Information and communication

This page was created on Jun 18, 2009 and was last updated on Dec 27, 2011

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Introduction

Information and communication are very essential in building and coordinating social movements. First, one needs to create a critical mass of like-minded individuals by spreading information, by educating. In order to make this process more effective it is advisable to empower others to participate. There must be a high level of coordination in order to keep the message as pure as possible, which is highly facilitated by the new technology. During this process, feedback is collected, and communication strategies are adapted. In parallel with the education, there must be a conscious effort to consolidate the group of adherents, to build a community. Second, after a gestation period, when the movement turns towards concrete action, one need to establish good coordination mechanisms. There is no coordination without efficient communication. Therefore, one need to establish effective means of communication by taking advantage of the new technology.

During the first step you need a coordination strategy for your core group, to create content and to communicate it. But in order to do that you already need to have some communication in place, as there can not be coordination without communication. Once you have the coordination strategy figured out you need to come up with a real communication strategy, the most efficient way to deliver the content. You need to have an idea of this before you plunge into the content creation work, because the format of your content is highly dependent on delivery methods. For your communication strategy you need to take into consideration your target (who are those people you need to reach), spatial considerations (are they spreads over a large geographical area or concentrated within one large city?), temporal considerations (is there an urgency related to the movement?), your opponent (can the communication be open or hidden?) etc.

What is your mission?

Before anything, you or your organization must have a clearly stated mission. The mission brings coherence to your movement, and it plays an important role in coordinating your actions. Try to make your mission as explicit as possible, know it, integrate it.

Define what goals you want to achieve through communication with the public ...

Produce your content

The content you produce must reflect your mission. You must also keep in mind that the format of your content must be adapted to the methods of distribution (see next section). You can pass information in a video format, sound only, or as still images and text. It can be a documentary, a presentation, a song, a flyer, etc.

Chose distribution channels for your content

On Multitude Blog: What is wrong with the media?

An article on the problems the corporate media is facing and on the future of mainstream media.

Watch Manufacturing consent in Divertissement | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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