New Media Track - Part 1

New Media TrackDecember 16 & 17, 2011

Nicole Cairns & Allie CarterReform Immigration FOR America online team

Welcome to the New Media Track!

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Meet your trainers!

Nicole CairnsOnline Director, Reform Immigration FOR AmericaContact: ncairns@communitychange.org

Allie CarterNew Media Associate, Reform Immigration

FOR AmericaContact: acarter@communitychange.org

Garlin GilchristNational Campaign Director, MoveOn.orgContact: garlin@garlin.org

Nathan RyanOnline Advocacy Manager, Illinois Coalition for

Immigrant and Refugee RightsContact: nryan@icirr.org

Why Are We Here Today?PURPOSE:- Train and review tools, best practices and case studies of new media to

reinforce the connection between online and offline organizing and how it relates to our issue-based and electoral work.

OUTCOMES:- Develop campaign planning skills and begin to brainstorm ideas for

issue-based and electoral online organizing campaigns together.- Start building relationships with online organizers from other

states/organizations for future collaboration.

PROCESS:- 4 trainers, 3 sessions, 2 breakouts.

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What to expect from today’s track

What this session is:• Overview of online organizing

tools, including RI4A lists on email and SMS

• Exploring issue-based and electoral online organizing campaigns

• Devising scenario-based strategies for online organizing

What this session isn’t:• Social media training

• Discussion on building lists

• Planning your localized issue-based or electoral campaigns

Overview

Over the next three sessions, we’ll answer the following questions:

1. What do online organizing campaigns look like?

2. How do you plan an issue-based online campaign?

3. How do you support election-based strategies with an online campaign?

Themes

-What tools are available for online organizing and how to best use those tools

-Tying online tactics into traditional organizing tactics

-Lifting up local narratives of injustice on a larger scale

WHAT IS ONLINE ORGANIZING?

The basics:

Online organizing is online communication, outreach, and mobilization that allows individuals to take part in your work, as a complement to traditional organizing.

Who’s Online?From the Care2 blog, October 2011 –

Facebook:o 143 million monthly US userso 55% female, 45% maleo 27% under 18, 42% 18-34, 20% 35-49, 12% 50+o 75% Caucasian, 13% African American, 5% Asian, 6% Hispanic, 1% Other

Twitter:o 5th most popular site in the USo 55% female, 45% maleo 18% under 18, 45% 18-34, 24% 35-49, 14% 50+o 69% Caucasian, 16% African American, 3% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 1% Other

YouTube:o 145 million monthly US userso 50% female, 50% maleo 26% under 18, 36% 18-34, 22% 35-49, 16% 50+o 65% Caucasian, 13% African American, 7% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 1% Other

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Why should you do online organizing?

Reach large, new audiences• Find your audiences where they

are.• Reach new audiences when

campaigns go viral and/or get heavily shared/earned media.

• Provide safe spaces for your audience to interact with you and others in the same situation.

• Communicate instantly with people interested in your cause and/or need your help.

Affordable, but not easy• Most online campaigns only

cost staff time. Majority of tools are free or low-cost to use and maintain.

• Online duties shouldn’t automatically be handed off to an intern or low-ranking staff member.

• Should be cultivated within larger organizational strategies and goals, communications.

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Where have we seen successful online organizing?

The It Gets Better campaign.

-Started as a video on YouTube by national columnist Dan Savage.-Responses from President Obama, Stephen Colbert, thousands others.-More than 3 million views on YouTube page, model for Google’s national TV campaign.

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Where have we seen successful online organizing?

The 2009 Iran election protests.

-Protests broke out in Tehran; government blocked internet access to limit communications between activists.-Activists used their phones and documented the protests, communicate with each other through Twitter and YouTube.-People around the world followed #iranelection on Twitter to get real-time updates and photos/video.-Frequently billed as the “Twitter Revolution”.

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Where have we seen successful online organizing?

Occupy Wall Street and other protests across the US.

