I recently wrote about the British documentary “Us Now” and what I thought about its content. In my latest blog entry I'm talking about what can be learned from the web site and why it provides an excellent lesson in how to make advocacy films that extend beyond the screening room: http://sm4good.com/2009/11/24/open-source-documentary-advocate

I like well made advocacy videos - and the one that British Red Cross released today definitely falls into this category. It features Konnie Huq, a well know and very sexy tv-presenter (well known in the UK). The question is: "Would you still want to kiss her, if she was HIV positive?"

The reason this video was made is a survey that British Red Cross commissioned of 16-25-year-olds in the UK. The result:

Even though 85 per cent know you cannot catch HIV from a kiss, 69 per cent of respondents said they wouldn't kiss someone with HIV.

Or as British Red Cross puts it: "There is safety. And then there is stigma."

Today, over 800 student activists converged on Capitol Hill for the largest lobby day to prevent genocide in history. 

We were recently contacted by the Tactical Technology Collective, which describes itself as:

... An international NGO that provide human rights  advocates with guides, tools, training and consultancy to help them develop the skills and tactics they need to increase the impact of their campaigning.

They were hoping that NetSquared (that's us) would let you (that's you) know that they've got some guides and toolkits available online, and that these guides and toolkits might be of some interest to you.

Check it:

I've written up a summary about how we are using Facebook combined with news to support online organizing to stop climate change. This is based on our work with Hot Dish, the climate change news publication with the action team contest I posted about earlier. There are a bunch of examples and screenshots to help describe and explain the various capabilities available with this type of approach. We also just added a live chat feature on our news story pages that is worth checking out.

http://blog.newscloud.com/2009/03/applying-hot-dish-technology-to-online-organizing-.html

Hello!

Well, its nice to be a part of any online network that seeks to promote and advocate for rights of all by changing societies for the better through innovation. Pacific Island societies has for too long been dominated by the interests of older powerful men. Women and children have long taken the backseat when it has come to development and distribution of wealth and its about time Pacific Women take steps to change things in their communities for the better.

I am a lawyer by training, and human rights advocate by conviction, a solopreneur focused on the need for socially and technologically innovative ideas to meet realtime human needs of the general population especially women, children and young people.

John Carnell,  co-founder and project manager of  BullyingUK, a nonprofit organization working on anti-bulling campaigns in the UK including services for youth, parents and schools, recently took time from the active participation in social media to chat with me about the organization's work.  BullyingUK has incorporated social media tools into communications, fundraising, and community buildling.  Learn more about how they are succeeding in the interview below.

Last night at the BlogHer holiday party I met Jeremy Pepper, author of the POP! PR Jots blog, and Director of Communications for The Point, "a social platform for people to solve problems they can't solve alone."

Last week at the BlogHer Conference I had the pleasure of meeting Rochelle Robinson, the Online Program Manager for Ms. Magazine. Rochelle specializes in online advocacy using technology for positive change in public consciousness, law, and social policy.

One of the cool things on her site is a link to Social Change Websites, a directory of nonprofit, grassroots and advocacy campaign web sites. The site is Rochelle's brainchild.

You can submit your social change web site here. (Check out the guidelines before you submit).

Aspiration (whose Social Source Commons was a Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference), is hosting the 2007 eAdvocacy Jamboree July 17-20 at Oakland's Preservation Park. The main event will run July 18-20, with a pre-day of eAdvocacy trainings on July 17. You can see the agenda in progress here.