Introduction
Technology is interesting. It allows us to communicate regardless of time zone and from just about anywhere. A laptop computer, a wireless Internet card, and a table at Starbucks, and I can write, post, email, and communicate with anyone in the world.
This article discusses a variety of ways that the Internet and technology are useful tools for political and community activism. It discusses the use of the Internet for ranting, activating and informing. Some useful sites are listed. However, these are only a few sites; there are a multitude of sites available on the Internet.
There are many technologies available. The key is to bring people together, to break the cycle of apathy and get them involved.
The Internet provides three types of political communication: ranting, activating, and informing.
Ranting
Ranting is the most popular and the least effective. Ranting is the process of expressing your opinion on a bulletin board. It is also serves as the method of some of the most ludicrous and virulent postings.
Political ranting is mere entertainment. The impact of these postings are useless unless the ranting is on a local community-oriented group that is the basis for bringing people together to act on an issue.
There are many bulletin boards available. One of the better ones, where most of the ranting is either logical or generally polite is www.tribe.net. There are many Kerry tribes, Democrat tribes, Green tribes, and so on. Two other quality sites are www.abuzz.com and www.able2know.com.
Activating
Activating is using the Internet to bring people together for a common cause. This includes getting people to vote, volunteer for a candidate or campaign, become involved in a community issue, and so on.
One effective site is www.meetup.com. This service allows people that share a common interest to meet and interact with each others. Three or four venues in a geographical area are suggested, and the group votes on a place to meet. This is how I got involved in the Dean campaign and then started my Yahoo group (sema4dean).
Yahoo groups also have the ability to bring people together for a common goal. We can use these groups to benefit community issues in our geographical areas.
Another useful site is www.upoc.com. This site allows you to send a short text message to members’ cell phones. The Dean campaign used this tool.
Here is how it works.
1. You create a group.
2. When people join, they enter their cell phone number instead of their email address.
3. You post a brief message (from your Upoc group site) and this message is sent to all members’ cell phones.
The Dean campaign used this service to let their campaigners and volunteers know of Dean television appearances and other events. When used properly, it acts as a nice tool when people are away from their computers, or for those that don’t use email.
Email is one of the best time-tested tools. In addition to traditional email, there are many services that use email as their distribution method. Yahoo groups use this method as does many other sites including www.abuzz.com, www.able2know.com, and www.tribe.net.
Yahoo groups are quite popular. However, there are other group services. These include www.google.com and www.msn.com.
These services are free. They make their money by placing banner ads on their sites and your groups. Some political groups don’t want banner ads associated with their organization. For example, a few years back I had an issues-oriented group on MSN. I invited the American Indian Movement to be a part of this group. They weren’t interested for two reasons:
1. Microsoft owns MSN. They thought that company sent the wrong political message.
2. Banner ads included gambling and casino ads. They didn’t want to be associated with that type of advertising.
I learned from this experience. I set up my issues-oriented group on an ad free site.
Most ad free sites charge a monthly fee. However, two free ad free group services are www.smartgroups.com and www.domeus.co.uk.
There are two cardinal rules when using email and tools that use email as their distribution method:
1. Never spam! Do not mass email.
2. Never make a person a member of your group without their permission. Email them an invitation that allows them to join your group.
Informing
Email is an excellent distribution method for newsletters. Two excellent services are www.bravenet.com and www.topica.com. Bravenet is free (although you are limited to a few hundred members in your distribution list) while Topica is $24.95 per month (first month free). Both offer easy-to-use newsletter creation tools. Bravenet also offers many other free, website tools.
The Internet is an excellent informational tool. There are three types of political websites: party sites, candidate sites, and issue-oriented sites.
All political sites should contain the following:
--A wealth of information. A website is more than an electronic pamphlet or electronic campaign flyer. There should be detailed information concerning a candidate’s views, a party’s platform, or an issue’s goals.
In the previous Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign the Reich campaign excelled in this area.
--Use all of the Internet’s capabilities to present your message. In the previous Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign the O’Brien campaign used short video clips to explain their stance on the issues. For example, while I could download a PDF concerning O’Brien’s views on education, it was more effective listening to a teacher explain why she was supporting O’Brien’s views on education.
--Include contact information. This information must include an email address, a phone number, and a mailing address. If you can’t find the phone number or mailing address, check the contributions page. I’ve never seen a political website that doesn’t make it easy to donate money electronically, via check, or dropping off a donation at campaign headquarters.
--Make it easy for people to become a part of your cause. Allow people to sign up for email updates and newsletters. Also include addresses of either the campaign headquarters or local campaign headquarters. While the Internet is a savvy tool, others and I have stuffed thousands of envelopes for campaigns and causes. Hands on work always needs to be done, plus part of the process is meeting with the candidate and the campaign staff and volunteers.
--Don’t forget audio. Warren Tolman’s gubernatorial campaign site included an audio message stating why he was running for governor. The sincerity in his voice was very effective.
--Think dial-up! Some of the most passionate and politically opinionated people I know are the elderly. Many access the Internet from a dial-up connection and some use WebTV. Include; don’t exclude these voters.
--Limit the use of Flash content and splash introductory screens. The site is about issues, not fancy, time-consuming technology.
--When appropriate, make your site bi-lingual. I am an English as a Second Language teacher for adults. Some of my students in their country were doctors, lawyers, college professors, as well as factory workers and the unemployed. They may not be able to speak or read in English, but they are intelligent. They came to this country for a better life and are interested in the political process. Those that are citizens will vote (one of my students became a citizen so she could vote), and those that are not citizens are still interested in learning our political process.
--Your website defines your campaign or cause. This includes design – how easy can I find the information I am looking for, and the basics – good grammar and no spelling mistakes.
During the 2000 presidential campaign, the Gore, Bradley, Bush, Dole (Eleanor), and McCain sites were bi-lingual. The Pat Buchanan site was not. Your website does define your campaign!
--Do not make your website intrusive. While it may seem cool to have your site open with a video or musical message, remember that some people access the Internet at the library and many access it at work.
Blogs are another tool. They serve a purpose but the current hype, I believe, is overrated.
This tool allows a campaign to share information. They are like online diaries. The publisher posts information usually on a daily basis. Some blogs allow readers to respond to these postings.
I think that blogs are an excellent tool to put a human face on a campaign. For example, I enjoy reading about the day-to-day activities about a campaign.
Blogs are also useful for discussing issues. However don’t fall into the trap of tailoring your message to the whims of your readers. Stand for what you believe in.
In Conclusion
The Internet is an excellent tool for political and community activism. Like any tool, it only works well when you use it well.
Some sites provide a place to rant. This may be fun and entertaining, but it is only effective when the ranting leads to some constructive result.
Activating is the result of using the Internet to bring people together for a common cause. I believe that this is the best use of the Internet for political and community activism. While the Internet works well for planning, the real change takes place in the non-cyber world.
Websites also inform. Cyberspace is inexpensive. Use it to inform the public of your views or cause’s issues. Use text, audio, and video.