Message in-a-box: Tools and tactics for communicating your cause is a new web resources that includes tactical guides to using a wide range communications tools for social change, packaged with some open source tools for creating media. This resource is for small to midsized nonprofit organizations.
This guide is a one-stop place to find checklists, strategy tips, and how-to guides for creating everything in you need to implement a communications strategy - from quick guide for a print strategy to selecting a content management system. It also includes tips and resources for developing an Internet Strategy
sharing content on mobile phones, and an email strategy.
The guide incorporates some tutorials and how-to information social media strategy, most notably a Blogging guide for activists and campaigners for using blogs for grassroots organizing and citizen journalism written by Sokari Ekine who blogs at www.blacklooks.org. There is also a rich section about how to incorporate the use of video -- from creating your own to using works created by others.
The tools section is an annotated directory of open source tools that describe the tool and include links to downloads, manuals, and tutorials.
The content incorporates and points to materials created by others in the citizen journalism and activism fields and is packaged as self-paced tutorials and checklists. There are a few content areas that I do not normally included in the other many similar guides available. These include:
- Quick Guide to Images: Advice about how to incorporate images effectively in your campaign materials.
- A Simple Guide to Animation Creating short animations can be an effective way to communicate about your cause. This short tutorial steps you through some easy ways to create animation.
- Primer on Search Engine Optimization A good primer for those just beginning to think through a search engine optimization strategy.
- A Guide To Open Content This section explains creative commons licensing and open content in easy to understand terms.
Well, I'm off to add links in the appropriate places in WeAreMedia.
Beth - thanks so much for the writeup! If anybody would like more information on the toolkit, or about other toolkits and guides produced by Tactical Tech check out our website at http://tacticaltech.org/
Posted by: Becky Faith | October 29, 2008 at 05:07 AM