Beth's Blog: Nonprofits and Social Media

ASSK Why Burma Can't Wait on June 19th

Since May 1 (eerily, 3 days before Cyclone Nargis), Fanista launched a campaign called Burma: It Can't Wait with the US Campaign for Burma and the Human Rights Action Center.  The site has featured provocative short films starring actors, filmmakers and musicians on the topic of human rights and Burma.

On June 19th, Aung San Suu Kyi’s 63rd birthday.  (She shares the same birthday as my daughter, Sara).  On that day,  people across the web will work together to educate and inspire online users to join and/or donate to the campaign, promoting the idea that freedom is the best birthday present.  The slogan is  “ASSK WHY IT CAN’T WAIT” - a nod to the acronym for Aung San Suu Kyi’s name, ASSK.   

So, if you see people tweeting about ASSK's birthday, it's about the Burma Can't Wait Campaign.

A Comment on Digital Influence Group's post is worth $10 donation to US Campaign for Burma

The Digital Influence Group is donating $10 to the US Campaign for Burma for every comment that is made on their post.  Go comment here.

Meaningful Networked Action in the Cyclone Aftermath

Photo by LaurieLou

I remember when Katrina struck and when Liz Henry decided to go to Texas to volunteer.  If you are thinking you want to volunteer your time, Natalie Jesionka has a post on Our World titled "Responding to Burma Crisis" that includes a list of opportunities to travel to the Burmese border and volunteer your time and energy to the underground grassroots NGO activity.

Some of the organizations include:

Organizations on the Border
The Mae Tao Clinic
Karen Women's Organization
Women's League of Burma
Project Enlighten

What can we do if we can't hope on a plane and go to the Burma border for a month?  There are many other ways to help out.  The Burma: It Can't Wait Campaign launched not too long ago by the U.S. Campaign for Burma has a mini site that is tracking the latest news and information from Burma and how to help with donations or support.  Dina has also shared a link to a wiki Nargis Help

But I think Pistachio has a better idea - we can take collective action.  She has compiled a list of bloggers and other individuals on the ground who are getting the word out.    She has challenged us with some collective actions:

1. Take the news “a little at a time.” Add at least one of the news sites, blogs or feeds into your feed reader or read Marshall's meta feed.

2. Speak up. Blog, tweet, re-tweet, podast, email, speak about and share/bookmark links to things you read that move you, and encourage others to do the same and think creatively about the problems.

3. Do you have a podcast? Please run these free PSAs created by the Voice Actors Guild.

Road to Burma

Found via the good folks at Razoo.

FREE BURMA

Free Burma

More on Burma - Protests in Real Life and Online

Via Facebook updates, I learned from Tharum that Preetaim Rai, the Southeast Asia Editor for Global Voices, posts a roundup of protests and prayer vigils in neighboring countries.  He points over to a post from Mean Lux
in Cambodia and his flickr set.

Mean Lux points to an excellent post that summarizes the all the online support in addition to the Facebook activity. 

Now the online channel has breathed new life into this surging wave and brought with it Facebook events, Myspace groups, Razoo causes, BBC News feeds updated real-time, Twitter posts about Wear A Red Shirt This Friday For Burma and countless IMs’ from friends telling friends telling friends. Someone sneezed and it spread across the whole internet; you’ll find 72 results found by Google desktop, 9,494 Google news results, 2,283 blog posts in the last 12 hours according to Google blog search, 3,498 videos found in Google video (#1 is Jim Carrey), 22,978 blog posts about Burma in Technorati and 275 groups in Facebook.

The post gives us a screen capture from Google Trends, but it doesn't mention what has been happening in Second Life - for example virtual red t-shirts, and human chain protests).   There is also a roundup of links to Burma causes (not just Facebook that's just one channel) and events.

The conclusion:

This data goes to show just how much online marketing share matters and how well this medium works for global messages and movements. Burma may not be in your backyard, but if you stop and think for a second the online world is all around us; you just need to choose how and where you’ll receive it.

It also shows that the power of combining many Internet channels as well as mainstream media channels and a compelling event.

On the other hand, Justin Kownacki thinks wearing red t-shirts is social media fluff.  What he doesn't realize is that in other countries a call to action "to call you senator" isn't all that easy.  The red t-shirt show your support meme didn't originate online - it started offline in countries from that region showing support.  Take for example Sopheak's report about what is happening on the ground in Cambodia and how it is being amplified by the Internet.

My previous coverage:

Why Sopheap Wearing A Red T-Shirt
Virtual Red T-Shirts

Free Burma: International Bloggers Day on October 4th

Free Burma! International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“

Remember, it will take a whole lot more than just putting up a post with the graphic and the text free Burma. You can sign this petition from Amnesty International

1 - Write to your elected official - they will respond if enough people contact them.

2 - Email the companies that still operate in Burma, their email addresses are listed here http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3071

3 - Sign up for the petition!

•http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/action/action.html
•http://www.petitiononline.com/BUR_2007/petition.html
•http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/h.php/?cl=20589575

 

Are you wearing a Virtual Red T-Shirt?

Attended the Nonprofit Commons meeting and there was a T-Shirt giver and I got my virtual T-Shirt.  There's also a vigil being held today organized by the Peacemaker Institute on Commonwealth Island.  Here's the information on the notecard:

Please join us in solidarity for the monks in Burma who are beng killed and imprisoned...a meditation/vigil  will be held throughout the day on Friday the 28th  on Commonwealth island:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Plush%20Nonprofit%20Commons/110/137/24

They are arresting and imprisoning monks- so far over 700 have been arrested.
They have raided dozens of monasteries
While the regime is stating only 9 have been killed the number is far closer to 200
They have snipers on tops of buildings to pick of the leaders
They are trying to suppress the violence.
We MUST protest!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1 - Protest - Look below for details of worldwide protests. Contact US Campaign for Burma to sign up to hold a march, vigil or any sort of event in your area- [email protected] there is also a protest being held on Burning Life sim today.

2 - Spread the word - Invite your friends to this group, email all your family and friends, write to local newspapers

3 - Write to your elected official - they will respond if enough people contact them.

4 - Wear red clothes on Friday. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=18267307704

5 - Email the companies that still operate in Burma, their email addresses are listed here http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3071

6 - Sign up for the petition!

•http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/action/action.html
•http://www.petitiononline.com/BUR_2007/petition.html
•http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/h.php/?cl=20589575

Why is Sopheap Wearing a Red T-Shirt?

Photo by Tharum, found on his Facebook Profile

That's Sopheap in the red shirt.  I met her in Cambodia last month.  I spotted this photo in Tharum's Facebook photos the title is "Quiet Vigil Outside Burma Embassy in Phnom Penh."   Mean Lux has a set on Flickr here and you can see a photo of his red t-shirt.   I first heard about the Cambodian support of these efforts via Mean Lux's Facebook profile and his blog post.

Kalabird, an expat Cambodian blogger who is now back in the US, has written an excellent piece entitled "Empowering Myanmar, One Blog at a Time"

I also learned on Facebook that today is:

IN SUPPORT OF OUR BRAVE FRIENDS IN BURMA: MAY ALL PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WEAR A RED SHIRT ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28.
JOIN THIS GROUP:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18262859152

Here's a petition you can sign and here's Amnesty International's information. 

There's a photo group  in flickr too.

Update:  Just found Preetaim Rai's roundup on Global Voices.