As anyone even remotely in touch with current technology knows, the internet is a dominant tool which, if used effectively, can reach millions of individuals with the click of a button. Again, as most know, young people in particular, who have largely grown up with this technology, rely on the internet's services for a good portion of what they do from staying in touch with friends, to watching TV shows, to doing homework, to so much more. Though the youth use the internet a lot, it does not mean that a campaign targeting youth will automatically reach their targeted audience, and even if they do, without the right message, that outreach would be virtually useless. In his book Mobilising Generation 2.0 A Practical Guide to using Web 2.0: Technologies to Recruit, Organize, and Engage Youth, author Ben Rigby along with the authors of essays throughout this book, offer advice as to the means and the modes to best reach these audiences and to have an effective online presence.
In the book, Rigby makes several interesting points, while giving lots of useful information. The book describes a number of different tools which can be helpful in campaigns targeting audiences online, such as websites, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Wikis, and more. Each chapter not only details what the tool is, but also gives examples of how to effectively use the tools. For example, with blogs, the author details a number of different tones a blog can have, such as an issues blog, or a blog to engage and recruit volunteers, or on Facebook, you can make up a 'persona' for the organization, similar to a mascot who is closely wound into the theme of the cause you are working for. Also detailed is how these tools work, and the features which are distinct to each. For example, messaging and profiles for different outlets.
One overarching point that the author made was how many of the social aspect of these platforms. Many of these platforms have the ability to allow users to hold a two-way dialogue with Friends, followers, members and so-forth. In many instances it can be very beneficial to keep these lines of communication open, even with the risk of not having full control of the content and dialogue. The benefits will often outweigh the costs in these situations because you not only engage the followers, but if there is criticism, you can address it head on, and where necessary make changes or alterations. Also connected to the social aspect of the internet is the fact that there are not only two way channels between you and your followers, but also between you and the rest of the online world, and it will (usually) benefit your cause to engage others in the online community. Essentially, to get traffic to your site, pages, or blogs, it is useful to give traffic to others' sites, pages, or blogs and show this traffic through commenting, "liking", retweeting, and so forth.
Another interesting point, which I myself am guilty of doing, and which the author again points out several times throughout the book, is the fact that when it comes down to it, we are people. In campaigns, and when we're stuck with a screen between us, we often forget that on the other end of that check, or the other end of that blog, there is a human being, that it is not just some electrical entity, but that there are people with relationships, interests, feelings, and thoughts and that it is important to not just think of them as a donor or follower, but to think strategically about them as a person with all of these characteristics and rather than thinking how to best get $50, think of it as how best to engage that person through this outlet. As the internet makes things much faster and arguably less personal (in the sense that many things take place on the computer rather than in person) we forget that behind all of this work there are people like you and me, and they want to be treated as such.
Between the tactful insights given in this book, along with the reality checks it also gives, I think that this book was very helpful in articulating how to effectively use the internet and technology to reach the public.
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