Slideshow Transcript

1. Slide 1: Reach Out for Kenya Using social networks to promote online and offline activism April 30, 2008
2. Slide 2: Web actions on www.amnesty.org  Letter writing/petitions  Traditional methods with limited impact  Connection between online and offline activism
3. Slide 3: Crisis in Kenya  Disputed election result on 29 December 2007  1,000 killed in post-election violence  Over 300,000 people forced to flee their homes  Human rights abuses across the country
4. Slide 4: Reach Out for Kenya: 27 February 2008 A multi-component web action
5. Slide 5: Why Facebook?  Broad international reach  Show worldwide public outcry  Possibilities for offline events and self-organising  Place for Kenyan diaspora to add voice  Quick and easy to use – two-week deadline  3rd most visited site in Kenya
6. Slide 6: Our target audience  Kenyan diaspora  Influential Kenyans  Kenyan activists  Kenyan leaders (via AI website)  Amnesty International supporters (via AI website)  New audiences
7. Slide 7: 1) The Letter
8. Slide 8: 2) The Flickr Page
9. Slide 9: Facebook 3) The Facebook Action
10. Slide 10: Facebook 4) The Offline Event
11. Slide 11: THE RESULTS
12. Slide 12: Broad reach, quick mobilization  6,000 group members in two weeks  Space for activists and supporters to post links and share information  600 confirmed event attendees  Large proportion of non- Amnesty International members
13. Slide 13: Profile picture and status
14. Slide 14: Offline results Worldwide media coverage
15. Slide 15: Offline results – demonstrations in 11 countries •Australia •Burkina Faso •Côte d’Ivoire •Canada •Germany •Mali •Mexico •Netherlands •UK •Uganda •Uruguay •USA
16. Slide 16: Facebook – Successes  Instant community  Connected with new audiences  Quick mobilization of people to protest/campaign  Increase in traffic to AI website (15% referred from Facebook)
17. Slide 17: Lessons Learned  Idea to change profile picture/status worked well  Only possible to send messages to 1,000 group members at a time, no limit on events/causes  Superficial level of engagement – a quarter of online activists never act offline  Regular updates keep a group alive
18. Slide 18: Facebook - Limitations and Dangers  Under 10% of Kenyans have internet access (although most Kenyan activists do)  Proliferation of similar groups/causes  Privacy – impossible to protect group members  Facebook’s confidentiality has not been tested
19. Slide 19: Kenya – 28 February 2008
20. Slide 20: The Future  Build network of Somalian activists and human rights journalists  AI applications - linking to website  Riga Pride Event, 31 May (pictured)
21. Slide 21: Reach Out for Kenya Using social networks to promote online and offline activism April 30, 2008