Winning Online in 2010: Tools, Time and Resources

From techPresident:

The Basic Tools
Despite the difference in size between a national and a local race, most campaigns will still end up with the same three basic online elements:

A central hub, usually a website.

A way to stay in touch with supporters, usually through an email-based Constituent Relations Management System but potentially including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and text messaging.

Online outreach, to influence the wider public discussion and recruit new supporters and donors.

Let's look at each piece in detail, with websites and CRMs covered below and online outreach a bit later.

Can Petition Tweets Change the World? An act.ly Quarterly Report

From techPresident:

What act.ly makes possible, says Jim, is for anyone to pounce on an opportunity, no matter how small, without the run-up and vetting and committee meetings that traditional advocacy groups might have to churn through before they act. Progressive groups aplenty spotted the fundraising potential of South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst, but Gilliam himself had an act.ly petition up and running almost immediately -- some 1,200 signatures in the first hour and a half, said Gilliam -- and once someone discovered that Wilson's opponent was on ActBlue, a short link redirect channeled outrage into campaign resources. "The stuff that works best," says Gilliam, "is anything really, really fast. It gives a lot of advantage to individuals over organizations, because organizations like to plan campaigns. They'll come up with the right messaging, coordinate with other groups. It takes time." Gilliam deemed the Wilson petition a success after the congressman indeed apologized.

And it helps if there is a specific, and colorful, hook -- and something tangible to do in response to it. Says Gilliam, "This is the MoveOn model. Take a message object that is going to get people riled up. But that can happen now in a matter of minutes on Twitter. If the first thing that people can tweet about isn't just the story, but the action that can be taken, that has a lot of potential." Beyond the Joe Wilson affair, though, act.ly's adoption and adaptation has proven most successful where the target of the petition is an organization, a company, or any other party that is worried about its reputation and is responsive to a wide swath of the population -- rather than a politician who is going to worry most about his or her particular constituents (and funders, naturally).

Bloggers and the Federal Shield Law

Something we have to pay attention to:

For citizen journalists, the federal shield law front was looking good for a while. Although the House of Representatives version of the bill, passed in April, only offered a shield to professional bloggers, the Senate version didn't differentiate between the pros and the amateurs. So there was hope that amateur journalists might actually, eventually, get its protection.

No longer though.

Sadly, the Senate Judiciary Committee has followed the path of the House and opted to specify that only a "salaried employee . . . or independent contractor" will be able to invoke the shield, reports the Wall Street Journal's Digits blog. The amendment, offered by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) of New York, limits the definition of a journalist to one who:

(iii) obtains the information sought while working as a salaried employee of, or independent contractor for, an entity—

(I) that disseminates information by print, broadcast, cable, satellite, mechanical, photographic, electronic, or other means; and
(II) that—

(aa) publishes a newspaper, book, magazine, or other periodical;

(bb) operates a radio or television broadcast station, network, cable system, or satellite carrier, or a channel or programming service for any such station, network, system, or carrier;

(cc) operates a programming service; or

(dd) operates a news agency or wire service . . .

How Candidates Can Use the Internet to Win in 2010 (Part One)

From e.politics:

1. The Internet is (Just About) Everywhere

2. Online Fundraising Works

3. The Tools and Techniques are Available to (Almost) All

4. Targeted Online Outreach + Down-Ballot Candidates = a Perfect Match

5. You May Not Be Online, But Your Opponents Probably Are

Begin at the Very Beginning

Report: Nine Scientifically Proven Ways to Get Retweeted on Twitter

From Fast Company:

1. Link Up (But Don't Use TinyURLs)

2. Beggars Can Be Choosers

3. Avoid Idle Chit-Chat

4. Don't Be Stupid

5. Semicolons = Satan

6. Break News

7. Use Proper Nouns Properly

8. Bottle Those Emotions

9. Tweet at 4 p.m. on Friday

New Media & Social Change: How Nonprofits Are Using Web-Based Technologies To Reach Their Goals

From the Hatcher Group:

A new Hatcher Group report reveals how nonprofits are using new media technologies to advance social change. Based on interviews and a 70-question online survey of 30 nonprofits working on state-level advocacy issues, “New Media & Social Change: How Nonprofits are Using Web-based Technologies to Reach Their Goals” shows what new media tools are being used and how, what’s working — and what’s not. The report offers advice and resources to help nonprofits use these increasingly important technologies to successfully promote their agendas. It’s must reading for organizations looking to make a difference, and their funders.

