As someone who is in the online advocacy space, I can tell you I (very) often hear grousing from seasoned campaigners about social media. “Not an efficient way to get your message out”, says one. “It will never replace traditional door knocking or face-to-face voter contact” says another. My response: “Of course. Who said otherwise?” […]
Who Said Traditional Campaigns Are Dead? Read More »
If two of the most current political campaigns to take place in Canada are any indication, social media efforts in a political context still aren’t reaching their full potential in this country. Both the recently concluded NDP leadership race and the Alberta provincial election that got underway this week illustrate that while social media continues
Canadian Online Political Campaigns Need Work Read More »
The latest Internet sensation hit the general public last week when a video about Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony produced by a not-for-profit outfit named Invisible Children caught the attention of the Internet in a big way – becoming the most viral video in history. I’m sure sure your Facebook, Twitter or RSS feed was
KONY2012: A Wasted Opportunity Read More »
Yesterday was International Women's Day. To mark the occasion, the Toronto Star's Heather Malilck took to her regular column to decry the state of women's rights. Specifically, she references the recent controversy involving bombastic conservative personality Rush Limbaugh: "American women are fighting a rearguard action for something as basic as birth control to be
Social Media + Rights of Women Read More »
You can’t go anywhere online without hearing about Pinterest. On buzz alone, the new hit on the block is red hot. It hit over 10 million visitors faster than any other social network or website) before it. Yours truly is around as well. And some users are finding that referral traffic to blogs and websites
Pinterest As A Campaign Tool? Read More »
This being Valentine’s Day and all, I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss why exactly I love what we do here at Grassroots Online. It might seem obvious that everyone in this industry would love everything about social media, but that isn’t always the case. In fact, as anyone who has incorporated
Why I Heart Social Media Read More »
Last week at a conference in Munich, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey confirmed what many have been saying for quite some time: Twitter is more valuable for monitoring and collecting information than a social conversation platform: “We definitely see social as just one part of what people do on Twitter,” Dorsey said. “We think of it
Twitter Co-Founder: Twitter An Information Tool Read More »
At the risk of offending many of my friends, colleagues and even clients, I’d like to go on a bit of a rant. Please stop auto-posting your thoughts, comments and links to all of your social media accounts. Please. Stop it now. I know how hard it is to manage and maintain all of you
4 Reasons To Stop Auto Posting Your Content Read More »
I read in the Globe and Mail recently about a Pew Research study which confirms what most folks in the online advocacy and marketing works already know – many people go online mostly for fun: On any given day, 53% of all the young adults ages 18-29 go online for no particular reason except to
Your Real Opponent: Fun Read More »
Submitted for Fall 2011 edition Humans by nature are inherently competitive. At some level, we all love to play, compete and win. If you need proof, the top professional sports leagues in North America (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS) brought in just under $200B USD in revenue last year – which is greater than
Gaming Your Next Campaign Read More »
