunteered at their CSA and appear to be engaged in activities within their communities, though the frequency of the latter is unknown. These data suggest New York CSAs appear to be oriented toward the instrumental and functional models, which emphasize the economic aspects of farming rather than collaborative models, which foster community (Feagan and Henderson 2009).

"Like, Comments and Retweets: Facebooking and Tweeting on the 2010 Gubernatorial Campaign Trail" by Antoinette Pole Montclair State University & Michael Xenos University of Wisconsin-Madison

This paper examines the role of Facebook and Twitter in the 2010 gubernatorial elections based on a random sample of approximately 20% of all gubernatorial races. Data were collected by scraping candidate Facebook pages and Twitter feeds between October 29 and November 1, 2010. To date, few studies examine the role of new media at the state level. Building on previous studies of digital media by candidates in United States elections, this research seeks to illuminate the still-evolving world of online campaigning. Results show during the 2010 midterm elections, 72% (51 out of 71) and 66% (47 out of 71) of gubernatorial candidates used Facebook and Twitter respectively. Among individual candidates, rates of activity varied substantially with some candidates posting only a handful of times while others were "super users" posting frequently. Results show slightly higher activity on Facebook than Twitter during the final days of the campaign though Twitter was used more frequently than Facebook to promote campaign websites, solicit donations, mobilize users to undertake action, and to offer thanks to their supporters. Finally, Twitter was used strategically by gubernatorial candidates to encourage followers to vote early with challengers being more responsive than incumbents.