[Activism]

[May 30 2:50]

[Martin Kearns, Aaron Pava, Michael Silberman], Presenters

[Brian Satterfield], Notetaker

-          Types of online networks and how nonprofits can leverage them: Online networks are either scale-free, modular, or hierarchical. Advocates can use them to connect, sequence, synchronize, and distribute

-          Notable network statistics: 23,280 people in 126 cities connected over a love for pugs using Meetup. About 40,000 people created anti-Chevy videos at a Chevy sponsored make your own video site, turning the tables on the automotive giant. On average, 250,000 events are organized per month via Evite.

-          Getting people involved and using online networks successfully: Presenter Aaron Pava suggests that activists use Tribe or another OSN to find like-minded organizations. Martin Kearns believes you should tailor your message to your target audience avoid repurposing your brochures or literature online. Michael Silberman suggests really thinking about your audience and find people who are already undertaking similar ventures.

-          Transferring online gatherings to offline results: Pava underscored the importance of getting real-world results by saying "Online's not going to solve the problem of not having people offline." The panel suggested that advocates should define their programs by asking themselves questions such as whether they want to raise fund, how frequently they'll hold events be, and where meetups will take place. The presents also believed that activists should spend time choosing their tools (such as Evite or Google Groups) and stressed the importance of cultivating leaders providing directions and resources, and keeping the communication loop closed.

-          Success stories using online networking tools: SaveOceanBeach.org formed to raise public awareness and open dialog about a proposed fire ban on San Francisco's Ocean Beach. The organization built its site using Drupal with SeedModule email signup and petition. The campaign generated 117 letters in its first day alone. After people posted the letter in their OSN accounts, 1,700 more people wrote San Francisco supervisors, leading to a postponement of the fire ban. Pava then repurposed SaveOcean Beach's infrastructure for an anti-DRM campaign called Defective by Design. "Because this is open source software, we can take this exact same thing and roll it into the next campaign" said Pava. The group held an event in Seattle that got picked up by press outlets such as CNN, ZDNet, and Slashdot. Movies of the event eventually appeared on YouTube.