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It's Your World, So Change It: Using the Power of the Internet to Create Social Change

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It's Your World, So Change It: Using the Power of the Internet to Create Social Change

By Tom Head
Published Jun 24, 2010 by Que.

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Copyright 2010
Dimensions: 6" x 9"
Pages: 216
Edition: 1st

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ISBN-10: 0-7897-3977-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3977-3

There's been plenty of hype about the "netroots," and online activism on both the right and left. But most of it's been celebratory, not practical. This is a practical, start to finish guide to promoting any cause and participating in any social movement on the social Web. Long-time activist and online community expert Tom Head covers everything you need to know about e-activism, including: " Using the Web to find activism jobs and volunteer opportunities " Using Google Alerts, RSS feeds, and other tools to stay informed " Building cause-related web sites - even if you have practically no money or web experience " Engaging effectively on social networking sites " Promoting causes, events, or organizations without spamming " Getting more attention and links for a cause " Keeping allies informed via email, blogs, text messaging, and Twitter " Organizing local activists using global media, and using online activism to support on-the-ground work " Blogging to promote a cause: when it works, and when it's not worth it " Avoiding the common mistakes e-activists make

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A Short Guide to the Ethics and Etiquette of Online Activism

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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

1 Online Activism 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

A New Tool,Not a New Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Where Do I Begin? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Branching Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Planting Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

2 How to Research Issues and Stay Informed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

General Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Print Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Laws and Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Keeping Up with News Sites and Blogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Getting Informed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

3 How to Plan, Promote, and Maintain a Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Finding Your Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Organizing Local Supporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Nonlocal Supporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Making Your Website Media Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Being Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Search Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Cross-Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Repeat Visitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Social Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Word of Mouth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Five Steps to Building a Great Activism Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Building a Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

4 Engage with Social Networking Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Social Networking 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Facebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

MySpace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Other Social Networking Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Summary: Social Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

5 A Short Guide to the Ethics and Etiquette

of Online Activism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Deadly Sin #1: Self-Promotion at the Expense of the Movement . .53

Deadly Sin #2: Unsolicited Bulk Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Deadly Sin #3: Hacktivism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Deadly Sin #4:Violating Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Deadly Sin #5: Nagging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Deadly Sin #6:Violating Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Deadly Sin #7: Being Scary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Following the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

6 How to Raise Funds Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Other Ways to Raise Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Processing Online Donations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Raising Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

7 How to Use Multimedia as an Activism Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Online Multimedia Content That Changed the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

The Iranian Protests of 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

The Burmese Protests of 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Abu Ghraib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Justice for Oscar Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

”Macaque” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

The 2006 May Day Protests in MacArthur Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Online Video and How to Stream It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Finding Photographs You Can Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

The Art of Podcasting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Great Podcasts for Activists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

8 How to Keep Allies and Supporters in the Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Not Necessarily the Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Using Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Blogging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Keeping Allies in the Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

9 Action Alerts and Online Petitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Writing Effective Action Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Are Massive Online Petitions a Waste of Time? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Action Alerts and Petitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

10 It’s Your World, So Change It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Four Offline Technologies That Changed Activism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

The Printing Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

The Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

The Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Four Online Activism Technologies That Are Still Catching On . . . . . . .121

Collaborative Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Mobile Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Integration of Web 2.0 Proprietary Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Your E-Activism Toolkit: Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Concerned Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Professional Online Activists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Outreacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

A The 10 Common Online Activism Mistakes and How to Fix Them . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

B Online Activism Careers and Volunteer Opportunities . . .133

C A Short History of Online Activism Technologies . . . . . . . . . . .139

D Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

E Online Degree Programs for Activists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167

TOC, 9780789739773, 6/7/10

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