The Enduring Value of the Online Communications Tripod
June 4th, 2009
Working on a presentation for tomorrow’s Vocus user conference, I’m stuck by how often I keep coming back to a simple model for online organizing: the tripod. The basic idea (which I stole from Josh McConaha a while back) is that most online advocacy campaigns end up with three essential components:
- An online hub (usually a website although it could be a MySpace profile, a Facebook fan page or a blog)
- Some way of keeping in touch with people (usually email though it could also be Twitter or a social network)
- Online outreach (everything from blogger relations to video to social networking)
The great thing about this idea is that it breaks online communications down by function, into a structure that’s easy to digest. People often get overwhelmed by the sheer number of communications options available online — paralyzed by the plethora of channels! But the tripod model puts the pieces in context without isolating them from each other, since each reinforces the other: online outreach sends people to the website, where they’re captured on an email list, which in turn keeps them involved in online outreach, and so on.
Once a campaign has the basics down (the website’s doing its job, the email list is up and running), outreach should be a natural extension, with the choice of tools being driven by an organization’s goals and capabilities. While a policy-driven campaign might benefit from publishing a blog, for instance, a group that’s more focused on media outreach might find blogger relations a good fit, and a campaign with a strong spokesperson could score a hit with online video. Just as long as the pieces work together…
– cpd
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3 Comments Add your own
1. Online campaign planning:&hellip | June 5th, 2009 at 9:28 am
[...] goes right into my toolbox, alongside the ladder of engagement. > Read Colin’s full post « Greenpeace: Thank you, Earth Day [...]
2. levjoy dot com - Up and r&hellip | August 11th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
[...] Colin Delany explains the “enduring value of the communications tripod” using his standard down-to-earth and reasonable way of explaining [...]
3. e.politics: online advoca&hellip | December 7th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
[...] The Enduring Value of the Online Communications Tripod [...]
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