Don't Push the River, It
Flows by Itself with Ruby Sinreich

MySpace and Facebook didn’t invent
social networks

We already have social networks

We already have “social marketing”
too Budapest, 3/20/04 (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

This is about having the
power to use and organize our own networks for our own purposes <ul><ul><li>In other words: we don’t need no steenkin’ marching orders. </li></ul></ul>

What makes networks into “swarms?
” Network-centric advocacy a.k.a. user-generated a.k.a. people-powered a.k.a. bottom up a.k.a. Web 2.0 a.k.a. social networking a.k.a. Cluetrain marketing a.k.a. grassroots organizing etc… It doesn’t matter what you call it.

<ul><li>Strong Social Ties </li></ul><ul><li>Common Story
</li></ul><ul><li>Dense Communication Grid </li></ul><ul><li>Sharing Culture </li></ul><ul><li>Network Awareness </li></ul>Five aspects of effective networks Props to Marty Kearns @ netcentriccampaigns.org

Strong social ties <ul><li>Personal relationships
</li></ul><ul><li>Trust </li></ul><ul><li>Awareness </li></ul>

Meetups http://environment.meetup.com/

Online social networks

Film Trust

How can you build... <ul><li>Strong
social ties? </li></ul><ul><li>Personal relationships </li></ul><ul><li>Trust </li></ul><ul><li>Awareness </li></ul>

Common story <ul><li>Shared values </li></ul><ul><li>Collective
narrative </li></ul>

Obama in 30 Seconds After
1100 entries and more than 5.5 million total votes cast, the results are in. From among 15 amazing finalists, a panel of top filmmakers, artists, musicians, and progressive heroes picked the winning ad, &quot;Obamacan.&quot; Over 100,000 people have already seen it online, but we need your help to air &quot;Obamacan&quot; on TV. Can you chip in? Because there were so many deserving ads submitted, we also want to honor these other, award-winning ads. www.obamain30seconds.org & www.bushin30seconds.org

Collective editing, hive mind?

Friends for Peace www.friendsforpeace.org &
www.sorryeverybody.com

How can you build... <ul><li>Common
story </li></ul><ul><li>Shared values </li></ul><ul><li>Collective narrative </li></ul>

Dense communication grid <ul><li>Online &
offline </li></ul><ul><li>For example </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Blogs </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>E-mail </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>IM </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Phone & SMS </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Face-to-face </li></ul></ul>

The community feeds (eats?) itself

Blogs build community, not just
online http://www. dailyKOS .com

Yearly Kos in person &
online

How can you build... <ul><li>Dense
communication grid </li></ul><ul><li>Online & offline </li></ul><ul><li>For example </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Blogs </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>E-mail </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>IM </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Phone & SMS </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Face-to-face </li></ul></ul>

Culture of sharing <ul><li>Data, information
</li></ul><ul><li>Skills & expertise </li></ul><ul><li>Money </li></ul><ul><li>Space </li></ul>

Sharing knowledge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change

MemoGate How do we get
this to CBS?

Distributed action

How can you build... <ul><li>Culture
of sharing </li></ul><ul><li>Data, information </li></ul><ul><li>Skills & expertise </li></ul><ul><li>Money </li></ul><ul><li>Space </li></ul>

Network awareness <ul><li>Feeling like a
member </li></ul><ul><li>Knowing what the network is for </li></ul>

Flash mobs

Global protests London -Daily Mail
San Francisco -New York Times “Olympic Torch Route Changed in San Francisco”

Metaverse too

How can you build... <ul><li>Network
awareness </li></ul><ul><li>Feeling like a member </li></ul><ul><li>Knowing what the network is for </li></ul>

Twitter: socialblogsharingmobilenetwork www.twitter.com & www.twittervision.com
& www.quotably.com & www.tweetvolume.com & Etc. All things to all people?

Change.org

One more time… <ul><ul><li>Strong Social
Ties </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Common Story </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Dense Communication Grid </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Sharing Culture </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Network Awareness </li></ul></ul>

Questions? Ruby Sinreich lotusmedia.org/5things

Bonus slide: Network structures http://www.
webopedia .com/quick_ref/topologies.asp hierarchical star/hub tree (hubs of hubs) ring mesh

Bonus slide: A few examples/links
<ul><li>Fellowship of Reconciliation experiments with social media: </li></ul><ul><li>Flickr </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Iran photo </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Change.org </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Change.org on Facebook </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Facebook “page” </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Causes on Facebook </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Twitter </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Conversations on Quotably </li></ul></ul>