e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics

Resources for Politics Online Session, “Online With a Shoestring Budget”

March 16th, 2007

On March 16th, I moderated a Politics Online panel covering online tactics for campaigns with limited resources. Below are background materials, starting with a drive-by look at the pluses and minuses of some typically low-cost tools, continuing with video clips of two great presentations from last week’s NOI training and ending with links to pertinent articles.

Email

Pro
Still the most effective tool for staying in touch with supporters

Con
List exhaustion; declining effectiveness over the coming years?

Blogs

Pro
Good way to raise the profile of your issues; helps engage other bloggers

Con
Time-consuming; content must be compelling

Blogger Relations

Pro
Helps you spread the word and shape the online discussion; raises your profile

Con
VERY time-consuming

Video

Pro
Visceral medium; video-sharing sites can spread your message

Con
Good video is hard — your content must be compelling

Social Networking

Pro
Way to reach new supporters; can be a communications channel in its own right

Con
Low response rate; possibility of platform change (witness Friendster)

Social Media

Pro
Can yield more and better content than you could generate on your own; helps bond supporters to your campaign

Con
Requires heavy promotion; requires filtering

Wikis

Pro
Good internal campaign communications tool, particularly when married to an email list

Con
Can be hard to get people using it

Cell Phones

Pro
Allows you to reach supporters where they are; quick response

Con
Provider limitations; message length

Sites

• Idealware
• TechSoup
• Bivings Report
• Frogloop
• Personal Democracy Forum

Recent Presentations

• Alan Rosenblatt — Inexpensive Options for a Small Budget
• Michael Silberman — The Budget Matrix: $ to $$$, Technology to Staff

Articles

• Low-Cost Email List Management Options
• Five Must-Dos When You’re Planning A Web Project
• Creating Effective Political Video for the Web
• Terrific Collection of Online Video Resources
• Using Online Video to Bypass Media Filters
• Leveraging Earned Media for Your Online Campaign
• Spreading the Word About Your Issues in the Blogosphere
• Learning about Audience-Building from a New Blogger
• Working with Local Bloggers
• Outstanding Advocacy Websites
• Participatory Media Tools for Nonprofits and Campaigns
• More on Using Widgets for Fundraising
• How to Build Traffic to a Blog: Ten Tips
• Ten Commandments of MySpace Advocacy
• Facebook as a Political Organizing Tool
• Strategy Guide: Using Cell Phones in Electoral Campaigns

– cpd

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