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Protests in Tunisia: A Tipping Point?
When protests began in Tunisia on December 17, President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali rapidly put a near-complete media blackout in place. This hasn't stopped Tunisians from getting the word out from the ground using videos of the marches taken on mobile phones and minute-by-minute messages on Twitter and Facebook. They're spreading word throughout the region, but not as much internationally.
From Flickr user Al Jazeera English
What Role Are Celebrity and Technology Playing in Sudan’s Referendum?
The first two days of the referendum vote in Sudan are over. While voting continues for a week, it's nearly a foregone conclusion that the south will cede from the north. Anything could still happen, but now that mass violence seems to have been averted, how can we tell what sort of role George Clooney's "anti-genocice paparazzi," and its accompanying technological arsenal, played?
Easy Ways to Engage with Your Facebook Supporters
While setting up a Facebook page or group only takes a few easy steps, attracting supporters and sustaining your presence online can be a challenge. Our latest how-to guide takes you beyond the basics and shares best practices for growing your base and genuinely engaging supporters. What strategies have successful campaign organizers used to reach out to their communities on Facebook? How can you use your base of supporters on Facebook to ignite action offline? Check out our new how-to guide to learn more.
From Flickr user cvconnell
Your Monday How To and Case Study Pairing: Using Wikis for Collaboration
We’re continuing to feature a paired up how to guide and case study every Monday. This week: how can you most effectively use a wiki for collaboration?
Following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2011, the leaders of CrisisCommons quickly came together to hold CrisisCamp gatherings around the world, calling on volunteers to bring their technical skills and help those on the ground in Haiti.
Specifically, volunteers at camps in cities like Washington DC, London, Bogota, and San Francisco got to work on a variety of web applications and tools that could be used to directly assist those on the ground in Haiti. With such an ad-hoc gathering of people from different backgrounds, how could leaders best manage and coordinate activities not only at their individual site locations, but across the different CrisisCamp sites? How could collaboration on such a large scale be organized? The answer was a wiki that was used as a central repository for all things CrisisCamp, from setting agendas and delegating tasks to project updates and contact lists. Volunteers just joining an event could get up to speed by checking out the wiki, and having the wiki made it easier to change over content from location to location.
From Flickr user Ratchaprasong 2
Update from Thailand: New Year, New Strategy from Red Shirt Protesters
On Sunday, the same day that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced a number of new welfare spending projects to aid the poorest Thais, supporters of the red shirt movement (also known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship) regrouped and staged their first major demonstration since Bangkok's state of emergency was lifted. News reports vary, but estimates put the number of people that converged on downtown Bangkok between 10,000 to 40,000. The primary aims of this latest gathering were to commemorate those who died last spring and to demand the release of the movement’s leaders who have been detained since last spring on terrorism charges. In the new year, red shirts are hoping to hold gatherings at least twice a month, but have their tactics and tone changed? Is yesterday's demonstration a reflection of a new strategy?
Top 10 Twitter Campaign Mistakes
Twitter is a powerful promotional tool and a way to connect with your cause’s supporters and build relationships with people interested in your issue area. However, like any tool, it's not useful unless its use is informed by best practices, including a smart strategy. There are some common pitfalls that can turn your Twitter campaign into a disaster. Here’s our list of ten common Twitter mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.
Have your own advice and best practices? Share them!
Numbers, in millions, of people who are affected by internet censorship in their countries. From Flickr user wns08.
Dispatch from Tehran: Who’s Getting Around Censorship and How?
International watchdogs rate Iran as one of the worst places in the world for internet censorship. For an average user, this means that hassle-free web browsing is virtually impossible. The process of breaking through the Iranian government's internet filters is uncannily similar to obtaining illegal substances on an American college campus. Who is accessing blocked sites, and how are they doing it?
Digital Activism Digest: Anonymous in Tunisia and Pirate Bay in Hungary
The digital activism digest is a round up of interesting stories related to technology, activism and social entrepreneurship.
In today's post, Facebook hit 600 million users this week (that leaves them with roughly 6 billion more to go), check out the best online organizing reads of 2010 from EchoDitto's Michael Silberman, "all hashtags are not created equal" says Twitter media, and the continued battling between protesters, their supporters abroad and the Tunisian government.
Want to point something out? Send a note to tips@movements.org or Tweet @aym
From VotoJoven Facebook Page (Facebook.com/VotoJovenVE)
What’s Next for Venezuelan Youth Activists?
Venezuelans returning to the daily grind after Christmas were in for a shock. While many celebrated the holidays, Chavez took a series of drastic steps to consolidate power. In light of this, 2011 will be an important year for civil society in Venezuela. And looking back at the successes, and failures, made in 2010 might be helpful first step in forming a strategy for the coming months.
From Flickr user digital.democracy
Boosting Opportunities in Haiti with Mobile Tech
As the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti approaches, innovations in mobile technologies are being leveraged to spur recovery and development. A new mobile service developed at MIT enables organizations on the ground to recruit local labor, while two m-banking services launched in the past month hope to make cash payments and transfers safer and more reliable. NGOs are using m-banking in lieu of paper vouchers to improve the efficiency of aid distribution. As these initiatives take off, how could they be applied to other communities following a disaster or in the midst of conflict?
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