Derek Wyatt (above left) is the MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey. A few days ago, after a debate about the future of DAB within the Houses of Parliament (it’s rosy), I was lucky enough to, as a guest of the RadioCentre, spend an hour or so in his company in a get-together afterwards.

I quizzed both him and the rather more youthful Jeremy Hunt MP (who was sitting the other side of me) on their use of the internet and media in general - keen to understand whether MPs really do just listen to the Today Programme and read a broadsheet paper.

Well, I can confirm that both MPs do both listen to Today and read a broadsheet. Hurray. I win the bet. One listens also to 5live, the other also listens to Classic FM.

But then I asked how they used the internet. And I was amazed by Derek Wyatt’s response. First, he reads the FT quite a lot online. (Gosh, I naively thought. He knows how to use a computer). Then, he whipped out his iPhone and deftly checked a text message or two, and mentioned that he’d popped over to meet some French politician a while back to discuss how to make a good website - and I realised that my preconceptions were totally wrong.

Naturally, Derek has his own website - all MPs do these days - but on that website you’ll find RSS feeds of his latest news, as well as votes and interactivity, and podcasts. Yes, he makes his own podcasts. Scroll down the page, and you’ll see a Google Maps mashup showing where he’s been within his constituency. It’s really very Web2.0.

But you probably think he’s just using someone to make this for him. He’s not - he’s creating much of the content himself. Because he also has derekwyatt.tv which is chock-full of… videos. “I take my camcorder along with me and interview cabinet ministers,” he said, “asking them what they’ll do for people in my constituency”. And check out the other links - he uses Flickr, MySpace, Facebook and rather more. (His Flickr photos? Last updated… today. Sadly, all copyrighted, so I couldn’t use one above: indeed, this is the only photo which is CC at all within Flickr, taken by a colleague of mine.)

This is a man who totally understands how to use the web - in a way that puts many of us to shame, especially radio presenters who also have to engage with their ‘constituency’. His website’s actually more fully-featured than many local radio station websites; more engaging than many local newspaper websites. And he’s (and I hope he won’t mind me saying) not really from what I’d call the internet generation. I’m amazed at what he’s been able to do.

If you’re a local radio presenter, take a look at how this man uses the internet. Your ‘votes’ are your listeners, your RAJAR figures. If you did even half of this work, imagine what difference you’d make to your audience figures.

My own MP’s website appears to be subcontracted by some faceless company, and contains none of this stuff. He doesn’t keep any of it updated. Occasionally he uses hearfromyourMP.com to send a boring email. However, he’s never once mentioned the place I live, and I’ve no idea what he does for me. And I’m a floating voter. I wonder if he’s doing enough to get my vote next time around?

Photo: Alan Connor. Used under licence.