Workshop 7 - Twitter: #7istooyoung The Advocacy Initiative Social Justice Media: Lessons Learnt from e-advocacy
#socialjusticemedia
Overview
The Seven is too young campaign
The Campaign online & offline
Lessons learned
Questions & Answers
The Seven is too young campaign - To oppose Section 4 of the 2012 SW & Pensions Bill
Our objectives
Kill Section 4
Call to action!
Highlight the issues
Our ‘Plan’: Lobby in person
Posters/Bus shelters
Web/E-mail
Facebook & Twitter
The Campaign online #7istooyoung
Jan-April –
We (@OPEN_Ireland & @FraffieB) tweeted about meetings with politicians Shared our campaign document widely Used the # for EVERYTHING relevant, regardless of who originated it
The Campaign online #7istooyoung • April 9th – 30th
Dedicated campaign ‘skin’ on our website Easy to read/understand information Contact details of politicians by county Supporters’ gallery
The Campaign online #7istooyoung ď Ź
ď Ź
Lone parents & others took pictures of our bus shelter campaigns & we/they published them online We answered every #7istooyoung query on Twitter
The Campaign offline #7istooyoung
Support from other organisations & individuals Meetings ‘Op-ed’ pieces Press conference
So, did it work…?
Lone parents who had never gotten involved in anything before sent letters/e-mails and visited/phoned politicians Feedback about the bus shelters was 100% positive “For the first time I feel like we matter”, said one lone parent, when she saw them. Lots of RTs when I tweeted this & that it made me cry. The Dáil Research & Library service provided an overview of the Bill for members, with many references to our campaign & quoted extensively from OPEN’s document. Every Minister, TD & Senator who spoke for or against the Bill said “Seven is too young”
#7istooyoung ‘trended’ repeatedly during last week of April & was used by The Journal.ie as its hashtag for all Oireachtas debates about the Bill.
Well, sort of… “I am undertaking tonight that I will only proceed with the measures to reduce the upper age limit to seven years in the event that I get a credible and bankable commitment on the delivery of such a system of child care by the time of this year’s budget. If this is not forthcoming, the measure will not proceed”
Minister Joan Burton, T.D., at the start of the Dáil debate, April 18, 2012
Lessons learned re #7istooyoung
Low cost & effective Deliberate strategy to exploit an opportunity to raise awareness about our families/ poverty Twitter is NOT enough!
My (ahem) totally scientific Twitter survey* - Question ď Ź
While you're all busy shouting at #marian panel, would you PLEASE name 1 campaign/organisation which uses Twitter effectively? Ta :) *
Taken during the Marian Finucane Show on July 8, 2012
Twitter survey - Answers
@Barnardos_IRL @Concern @RuhamaAgency @CorkFeminista @IPRT @TFMRIRE @YesForChildren 2 specific campaigns by Greenpeace & Charity Water #7istooyoung – no, really!
Twitter survey – Why those causes/organisations?
“strong emotive messages and offers calls to action to followers (amazing how many orgs do first but not second)”; “..not just press releases…links to relevant media articles, comment on/highlight public policy developments/legislation, invite you to seminars, etc”
“they are v quick to post reaction to issues
(budget, issues in the media etc) also v good at responding to tweets”
Some Thoughts
It’s a CONVERSATION
One way traffic is pointless & will lose you followers in the real world.
Use it wisely/appropriately/strategically
It just doesn’t work for some things Ineffective if you suddenly take it up & then abandon again, e.g.: some politicians
Some tips/resources
Get on Twitter & lurk before you decide
Read this from @kayross: http://www.kayross.com/blog/2012/07/05/tw
eet-tweet-this-is-how-i-do-it/
Attend training OR a Not-For-Profit #tweetup – follow @askdirect & @SPARKMarketingC for this
Thank you!
Don’t forget to tweet #sjmedia And do follow @OPEN_Ireland