Archive for the ‘Activism’ Category

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were decided upon by 191 countries in 2000. With only 5 years to go, 8 top filmmakers got together to mobilize others into action. They created 8 short videos which were compiled into the feature film “8.” Each of the short stories focuses on one of the MDGs which are:

1) Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
2) Achieving universal primary education
3) Promoting gender equality
4) Reducing child mortality
5) Improving maternal health
6) Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7) Ensuring environmental sustainability
8) Creating global partnerships for development

I spent a week at the United Nations in 2002 so I have a very personal connection to this mission and hope to become more involved.

You can find out more about the project by visiting NoTimeLeft.org and by viewing the videos on YouTube.

I was particularly taken with the way the global partnership and develpment video was created. The story was directed by Wim Wenders and is below.

Twitter has changed it’s Suggested User section list by creating 20 user categories.

This change was made to introduce new Twitter users to a broader base and group them by interest/categories.

Josh Elman from Twitter explains in the Official Twitter Blog:

Today we’re making the first of many changes here to help people ease into the twitterverse by finding and following accounts that interest them.

A Golden Ticket?

If you’ve ever followed anyone who was suddenly added to the previous Suggested Users list, their follower count skyrocketed hours after the new designation. Since there are more categories, the follower count increase might not be as steep but they will still take off like wildfire.

What are some possible effects of this change?

Just looking at the Politics category, being listed could have a make or break effect on politicians. Twitter follower numbers matter big time as Twitter is now one of the largest political organizing tools.

To see the possible impact, look at Carly Fiorina’s account. As of right now, she has 231,655 followers and is campaigning for the US Senate race in California. Fiorina is currently listed in the Politics Suggested User list. Although she has first has to compete for the Republican nomination, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer only has 18,432 followers and is not on the Politics list. This could be a huge factor, but we don’t know how frequently the lists will change.

The other high impact Suggested User category is the Staff Pics for Haiti category. It’s now easier than ever to find top tweeting sources on the ground in Haiti to help support the crisis after last week’s massive earthquake.

How do the lists work

We know a little bit about how the lists work and the way they are formed from the Twitter blog post:

These lists will be refreshed frequently as the algorithms identify new users who should be suggested in these lists and some that are not as engaging to new users will be removed.

These are the new categories with links to the actual lists:

* Art & Design
* Books
* Business
* Charity
* Entertainment
* Family
* Fashion
* Food & Drink
* Funny
* Health
* Music
* News
* Politics
* Science
* Sports
* Staff Picks
* Staff Picks for Haiti
* Technology
* Travel
* Twitter

What are your thoughts on the Suggested User change? Is this a good direction?

Related Post:

• Review: “open” Listorious vs. “closed” new Twitter suggestion list by Robert Scoble (@scobleizer)

I’m passionate about supporting health care reform. This Animoto video is a compilation of pictures and video from yesterday’s Health care reform rally in Ventura, CA.

During the rally, I sent Twitpics images to Twitter, recorded video using a Mino HD Flip video camera, and streamed live footage using Qik software via my cell phone.

After reading Mashable’s post on Animoto’s new Remix Video feature, I knew I had to try it out. I think this makes a great way to capture some of the energy and spirit of an event.

After reading Seth Godin’s blog post “Willfully ignorant vs. aggressively skeptical” on screaming and being the most informed, I thought I should share my thoughts on using screaming for social causes online.

Many people know that I’ve been screaming in support of healthcare reform and many have joined in. But screaming doesn’t always work. There has to be genuine urgency aimed at one’s trust network and one’s intent must be clear. Without those elements, the screaming and the message will be ignored, perceived as an annoyance, or worse.

Sense of Urgency
For screaming to be effective, there has to be a true sense of urgency based on an emergency (Amber alert, natural disaster, loss of life), time based situation (live event/speech), or information alert (such as a hot news event). At this point, having a decent (but not necessarily the best) understanding of the situation is necessary. If money is involved (as in an urgent fundraising situation) then the more information one has, the better.

Trust Network
If you need to scream to get your message out, scream at your trust network first. If you yell outside of your trust network, it just looks like yelling for yelling’s sake and people will often shut you out, regardless of the message. This is where trust comes in. If people don’t trust you, they won’t even listen, let alone pass on the information or line up with you to scream.

On Twitter, the folks who follow me are my trust network. That certainly doesn’t mean they agree with everything I say or with every position. But it does mean that we rely on each other for true bits of information, which can go a very long way to building trust over time. Over time and with enough fire line situations, these folks become friends and part of what Godin would call a “tribe.” You can find my tribe at http://www.tweet4eric.com. Please ask me about it.

Intent
To have your message heard, your intent must be clear. If people in your trust network see that you have a genuine concern for a cause, then they will lend an ear and maybe even act. If you appear to have a different or unclear agenda, then people will ignore you or maybe even go as far as to call you out on it. For example, if, let’s say, an insurance agent was pushing people to his business blog for more information on squashing healthcare reform, I’d be very skeptical and would certainly question his intentions.

Other Factors
There are many other factors that influence whether screaming for a social cause works (is received, listened to, and acted upon). Is it a political message, what is the timing for the receiver, and what is the “social cost” for repeating information or joining in the yelling?

Online sites like Twitter and Facebook can be used for many purposes, ranging from sheer entertainment to changing the world. If you have a message to get out for a cause, screaming can work to get people’s attention but this should be done sparingly and only when it comes from the heart.

You may need a box of tissues to hold back the tears on this one. Visual artist David Hoang draws a picture of Veronica De La Cruz and her brother Eric De La Cruz as the Nine Inch Nails song “Hurt” plays.

Veronica has been helping Eric fight for proper medical care to get a heart transplant. Currently, Eric is fighting for his life in a California hospital.

For more information on Eric, visit www.weloveeric.com.

View David’s blog post of this drawing.

Eric De La Cruz needs a heart transplant but he lives in Nevada where there is no heart transplant center. So his sister, Veronica De La Cruz is fighting to get him into a California center – but is facing tons of red tape. This video is by David Hoang in response to the incredible barriers and obstacles in getting help for Eric.

For more background information, see WeLoveEric.com and follow Veronica De La Cruz on Twitter.