Poli-Web 2.0 Made Simple

Eight Steps to Effective Online Political Activism:

Blog.

Whether you like to write, or you like to promote the writing of others, your blog is your link to Web 2.0. Services such as Blogger, WordPress and many others offer free hosting, and are user-friendly. You might as well grab a domain name you like while they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain through services such as GoDaddy.com. Don’t think you have enough material for a blog? You can always join others, and blog as a team.

Link.

Link to the bloggers with similar interests, and ask them to link to your blog. The more high-quality links you have to your blog, the higher you will rank on the search engines like Google, and the easier you will be to find. Signing up with a blog search engine like Technorati will also give your blog more exposure to other bloggers who may wish to link to yours.

Socialize.

Social networking sites are having a big impact on the quality of the information that is available on the web. Social networking increases exposure to you blog, and gives you another way to interact online. Social networks include purely social sites like MySpace, as well as social news sites like Digg, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, and others.

Discuss.

Online discussions are happening around the world, 24/7, in internet forums like Delphi Forums, and groups services like those available through Yahoo and Google. Need help finding an online discussion in your area of interest? Try Omgili, a search engine for online discussions.

Wiki.

A wiki is a good way to compile and sort information for easy reference. It can be open to the public, or to members only. Free wiki services are available through Wikispaces, and others.

Recruit.

In addition to the online networking we’ve already discussed, it is important to remember that some of the people you want to attract may not even be online, and may not know how to find you. This is especially true if you wish to work with political activists who may be a bit older than the typical tech-junkie (who is about 22 and grew up on the internet). Your fellow activists may need to be drawn in through e-mail, and word-of-mouth, so don’t discount the value of good ol’ fashioned salesmanship.

Promote.

Once you have a great blog, you’re on everyone’s blogroll, you’re active in social networking and the discussion forums, you have a wiki to organize your information, then what? The internet is centered around what is happening right now. What you’re doing right now matters so much more than what you did a few months ago. Your blog needs to be current, as does the information you are promoting in your online discussions and networking activities. Your readers and online friends need a reason to continue returning to visit you. This can be done through relevant e-mail lists, periodical updates, freebies, or reliably updated content.

Geek-Up.

Political Bloggers are finding new and innovative ways to interact online through technology, like webcasting (HotAir), daily feeds, (AmericanMinute), and 3-D (Ron Paul – Second Life). Remember, it is important not to use technology simply for the sake of having a cool gadget. Using bandwidth for no real purpose, makes the pages download too slowly, discouraging participation. But technology can be used effectively to make your content more fun, interesting, and attractive. Yes, improved technology costs money. Political activists are already investing money in making sure that their political viewpoints are well-represented online. What is it worth to be sure that your views are also represented?

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blogging
cyberwars
Jenn Sierra (author)
politics
Web 2.0