Steven Clift
Mon, 31 Oct 2005 08:44:34 -0800
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All the links, including the reply space where you can share your top
e-activism/community campaigning tips at:
http://www.dowire.org/notes/?p=64
Try to imagine a government interested in encouraging local online
citizen activism. In fact, not just saying they will receive the
output from online campaigns, but going so far as to support the
online infrastructure for citizens trying to organise other citizens
to solve a problem or asking government to change its priorities.
Pretty radical.
In the UK, the e-Innovations Fund of the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister is supporting the Community Campaigns project (their blog)
to produce the easy to use CampaignCreator tool, a local activism
guide, along with support for a couple of pilot community campaigns
using the tools and advice.
Over the years, I've scanned the e-advocacy scene. To be honest NIMBY
("not in my backyard") campaigns led by a particularly upset citizens
dominate the local scene with virtual pitch forks. What if you
democratize e-activism by making easy to use online tools more
accessible to a diverse range of community campaigns? I am keeping my
on projects like the BBC's Action Network and the open source
CivicSpace platform in the U.S. along with this new UK project.
Anyway, the other week, the UK project, led by staff including
Stephen Hilton and Kevin O'Malley with Bristol City Council asked me
to help facilitate the online portion of their advisory group. So I
am.
I am on the hunt for those involved with a few more UK-based
community campaigns, like this one about the Mogden Sewage Treatment
Works, and others around the world with direct experience with online
activism/advocacy efforts interested in sharing a bit of additional
advice. The more local the better, although global tips for local
campaigners are welcome.
Simply add a comment with your top e-activism or "off-line" local
community campaign tips here and I'll pass them along to the project.
If you put some effort into it, perhaps you can join us. I will be
recommending a few more inspired folks for online participation in
their advisory group in early November.
Finally, those with links to the best starting points for guidance
for
starting or run a grass roots campaigns - both online and offline -
add links to the Activism wiki page on DoWire.
P.S. If you want to debate whether or not government should help
citizens increase their local influence through online campaigning
(versus potentially allowing those interests with the greatest
resources or political energy to dominate the agenda in a free and
independent way), check out the discussion on David Wilcox's
important Designing for Civil Society blog.
View this DoWire.Org post on Steven Clift's Notes blog::
http://www.dowire.org/notes/?p=64
^ ^ ^ ^
Steven L. Clift - - - W: http://publicus.net
Minneapolis - - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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USA - - - - Skype/MSN/Y!/AIM: netclift
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