-Originated in a blog post on Adbusters’ website in July 2011.-Started as a mini-sit in on Wall Street. Protests have occurred in every state, in dozens of countries, and on 6 continents.-Real-time tweeting, video capturing, and photosharing have propelled the movement and inspired others to join.-Support campaigns like http://westandwiththe99percent.tumblr.com/ have popped up.

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Why were these campaigns successful?

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Why these campaigns were successful:

• Used technology to capitalize on a key moment in time.

• Compelling content, dispersed across multiple channels spread messages quickly.

• Using online tools allow people to document actions, add commentary, and tell their stories.

• Campaigns are authentic, original, and creative.

WHAT TOOLS SHOULD YOU USE FOR ONLINE ORGANIZING?

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Social Media

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FacebookUse Facebook for sharing dynamic content with your followers. Facebook allows you to post photos and videos, link to other organizations, and communicate with people instantly. When the DHS announcement was made in August, we used our Facebook page as a forum to let people from our online community to ask questions about the details of the change.

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TwitterConnect with people talking about the issues you're interested in and respond to them instantly.

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YouTubeDocument actions, testimonials from your community, and promote on social media channels. If you have a smart phone, you can upload videos instantly. Other flipcams or hand-held cameras make it easy to export videos and upload them quickly.

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Email CommunicationsWhat can email communications do for your campaign?-Drive people to your website, social media channels.-Communicate with whole list with one foul swoop-Use targeting to segment your messages (city, legislative district)

Other e-mail tools:-Petitions-Letters to the Editor-Click to Call-Donations

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SMS (text messaging) CommunicationsWhat SMS can do for you:-Educate list on important issues in your area-Build crowds for events-Drive calls to legislators, elected officials, and other targets

Who’s on the RI4A list?-87,667 English speaking subscribers-91,109 Spanish speaking subscribers

What you have access to: -Email and SMS lists built by RI4A and FIRM groups throughout 2010-Messaging cities or states about issues you’re working on-Printouts of lists for cold-calling, other organizing work

What you don’t have access to: -Uploading lists into outside databases-Sending national alerts about local issues

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Accessing the RI4A ListFIRM members have access to use the RI4A SMS list to drive calls, build crowds, reruit volunteers and communicate with members in their communities/states. RI4A staff are working on a system to share names and can talk about FIRM members outside of the training. Non-FIRM members can work with RI4A to promote messages to the “lists” (events, actions).

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Mini Case Study:RI4A working in Alabama- Came to Alabama to help out in

October- Worked with organizers, national

and ACIJ- Promotion of text number at

radio stations- Produced fliers/posters for the

Coalition- Our working with organizers on

the ground and helping ACIJ build an online organizing plan and social media presences. Trained staff on how to use and maintain online work.

- June 2011: 689 subscribers- October 2011: ~1,000

subscribers- Today: 2,321 and growing

- People now receive alerts catered to their community and how they can learn more about their rights and help repeal HB56.

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What can/can’t these tools do?

CAN- Message large quantities of

people interested in our cause(s) at once

- Creatively engage supporters in new ways and let community members interact with one another

- Connect local stories to national figures/media

CAN’T- Replace actual organizers

and face-to-face meetings with community members

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Contact Nicole Cairns at ncairns@communitychange.org or Allie Carter at acarter@communitychange.org.

If you’d like to talk more about accessing the RI4A list and how the list can benefit your organization…

CASE STUDIES OF ONLINE ORGANIZING

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Takeaways

• Sharing our stories through online/offline can result in huge outcomes: policy changes, ousting elected officials

• Online tools should compliment offline organizing strategies and campaigns

• Online organizing has permeated our culture and become a significant method for organizing for progressive action.

• Usage of online organizing can bring people together in new communities to share their stories, connect, and build power together

HAVE A QUESTION?

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Nicole Cairns, Online Director, RI4A – ncairns@communitychange.orgAllie Carter, New Media Associate, RI4A – acarter@communitychange.orgGarlin Gilchrist, II, National Campaign Director, MoveOn.org – garlin@garlin.orgNathan Ryan, Online Advocacy Manager, ICIRR – nryan@icirr.org

Thanks for coming to the session!Have questions? Contact us!