Vote of Confidence

Patrick Donnelly, manager of corporate development for WCG, a global public relations and social-media engagement firm based in San Francisco, says some people might appreciate political candidates recognizing their computers and listing Facebook friends, and some people might be turned off.

"If you are an undecided voter and you want to learn about how a candidate feels about some of the issues, you can go to his or her website, and if you see that X number of your Facebook friends already support that candidate, you might be more likely to read the positions — it's almost like an endorsement," Donnelly says. "Or you may be more likely to ask your friends about how they feel about that candidate or what they think about his or her positions."