Advocacy Networks
Advocacy networks are alive and well as the new American President-Elect gets close to Inauguration day. I just visited www.FixThisBarack.com and www.WhiteHouse2.org. These are not Obama-sponsored sites but sites where crowd sourcing thrive. At WhiteHouse2.org, you can endorse or oppose a suggestion for change. Very similar to our thinking about advocating or badvocating for a cause, government policy or legislation. Enthusiasts, fans and other advocates can also visit www.change.gov which is an Obama-endorsed site and join a discussion on policy direction. Today when I visited the site, nearly 500 comments were in response to “What social causes and service organizations are you a part of that make a difference in your community?” It is extraordinary to witness participatory government and advocacy at its best. Two people discussed a group called Invisible Children that provides aid for children in Africa who are taken by soldiers and living in this war-torn area. One explained the mission and another described the Facebook page on the charity. It was heartwrenching when I visited the site but a good example of how advocacy can spread from visit to visit.
It will be interesting to see how the political sites progress as Obama’s first 100 days (in office) ends and politics-as-usual heats up. Will people still believe that someone is listening?
0 Responses to “Advocacy Networks”
Leave a Response