Fallout from tweet in Alberta election points to perils of social mediaFallout from tweet in Alberta election points to perils of social media

The fallout from a tweet a sent by a Conservative staffer in Alberta is serving as a warning about the dangers of mixing politics and social media. In recent campaigns Twitter and Facebook have been hailed as key ways to reach voters _ but there are major risks involved. Mark Evans, a Toronto-based social media expert, says many political staffers fail to understand that Twitter isn't a private discussion board where anything goes _ it's a public forum with consequences. He says there continue to be people working in Canadian politics who are either ill-equipped or uninformed about how to use social media. Alberta Premier Alison Redford's election campaign was thrown into damage control mode on Saturday after a staffer sent a tweet mocking her…