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IMHO: need creative, Web 2.0 way to push for end to war
By WDavidStephenson | September 17, 2007
Just thinkin’…
I’ve been listening to an interesting/vexing hour of discussion by NPR’s OnPoint about how the anti-war movement just doesn’t seem to be able to make a real breakthrough, whether because the Democrats focus more on being re-elected, marchers are demonized, or pick your favorite reason.
IMHO, as someone who first started marching in DC in 1968, it’s time to take much more of a creative, Web 2.0 approach (I know these groups are using Web 2.0 tools, but it seems to me that what they’re missing is the collaborative aspect: it seems to me that in almost every case, the message I’m getting from national organizations is to follow something course of action that THEY, not WE, have decided upon) that isn’t as focused on DC marches, allows individuals to offer their own approaches that are particularly appropriate for local conditions, and use the Web effectively to be absolutely unavoidable.
For example:
- simply choose a specific time — such as noon on Saturday — when people across the nation choose to do something that must meet only three criteria:
- communal
- highly visible
- comfortable for local folks to do (for example, if you’re in Brattleboro, VT, going nude in the Common might work for you. Otherwise, perhaps wear white gloves and hold a tea-in at the Ritz-Carlton).
- can be documented visually.
- create a wiki to plan these somethings. Local folks, not officials of some nationwide group, could throw up ideas for what to do and see what sticks:
- All your neighbors dress up in clown suits and wave signs saying “stop clowning around?
- Everyone go into stores and buy anything with $1 coins — explaining why they’re doing it (so businesses will “get it”)?
- Blowing their horns for 15 seconds?
- Hold up “evengelicals for peace” signs?
- Writing stop the war on rear windows, pulling over at noon, and turning on their flashers?
- Having a die-in at a public place?
- Whatever????
- Use cameraphones to document whatever is done
- Geotag the photos and post to Flickr so that local, state, and eventually, national Flickr maps become increasingly crowded with flags indicating the events. Message? We’re everywhere, and we’re fed up.
- Count up the number of participants, create a Google spreadsheet to which everyone can contribute, and add the number up (with links to the Flickr photos to avoid questions about inflating the numbers).
IMHO, this kind of approach (which should also be determinedly non-partisan and pitched to Red States as much or more so to Blue ones [my son’s gunner, who was killed instantly when their unit was attacked in June, was a Red State resident. I suspect the majority of casualties are as well]) would both be more effective than ones that require travel, letting writing, etc., and would capitalize on the community-building aspects of Web 2.0.
Technorati tags: George Bush Iraq War e-democracy crowd-sourcing
crowdsourcing smart mobs swarm intelligence emergent behavior government politics collaboration geo-spatial web web 2.0 ANSWER Win Without War MoveOn anti-war Congress Democratic Party
Topics: technology, empowering public, policy and politics, collaboration, e-gov transformation | |
