Putting the "e" in "advocacy." Wait...

Last week I attended Aspiration's "Web Sites for Advocacy and Community Organizing: Basics, Essentials and Best Practices" conference in LA. The conference was set up as a dialogue around two words too often thrown around by those in community technology: eOrganizing and eAdvocacy. The presenters, Allen Gunn of Aspiration and David Taylor of Radical Designs, defined them this way: eOrganizing: new tools for base building, to grow relationships and to achieve trust. eAdvocacy: new tools for extending the reach of project messages, to engage media, to influence decision makers and campaign targets and to connect with new allies and supporters. I learned a lot of basics I hadn't (but perhaps should have) already learned in my seven months of VISTAing, and I'll soon begin putting my new knowledge into action on the CCTPG site. I think the first step — and if you look at the site, I think you'll agree — will be either hiring or attempting some graphic design. Other than that, everything is rolling along smoothly in Santa Monica, and the few deciduous trees in my neighborhood should soon be wearing flashier coats.

Comment from Tim Wescott on October 3, 2006 - 6:28pm

I had a unique view of the presentation, considering I'm working at Aspiration. :-) Gunner and David did a really great job with it.