How Social Media Creates Offline Social Good

PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE LAST STORY/INFO OF THIS BLOSG…ITS REALLY AWSOME!!!

 

There is no question that maturing web technologies are bolstering online giving and social action. Seizing the power of social networking, many websites, streaming tools, and mobile platforms have increased fundraising and humanitarian relief efforts.

A new level of insight about corporate social responsibility, environmental concerns, political contributions, and international issues can be accessed through content-sharing communities across the web.

But what happens to this digitally activated momentum when our laptops and Smartphone's are powered down? What are “offline” individuals to do in order to affect change?

A growing number of organizations are successfully channeling online interest into offline activism. Here are a few great examples.

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1. Changents.com

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Reaching people on every continent, Changents connects agents of change with online backers. According to the site, the change agents, “the people who put it on the line every day to get it done,” share their causes and their stories with the Changents community. Members who want to support the activists can join a change agent’s team through virtual volunteerism or by assisting in the execution of an online or offline task.

Essentially playing matchmaker, the Changents website introduces change agents who have specific needs with users whose talents align. A change agent who needs publicity for running a marathon, or any other fundraising activity, would be paired up with a public relations specialist. A benefit concert producer would be introduced to local musicians. An after-school program director would be referred to mentors and tutors.

When 25 year-old change agent Nate Bastien developed the Street Pack, a backpack that doubles as a water-proof shelter for homeless people, community members and major organizations rushed to give him online and offline support. The bags, which are made from materials discarded in landfills, were tested by homeless individuals in Providence, RI. In addition to receiving feedback from the very people the Street Pack was designed for, Bastien teamed up with a green manufacturer to produce the first batch of the versatile gear.

Changents CEO Deron Triff says the site wasn’t originally designed for this to happen.

“We’d assumed most of the volunteering would be online,” said Triff. “But once the users started getting hooked by the change agents’ stories, it turned into this whole offline movement. At the end of the day, if the story is moving enough, people are going to dig in and help.”

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2. WhyTuesday.org

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Founded in 2005, the non-partisan political group Why Tuesday strives to increase voter participation and political action. This think tank’s election reform video blog captures commentary from presidential candidates and other politicians on how our voting system can be improved, as well as reactions to the widely overlooked question: Of all the days of the week to vote, why Tuesday?

Why Tuesday co-founder and correspondent Jacob Soboroff found that none of the Congress members he interviewed two years ago knew the answer.

In case you’re wondering, the Tuesday voting tradition was enacted in 1845 by Congress to make the process convenient for farmers, who at that time made up the majority of the population. Agrarian workers who traveled by horse needed at least three days to take action –- a day to get to the county seat, a day to vote, and a day to return home for the Sabbath. People couldn’t travel midweek because Wednesday was market day. This left Tuesday as the only option. Back when the United States was primarily an agricultural economy, voting on Tuesdays made sense. However, today the rule tends to discourage participation.

In 2008, political leaders in Washington D.C. began to take notice of Why Tuesday, and started asking themselves the question. As part of Why Tuesday’s call to action, Congressman Steve Israel, who put forth the Weekend Voting Act, acted as a special correspondent to instigate change.

“It’s hard because election reform isn’t sexy,” says Soboroff. “We use social media to remind people that voting is the one right that gives us all of our other rights. We use our video blog to get politicians on the record about election reform and hold them accountable for changes that need to take place.”

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3. Online Social Action Hubs: TakePart.com, Causecast.org, & Care2.com

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Created with the same story-driven motivation as Changents, these three social action networks serve as meeting grounds for users and activists to collaborate and parlay what they learn online into offline change making.

Participant Media’s cause-based platform TakePart provides users with tools to contribute articles on important issues, start online groups, and create actions that people can engage with upon reading the information. Some featured actions on the site include hosting a night of nets for Malaria prevention fundraising, and of course, participating in relief efforts for Haiti via the Internet() and in real life.

Like TakePart, Causecast keeps members informed about current issues and connects individuals to a diverse selection of causes. Partnered with a group of non-profits and promoted by action leaders who range from celebrities to human rights pioneers, the Causecast community encourages users to take a stand and make their own voices heard online through videos and blogs, and in the field.

In March 2009, Causecast helped mobilize thousands of activists to join the Rescue for Invisible Children campaign to advocate for young people in war-afflicted regions. On behalf of forgotten child soldiers of the war in Uganda, the Rescue campaign required its traveling participants to rally in multiple cities in protest of the injustice, and refuse to leave until a public figured rescued them.

Care2 encourages people to create online petitions for social issues they want to see solved. In three easy steps, users can publish petitions that have a proven track record of delivering results.

In 2004, David Goldman’s wife took their son to her native home Brazil, and subsequently informed David that she was divorcing him. She conveyed that he would never see their son again unless he signed over custody.

The incident led to a five-year battle. Fortunately, a Care2 petition garnered over 59,000 signers, and helped put an end to the family saga. Supporters were invited to rallies, while call-ins were held with elected officials in support of HR 3240, the International Child Abduction Prevention Act of 2009. This led to hearings before the Human Rights Commission of the House of Representatives. After five years, David and Sean were reunited on Friday, Jan 8th 2010.

source:http://mashable.com/2010/01/21/offline-social-good/ &