June 21, 2008

Organizing Online

Posted by Sarah Burris at 12:38AM

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Filled with funny quips and loaded with information, the Online Politics 101 Guide from blog E-Politics helps those who want to save the world online.

"Let’s change the world! But how? Robot/kung fu army? Too expensive.

Zombies? Too messy. Online politics? A wise choice: the internet gives anyone with an internet-ready computer — candidates, advocacy organizations, corporate interests and everyday citizens alike — powerful tools to mold policy, influence elections and shift the direction of public discourse."

The guide details ways in which people from presidential campaigns to school clubs, Greek organizations, local charities, and more can impact our world and organize online.

As a summary, the guide begins with emphasizing the ease, speed, reach, and interconnectivity of the web. Not mentioned, but also notable, is cost. Currently, the cost for online advertising, an online presence, and online outreach is one of the cheapest and easiest media tools available. Think of it this way: You can knock on every dorm room on campus, or you can friend them all and virtually knock their doors advocating for your cause or campaign by using Facebook, MySpace, or other networking sites.

As I've stated in the past, you should never underestimate the power of peer-to-peer conversations to get people to help you or work on your issue, but with some of the emerging technologies you can stay in daily contact with the folks you recruit or whose doors you knock on, or who you lobby in class.

The guide gives 3 Simple Rules for Online Politics:

"1. Think about the ends before you think about the means.

2. Brilliance always takes a 2nd place to persistance.

3. Integrate, integrate, integrate"

The first and second options are my favorites. Thinking about your goals is always a good rule of thumb. Think about what you want to gain and then develop the tools to get you there. Say you want to raise $1,000 to bring a speaker to your school, you can set up a table with jars for change, you can knock doors for cash, or you can hold a giant event and invite people via facebook and myspace, or start an event and invite people to contribute and talk about how cool the speaker will be on the event page. You can even make a plea via video and post the YouTube video.

Persistence is notable because everyone should know that you don't have to be a swanky programmer to get people to respond to your organization or club. It's the heart, repeated requests, networks, and relationships you build online that help keep people engaged in who you are and why you matter.

Remember, the power to organizing online through social networking tools is your friends list. When you're mobilizing online, you have the power, but with the help of as few as ten friends, your individual efforts can grow into a sizable online army.

Read the guide and think about it within the context of how it can help your club or organization. There is a lot that can be done to promote yourself and your organization.

Here are some more good tips for organizing on Facebook and some good rules of thumb for building your community.

Here are some good ways to organize on MySpace.