The Internet for State and Local Campaigns
by Melissa Ryan, Sat Jun 16, 2007 at 06:17:42 PM EDT
Lately I've been thinking about information and it's relationship to political activism on the Internet. Fifteen years after first logging on I am still amazed by how much information is available to me on the the Internet and how well organized most of it is. But what really blows my mind are how many ways I have to share information with others and organize around it. Usenet, blogs, YouTube, Wiki, podcasts, listserv; there are so many tools available to users and the potential within each one seems endless.
The vast array of tools can also present a problem for political activists. Try as we might no one can utilize everything. At the same time everyone has their own preferred way of receiving information. I often run into this hurdle when I want to get the word out about an issue or campaign locally. My first instinct is of course to blog, but not everyone I know reads the blogs. Some people will read a link if you email it to them, others will want text. And I have a few people who rarely check their email but will happily read anything printed out and passed around at a meeting. While I recognize the importance of getting the word out to as many people as possible after awhile the effort can become tiresome.