...

With the traditional media in flux, nonprofit groups are increasingly turning to alternative means to reach the public. At the same time, self-publishing and social media platforms on the Internet are experiencing explosive growth rates and new prominence.

To understand the relationship between these trends, The Hatcher Group set out to examine how a group of nonprofits working on state-level advocacy issues are using new media technologies to promote their agendas. Our goal in producing this report is to show how some nonprofits are using those technologies to advance social change, and to provide resources and advice to aid organizations in such efforts.

We focused on 30 organizations that are members of the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, a group of independent, nonprofits with a shared commitment to responsible budget and tax policies. Their work is coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

In May 2009, we asked each of these groups to complete a 70-question survey online, gauging their interest and experiences with a broad variety of new media tools and technologies. We then followed up with many of the organizations through in-depth telephone interviews.

We found that all of the organizations surveyed currently use new media technologies in some capacity, although 44 percent devote less than two hours to the task each week. Nearly all intend to increase the emphasis they place on new media over the next year — with half planning to increase their use significantly and another 40 percent planning a slight increase.

Nearly all also reach out to bloggers on a regular basis, and the few who currently do not plan to in the future. Similarly, 60 percent of the groups are now on Facebook, and an additional 30 percent plan to establish a presence.

Many of the organizations we spoke with found success using blogging and social networking to increase their role in policy debates, get their message in front of key audiences and connect with supporters.

Some other technologies were less popular. Despite all of the attention focused on Twitter recently, less than a quarter of the organizations have a presence on the service, and more than half have no intention of establishing one. And while more than a third plan to start submitting content to social news websites, none had previously done so.

In short, we found that the use of new media technologies to advance social change is very much a work in progress. Organizations have a high interest in using new media tools but are still unsure about which work best for them, how much time they want to invest in this effort and how best to use the evolving technology.

But this much is certain: The importance new media plays in helping communicate the message of nonprofits will only increase in coming years and organizations that intend to thrive in that environment should make a concerted effort now to stay ahead of the curve.

Read the whole report here

Social Networking Use Triples from Only a Year Ago

From ReadWriteWeb:

Obsessed with Facebook? You're not alone. The hours you spend logging on to update your status, post photos, and make comments on friends' walls is not simply a "phase" you're going through which will end sometime soon. It's a ongoing trend affecting everyone these days and it has serious implications for the online advertising industry.

According to new figures from Nielsen, the amount of time spent surfing social networking and blogging sites had tripled since last year, suggesting "a wholesale change in the way the Internet is used," says Jon Gibs, VP of media and agency insights at the company's online division.

As of August 2009, the time spent on social networking and blogging sites accounts for 17% of the total time spent online, a number up 6% from a year ago. This change reflects a growing desire for people to stay connected with each other, communicate and share, reports Nielsen.

HOW TO: Launch Your Own Indie Journalism Site

From Mashable:

Downsizing, layoffs, newspaper and magazine closings have put journalism on the most endangered careers list. But hundreds of smart journalists are realizing the opportunity and using their connections, reporting savvy and deep knowledge of their subjects to start sites covering their familiar beats.

These bootstrapping indie journalists are learning to run their own small business, including tending to many details they never had to worry about before—ad sales, marketing, promotion, tech and design to name a few.

Here, five former mainstream media reporters share their tips and best advice for creating a startup journalism site.

Why 140 Characters Works

From Brazen Careerist:

The reality is Twitter is the perfect tool to snippets of information. Think of Twitter as the headline machine.

Honestly, we don’t need more than 140 characters? Some of the most profound and memorable quotes in history and literature are less than 140 characters...

Five Steps To Making Your Blog Look More Professional

From Brazen Careerist:

Are you ready to take the next step with your blog? Do you want to set your blog up for monetizing it in the future? Then, there are a few things you need to change about it before you go forward. Here are my five steps to helping you make your blog look more professional.

1. Get away from Blogger and Wordpress.com....

2. Use the self-hosted Wordpress software....

3. Pay for a custom header or logo....

4. Create focused content...

5. Do research....

Welcome

This is a new blog about blogging. The point of this one will be to track all the developments in terms of the use of technology and the Internet and the Netroots in terms of politics. If you are interested in contributing, let me know at quinnelk@hotmail.com