04 Mar 2011
Some useful online activism /campaign tools.
- To contact MPs or gather information about Local Councils Openly Local and They Work For You are useful. The latter is an easy way of finding out not only who the MP of a specific area is, but what they have been saying on their constituents’ behalf as well as providing information on recent Commons and Lords debates. The former provides a wealth of information on Local Government and related issues such as finance, councils, councillors, committees and committee meetings.
- For knowledge of how much public money is spent and where it goes, Where Does My Money GoWrite To Them provides a way of finding out who the Councillors, Lords, London Assembly Members, Members of Parliament and Members of the European Parliament are for a given area, whilst also giving an accessible template for contacting them.
- Promoted by its creators as part of a wider project to maintain honesty in election campaign, Election Leaflets allows users to record and view the election leaflet pledges of those running for election and thereby seeing whether those elected have kept to their original election pledges or not.
- A large amount of information about the corporate world is also available. For data about lobbyists, who has been meeting and when, see Who’s Lobbying. The site breaks down the meetings between public bodies and lobbyists into individuals, organisations, categories, and industries, so it user-friendly as well as containing copious detail.
- Also useful is Open Corporates. Ambitiously aiming to have an address for every business in the world, it provides a wealth of data on the location of many businesses based in areas such as the UK, Bermuda, Luxembourg and Jersey.
- Often, getting new information and data can be the key to starting or growing a campaign – Freedom of Information requests have become an essential way of acquiring such data. What Do They Know is designed for making such requests, provides general advice about how any such request should be phrased, and allows you to view others previous Freedom of Information claims.
- An increasing amount of online technology can be used for reporting protests and demonstrations. Many activists already use social media services such as Flickr and YFrog but increasingly common along similar lines are tools such as those found at QIK, which enables users to video stream live from a mobile phone to a website.
- Great Yarmouth Borough Council ePetitions
- Petitions at Norfolk County Council
Other e-petition sites – e-petitions.net
Also worth considering
Looking for a primer on how to set up a media section of a protest? This Climate Camp section has a host of information and advice which covering issues such as writing press releases and dealing with the mainstream and alternative media.
Those more interested in the broader issues of activism should look at Tactical Tech and Information Activism. The latter site outlines a simple ten-step approach to creating and maintaining a campaign and is illustrated in both written and audio format. The former is the website of the Tactical Technology Collective, an international NGO aiming to empower rights-based movements with the tools of information technology. Including a range of toolkits and guides that can be used for most forms of activism, it has a variety of information.
Lastly, the set of tools on show at Center for Investigative Reporting are practicable for many campaigners. It shows ordinary citizens the practical methodologies and skills of an investigative reporter. Community reporters
The defining feature of online tools is that they provide an infrastructure around which people can interact and express themselves politically and personally.
Good Luck
content drawn from various internet sources
