Strategising online

advocacy

Asian Human Rights Commission

Communications Desk
December 2010
The humble beginning (1995 – 1998)


Staff with basic computer knowledge join the
AHRC

Click to edit the outline

Basic communication methods are set up: e-mail
account (1994) one new computer acquired
text format

AHRC web site was set-up in 1996 
Second Outline Level

Human Rights Correspondence School web site
was set up in 1998
 Third Outline
Level

Cyberspace Graveyard for Disappeared set up in
1998 December 
Fourth Outline

In 1997, e-mail was used for UAs in a very Level
limited scale
 Fifth
IT related internships were conducted in Hong
Outline


Kong for Cambodia and Sri Lanka

Level
 Sixth
 Documentation has a purpose
from activism to info-activism
Reach a large
create action number of persons
Keep people’s
interest alive
Short term strategies Long term strategies
 Ideas for substantive
› Collect details reform of institution and
regarding the violation agencies involved
› initiate specific action  initiate action regarding
› analysis of the reasons legal or policy reform,
› submissions to UN
 submissions to UN and
other international
agencies
What are you doing?

•
Questions for us

•
Are you doing activism or info-activism

•
What does info-activism mean for you?

•
What was your most successful example of sharing
information?
 Types of Documentation

•
Textual:
•
Urgent Appeal

•
Statement, Open Letter

•
Press Release

•
Periodic Publications

•
Books
 Types of Documentation

•
Audio-visual:
•
Videos: youtube, blip.tv, vodcasts
•
Audio:mp3, podcasts, iTunes

•
Posters, Photographs: flickr

•
Postcards, stickers

•
Illustrations and graphics
Role of the Internet for you

•
Internet is a link to international communities

•
Fastest possible way of exchange

•
cost effective way of transmitting information to a large
national and international audience

•
Widest outreach: It connects not only computers but also
mobile phones!
Examples


Mailing list

Twitter (microblogging)

Facebook (social networks)

Websites

Blog Journalism example

Case database urgent appeals

UA response system

Voice over IP – Internet telephoning for free –

Quick research with wikipedia
 Key Points:

Share your information Use tools extensively

Documentation is
more than a fact sheet

Analysis  Don’t just file your  Development is
cases correlated to

Provoke action  Add value by sharing communication –
 Cases How much can

Reach large  Analyses more
audience  Experience communication
 Add value of other contribute to HR
regional & development?
international
organisations to  Use it now, not in
safeguard your work & one year
to become active
Designing your online campaign:

•
What is your theme / issue?

•
What is the target of your campaign: long term and short run

•
Who is your audience?

•
Decide on a catchy name for your campaign
http://213.251.145.96/
Strategies for your campaign:

1. mobilise people
2. witness and record
3. visualise your message
4. amplify personal stories
5. add humour http://fromlu.net/lutube/
6. manage your contacts
7. use complex data
8. use collective intelligence
9. let people ask the questions
10. investigate and expose
Lets start!

You already have: a goal, a target audience and a catchy name!

Loginname: often affects the address – choose something consistent, specific,

readable and not too long

Emailaddress: use a campaign related email address for all accounts, if you
don’t have one, set it up now!

Password: pick something that is not a word! It should contain not only letters
but also numbers!