Blogs are like online diaries. They are simple Web publishing systems that have grown into major alternative sources of information, vying with the commercial mass media in terms of their ability to frame current events. Social movements and civil society have discovered that maintaining blogs has numerous benefits including strengthening community ties and advancing key issues. Blogs provide campaigns with more than Web publishing systems: they offer a framework for telling a story.

Amnesty International has more than 2.2 million members in over 150 countries. Traditionally the organisations used newsletters and e-mail alerts to communicate with members. Although this worked, Amnesty felt uncomfortable with being the ‘sole authoritative voice’ and wanted to create a more balanced relationship between staff and activists. Starting a blog was a natural fit. The Amnesty blog features five topic areas and engages readers in a lively discussion via comments. Blog posts convey timely news, upcoming events and ways to take action. Although Amnesty continues to offer authoritative analysis, it also invites supporters to create dialogue around that analysis. By playing host, Amnesty is able to take the pulse of activists thought and action.

See http://technorati.com/blogs/livewire.amnesty.org

And

www.cwusabc.blogspot.com.

How you could use Blogs: to update members or the public (including commercial media) during strike action or wage negotiation.

 

Social networking sites allow organisations and individuals the ability to create personal profiles. Organisations have been conducting campaigns on these networks with varying success to recruit, promote issues and raise money. Young people are particularly attracted to these kinds of sites and it therefore becomes a useful tool to recruit new members. Social networking sites allow for public and private dissemination of information, which means you can send out confidential news to your members while at the same time sending a more carefully crafted message to the public.

See http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/supply_chains_how_slave-made_goods_get_to_you

And www.change.org

How you could use social networking sites:  we need to understand that more and more young people, even in an IT restricted country like South Africa, have access to technology. Social networking sites are great ways to build long-term support for campaigns, and to recruit new members and make young people aware of the benefits of belonging to unions.

 

Video and photo sharing sites enable people to publish and share videos easily. Videos and photos offer a sense of realism that allows social movements to engage more deeply with supporters. It also provides a useful visual archive of organisational activities. Organisations generally have one media officer (if that) at an event. With this tool ordinary members and spectators are able to take pictures from their cell phones and load them onto the site.

Oxfam conducted a campaign to convince Starbucks to sign a licensing agreement that would result in higher prices being paid to Ethiopian coffee farmers. The story of this campaign begins with a protest. Via email, Oxfam invited supporters and members of the Ethiopian community to protest at several Starbucks locations throughout the world. It filmed these protests and put the footage on YouTube. Organisers then contacted Ethiopian bloggers and asked them to put the video on their blogs. Oxfam sent another email to its supporters asking them to watch the videos which were viewed about 20 000 times.  In the space of a week 50000 people watched the videos, which then included interviews with Ethiopian farmers. Oxfam also included a Flickr campaign, asking people to upload photos of themselves with a sign saying “I support Ethiopian coffee farmers”. This petition took minutes to start and identified over 500 supporters.  Oxfam also got its online supporters to phone, fax and email Starbucks which generated about 96000 responses. Within a few weeks an agreement had been signed between Starbucks and the farmers.

See http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/supply_chains_how_slave-made_goods_get_to_you

How you can use video and photo sharing sites: campaigns are often swayed by public opinion. This is particularly true with union action. Technology allows you to give the voice of workers and let the public see what the real issues are.

 

Mobile phones have become woven into the fabric of society – everyone has a cell-phone now. Text-messaging has become a primary method of communication and offers immediacy unrivalled by any other technology. Using text-messaging, organisations have been able to cost-effectively mobilise and recruit supporters.

When Phillipines activists wanted to topple the corrupt government of then-president Joseph Estrada, they reached into their pockets and pulled out their mobile phones. They sent brief smses inviting friends to Manila’s People Power shrine saying “wear red, bring banners, come now!”  Protesters gathered at shrine throughout the next day. Inspired by the enthusiasm of the crowd, new arrivals used text messages to invited yet more friends. When more than 700 000 people stood chanting at the shrine, Estrada resigned, turning power over to the crowd’s choice for president, Gloria Arroyo. Estrada sullenly refers to his ouster as a “coup de text”.

See http://www.cellular-news.com/story/24603.php

And

http://www2.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9866790.html

How you can use mobile phones:  unions are able to set up cost-effective mechanisms to send out bulk messages. This allows you to quickly send bulk messages on issues such as negotiations, meetings, mandates etc.

 

 

Wikis are essentially online encyclopaedias. These are web sites built through ad-hoc coloration and they exemplify how a decentralised group of people, connected by the Internet, can jointly produce great work.

The Student Global Aids Campaign (SGAC) created a wiki for the singular purpose of putting pressure on Abbott Laboratories to provide its Kaletra drug to people living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand. Abbott produces one of the most popular HIV management drugs, and the only one that works in hot climates, but the company drew the ire of world-wide health groups in 2007 when it refused to sell Kaletra in Thailand. Outradged that the company would put profits over lives, the campaign started a wiki asking supports to post photos, stories and information that would pressure Abbott to sell Kaletra in Thailand. The site had a timeline of Abbott’s actions, info about HIV/Aids medications, a review of Thai law, demands for Abbott and a list of recommended actions for activists. Although this wasn’t the only source of advocacy, it was a powerful tool and within 5 months the company agreed to sell the drug in Thailand.

See http://www.youthrights.net/index.php?title=Main_Page

And

http://thailandjumpedtheshark.blogspot.com/2007/05/deconstructing-tulsathit-rest-of-world.html

 

How you can use wikis: once you have put in your base information, you allow people searching to get real information about your organisation. This serves as a useful media weapon, for journalists searching for updated information on campaigns etc.

 

Online maps reveal powerful patterns and relationships previously hidden in a sea of data. New online mapping tools are easy to use and are great way to support advocacy programs.  The stunningly realistic freely downloadable mapping software creates a seamless patchwork of satellite and aerial photography.

As you turn on your computer, the earth materialises, rotating on your screen. With a flick of your mouse, the globe spins towards Africa. You watch rivers wind their way through valleys far below. As you approach Sudan, something reddish-yellow catches your eye – its fire.  You move in for a closer look and see icons that depicts flames covering nearly every square inch of Darfur, Sudan. Yellow flame represents a damaged village, red indicates total destruction.  The icons scattered everywhere depict utter devastation. You move across the landscape from village to village, seeing vivid satellite imagery of the cracked yellow earth. Only charred thatched huts remain. You click on additional icons that show photos, videos and written testimonies. You read survivor’s stories of death, destruction and endurance. You click a link entitled “how can I help?” and get directions to take action.

See: www.ilovemountains.org

How you can use online maps:  you could have a graphic depiction of membership, where membership is increasing, what areas are most threatened by job losses, where strikes are most active etc.