A short presentation that I'll be giving at BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas on Oct. 16, 2010. I point to several examples of social media resulting in real-world change and lay out 5 ways to mobilize your cause.

1. Mobilizing your social network
Or, is Malcolm Gladwell full of it?
BlogWorld Expo
Oct. 16, 2010
JD Lasica
Founder, Socialbrite.org
jd@socialbrite.org

2. Today’s hashtag
Creative Commons
photo on Flickr
by Prakhar
Tweet this panel! Hashtag: #bwe10mob

3. ‘Why the revolution will not be tweeted’
“We seem to have
forgotten what activism
is. ... The kind of activism
associated with social
media isn't [deep] at all.
The platforms of social
media are built around
weak ties.”
— Malcolm Gladwell in
The New Yorker, Oct. 4, 2010

4. Gladwell is half right ...
... when he points to the shortcomings of social
media as a stand-alone answer. Evidence:
Social media is not stopping
the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji
Social media did not stop the
military junta in Myanmar from
brutally crushing the Saffron
revolution
Median amount raised on
‘The Cove’
Causes is tiny. Eg: Save Darfur
Coalition's 1.2 million members
have donated avg. of 9 cents
apiece.

5. But Gladwell is wrong...
... when he scoffs at the power of social networks to
create ‘strong-tie connections’ and effect real change.
Greenpeace used social media to force a multinational
corporation (Nestlé) to reverse course and withdraw
from a (real) endangered rainforest.

6. And wrong...
charity:water has funded
2,500 projects in 16 countries,
enabling 1.1 million people to
get clean water.
Facebook group One Million
Voices Against FARC
mobilized 10 million people to
march against FARC in charity:water: making a difference
hundreds of cities in Colombia on the ground in Honduras
on Feb. 4, 2008.
Lots of other examples we’ll
hear today.

7. And wrong ...
National Wildlife Federation raised $100,000
using social media after Gulf Oil Spill.
Red Cross’s Text Haiti campaign raised $32
million. Oxfam UK received $50,000 via link in
YouTube video posted day after Haiti quake.
Visible Children Scholarship Program: 700 kids
in Uganda receiving scholarships & mentoring.

8. 5 steps to mobilize your cause
1. Set clear goals and define your
metrics
2. Begin with conversations, not an
‘ask’
3. Tell stories — frame your issue
with a personal story that packs
an emotional wallop
4. Create a clear, compelling call to
action
5. Connect online actions with
offline activities
http://bit.ly/12steps-flyer

9. Relax!
Creative Commons
BY photo on Flickr
by Tom@HK
http://bit.ly/mobilize
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