Online advocacy uses the internet to promote issues, candidates or groups. It includes websites, email, video sites, blogs and social networking. It saves time and money and can be used for fundraising. Email, blogs and video sites are popular tools. Social networking is effective for building grassroots campaigns.
Online advocacy is a relatively new activity that focuses on using the Internet and the tools it provides to promote a particular issue, candidate or group of candidates. This defense is demonstrated through a number of different formats and strategies and commonly includes the use of dedicated websites, email, video sites, blogs and social networking sites. While it is generally not used as the sole strategy, many applicants and organizations may see it as a critical component in their overall efforts.
In any campaign, time and money are critical elements and online advocacy offers an advantage in both cases. Most online businesses can be done with the existing infrastructure already in place. If more is needed, it can usually be obtained fairly quickly and relatively cheaply. Also, the message can get to many different people at once with the click of a button.
In the early 21st century, it was just enough that candidates simply had a website, a place where people could go to see what they thought about issues. Since that time, a candidate’s website and platform has become not just a way to spread the message, but a valuable source of fundraising. Many politicians provide a way for supporters to donate to a campaign directly on the website through the use of an internet payment system which most likely involves credit cards. This type of online advocacy has opened up new sources of revenue during times when campaigning has gotten more expensive.
Online advocacy strategies don’t stop at websites. Email and especially blogs have become the favorite tools of those fighting for a cause. They offer the ability to send simple messages to people very quickly. The only expense is hiring someone to write the pieces and mail them. In a political campaign, this is often done by volunteers. Both emails and blogs are easy to set up and publish, with minimal HTML skills required.
For those who are a little more creative and technically gifted, online advocacy can also include Internet video sites. With this strategy, candidates can post entire meetings, rallies, or speeches and then direct voters to those sites so they can review what happened. This is an especially important form of online advocacy for those who feel their message is not being conveyed enough by traditional media.
While social networking sites weren’t created primarily to serve as online advocacy tools, they certainly have their place. Those with issues they are passionate about are able to share that message with their friends and connect with those who support the cause. This is an effective way to build a grassroots advocacy campaign as most people tend to have like-minded friends. Thus, the positive results of a campaign on a social networking site can be seen very quickly.
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