trade unions, web 2.0 and social media walton pantland glasgow, scotland [email protected] ccisua...
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Trade Unions, Web 2.0and Social Media
Walton PantlandGlasgow, Scotland
[email protected]://cyberunions.org
CCISUA Conference
The Hague
May 2010
Using new technology to organise
BackgroundLabourStart – “where trade unionists start their day on the net” – was the first and most important labour movement initiative on the InternetStarted in 1997, the site is
still going strong. It aggregates trade union news from around the world, and sends out ‘action alerts’ to coordinate international solidarity
www.labourstart.org
New tools, collectively referred to as Web 2.0, are putting unprecedented power into the hands of ordinary activists
What is ‘Web 2.0’?Web 1.0
Web 2.0
static websites designed by professionals
easy to edit, dynamic, participative
Free, easy to use communications tools
Why is this useful for unions?
Makes the union a more dynamic organisation
Gets the union message across to media and the rest of the world
Enhances union democracy by keeping people informed and engaged
Improves communications with reps and members
ToolsSocial networks – Facebook, Unionbook, Ning
Microblogging – twitter, identica
Blogs, wikis and websites
Telecommunications
Countries with low Internet penetration
But first, an interesting trade union campaign
IN 2007, the union UNI-Global held a cyber picket in the virtual reality world, Second Life, against IBM.
Appropriate technologyTechnology must be appropriate to the needs of the people it serves
No point setting up a website for people who have no Internet access
Simpler solutions are usually better
Experiment widely – what works for one group might not work for others
Cheap or free is good
Social Networks
A social networking site for trade union activists.
Very useful for sharing ideas with activists in other countries.
www.unionbook.org
The social network that everyone is on – including your boss and your mother.
Useful for keeping in touch, but major privacy concerns.
www.facebook.com
The site I used to create the CCISUA social network. Unfortunately it is no longer free.
http://ccisua.ning.com/
Unique syntax:
‘@’ identifies a user – for instance I am @leischa on twitter
‘#’ makes a term searchable by creating a hashtag – e.g. #unions
‘RT’ means ‘retweet’, or forward a message
Not really a social network – more for sharing news
Dynamic, real time communication
Great for ‘crowdsourcing ideas
My message
‘@’ replies
Most people use an app like Tweetdeck to follow twitter.
Tweetdeck is dynamic, with tweets rolling down the screen like a waterfall – or twitterfall.
You can follow different streams in the different column
Some twitter campaigns & hashtags
#vestas
#Iloveimmigrants
#iranelection
#BAstrike
#unions
#trafigura
#Nestle
Set up a simple branch website
Create a basic website using free tools
Blogger.com
Wikidot.com
Yola.com
Wordpress.com
Register a custom domain - $10 - $ 15 per year, e.g. www.yourunion.org
Integrate Web 2.0 tools to keep content dynamic
Create a custom email address with Google Apps, e.g. [email protected]
Most sites have tutorials to show you how to do this
Smart Phones
BlackBerry
Allows you to access Web 2.0 anywhere
iPhoneAndroid
They are getting cheaper…
TelecommunicationsFree software you can download to your computer – allows you to make free phone and video calls to any other user in the world.
Allows you to ‘stream’ live video from a smart phone to the Internet*
*Needs a fast Internet connection
Other useful tools
Online Surveys surveymonkey.com
Easy to use, and allows you to find out exactly what matters to your members
Why not take my online survey, and tell me how you use technology in your union work?www.surveymonkey.com/s/cyberunions
Used by Unite in recognition campaigns
Other useful toolsDelicious.com integrates with your browser and allows you to save, tag and share interesting links online…
…you can export the links using RSS…
…and display them on your branch website – along with any other RSS feed.
What about countries with low Internet penetration?
SMS – the Text Message
There are many examples of activists using text messages – for instance to monitor elections
Mobile phones are ubiquitous in developing countries
Frontline SMS is a great tool
The PC doesn’t need an Internet connection – it uses ordinary mobile networks to send messages.
Frontline SMS is free software that runs on a PC hub and collates information sent by text message.
Why are so many tools free?Most common business model is ‘freemium’ – basic account for free, paid account with more features
The are lots of free tools for union activists
People who create free and open source software are ideologically committed to making tools freely available
Go out there and experiment!
Free and Open Source Software
Operating systems Linux
…as well as free software that runs on any system: Open Office, Scribus, Inkscape and thousands more
Recommendations
We should accept that new technologies will create more open, fluid and dynamic union structures. This is a good thing.
Reps should feel free to experiment widely
Unions should train their reps and members to use online tools
Unions and their activists should make a conscious decision to embrace new technology
Warning!
Expect glitches – hardware and software failure is common. Batteries run out, or there is no WiFi or 3G signal.
Incompatibility – there are still no standard file formats
Privacy: there is no such thing as online privacy. If you don’t want people to know, don’t post it!
State and corporate control – we need to defend the freedom of cyberspace
“Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life - Whether you want to or not.”
www.youropenbook.org
What’s next?the ‘semantic’ web: knows whoyou are and responds intelligently, showingyou the content you are most interested in
If you enjoyed this presentation, please feel free to copy, remix and reuse it in anyway you see fit.
For more information, contact me:
cyberunions.org
Twitter: @leischa
Web 3.0