Activism for Newbies

Trudy W. Schuett

A free ebook from

… www.cyberManbooks.com.Introduction

I've been answering a lot of questions lately about what's what and how to do

things relating to journalism, publicity, and activism in general. What I've been

referring to as 'the emerging men's rights movement' has websites, groups and

orgs popping up all over the place, and there appears to be a need for some

basic information on how some things are done. We've got some smart,

dedicated people out there who only need some pointers toward the right

direction. With this section of the DLJ, I intend to provide as much good

information as I can to help these orgs on their way by making the best use of

things like free publicity, promotions, and their website.

It is not all written by me--I've dug around and found some websites that either do

a better job of saying what I would've said anyway, or mention details I've either

forgotten or never thought of to begin with. I've done publicity/promo/activism for

something or another (including non-profit orgs) for the last 15 years. Most of

what I've learned has been learned the hard way, by doing it and making

mistakes. There are some misconceptions regarding the media in general, and I

hope to clear those up, as well as share a few ideas I've had that seem to work.

I'll start with the most basic of basic ideas. Any section where you already have

'that part down pat', please go on to another section. I don't have any way of

knowing what kind of experience any reader is going to have, so I'm going to

follow my first rule of writing I apply to all things: "Never presume the reader

knows anything at all about the subject of the piece."

Note: all the links are also arranged on a separate page for easier reference.

Birthing an Org

Here you'll find answers to some interesting questions, like 'does an e-mail list

constitute an org or a movement?' The answer is no, and you'll see why not.

There are some hints on how to write a Letter to the Editor that is most likely to

be published, since this is often the first step in deciding to form a group for a

specific purpose. Also, some hints on dealing with legislators.

Reaching Out

You've assembled some people of like mind with a website an online discussion

group, and maybe even some real-world meetings. How do you get the rest of

the world to hear about your org, and maybe join the cause? This includes the

media basics, such as what a PSA is, what a press release is, and what's the

difference. I've got links with instructions on how to write both. There is also a bit

of information on how to handle the media--what do on TV and/or radio, how to

act, what to wear, etc. I've also inserted some of my own ideas on running a

media campaign. You'll learn about deadlines, possibilities and the realities of

media publicity. Note: this section has been updated to reflect current policies.

regarding snail mail to media and government. At this moment it is probably safe

to assume they do not accept snail mail.

The Website

Some bits and pieces on creating and promoting a website. The days are long

past when you could just 'build it and they will come.' Websites need promotion

and a lot of hard work, but need not cost a lot of money… [Note from Spence: in

fact many are free. Like this one.]… You'll find some info on

the all-important content here as well; things like the basics of copyrights, and

some helpful links to online dictionaries, thesauri, research and style resources..Birthing an Org

When is an org not an org?

Let's say you've got a website, and a thriving, busy e-mail list with several

hundred members and lots of posting. Listmembers often write letters to the

editor of their local paper, and as well as their legislators. It's still not an org.

Your URL may say dot org, but that's as far as it goes. To have an actual

organization, you need to have something offline--a group with elected

leadership, regular meetings, and all that. E-mail, chats, and even

videoconferencing can only cover part of the kind of structure you need to make

it all real. Only about half of the population of the United States is online, and the

percentage is less for other countries. So to be as effective as possible in your

particular activism project, you need to get offline and organize.

For most people, the Internet is not yet accepted as a viable entity when it comes

to social activism groups. While it will happen one day, it's not yet a reality. Too,

some directories and search engines now also want a physical address in some

cases to go along with a website. A PO Box is OK, for this purpose.

But first, you need to sit down--either virtually or in person--with key group

members and decide the focus of the org. Right now there are dozens, if not

hundreds of little groups with no organization and no focus, and just as many

good activism projects that are the most important thing in the world to the

people involved. Unfortunately, to some of those spearheading particular efforts,

those who won't get on their personal bandwagon are seen somehow as 'the

enemy.' This is wrong, and ultimately destructive for all involved. When we got

rolling on the DV Media project in September, we approached a few orgs who

chose not to participate, because it wasn't really their thing, or they had other

projects commanding their attention. This was fine with us. Maybe there will be

something else down the road that better fits their ideas. We'll ask again,

because their participation in that 'something else' could be invaluable.

You have to realize that there are millions of people involved in various aspects

of the wider cause of men's rights. I have the unique privilege of being able to

have daily contact with people all over the world, and each organized group is

valuable, and essential for its differences, and its ability to relate to their local

community. When you're thinking about how you want to organize your group,

take a look at the websites of various established orgs, and see how they do

things. Make contact with these guys and listen to what they say about how their

group got together, and learn from their mistakes. You'll find that the most

successful orgs are those that have established one or two specific areas of

interest and concentrated their efforts there. Don't scatter your attention with too

many projects or subjects.

Here are some examples of orgs that got their acts together and made

themselves real:.AZFathers (in this case, the real preceded the Web presence)

http://www.arizonafathersrights.homestead.com/

Family of Men

http://www.familyofmen.com/

Some helps on getting started:

Advocacy toolkit

http://www.benton.org/Practice/Toolkit/advocacy.html

BTW--You need not pay for meeting space to get your group together. I've never

once paid for meeting space in 15 years of social activism. Outside of the

obvious 'somebody's living room,' there are also places like Barnes& Noble or

other bookstores, your local library, or the community room at your apartment

complex. Sometimes government entities will let you use a conference room.

I've held meetings for various purposes at the fire department, the Bureau of

Reclamation, and city hall. Churches tend to charge for meeting space, but I've

heard of groups meeting for free in funeral homes, nursing homes and hospitals.

Check with your membership first to see if somebody's got access to space

somewhere.

Myths And Realities Of Non-Profits

Keep in mind--although in the US 501(c) 3 nonprofit status is the big Kahuna

among non-profits, you don't need to have that to be a non-profit. What 501(c)3

status gives you is ability to apply for federal grants, etc., and those who donate

money to your org can claim the donation on their taxes. Your org can avoid

paying sales taxes in some cases. It is expensive to apply for, (in the

neighborhood of $800-2500, due to the need to publish the announcement of the

formation of the org.) It requires a board, by-laws, regular elections of officials,

etc. If you don't expect to apply for grants or your donors don't expect to itemize

their income taxes, perhaps you might get along with just calling yourself non-profit

and be done with it.

I am familiar with orgs that have functioned well for years without it, such as the

AZFathers, which has been in operation since the early 70s. Here in the Yuma

area, we have a charity called Precious Treasures that serves the homeless and

underprivileged, providing emergency help of clothes, food, etc. While they

recently became 501(c)3, in order to grab a piece of that federal pie, before that

they were simply non-profit. They weren't dealing with large amounts of money--

but all donations went to the org, and their donors knew that. Many small groups,

such as your local hiker's association, or writer's groups, are set up that way..

What you need to be a non-profit is simply to not have anyone who directly

profits monetarily from the activities of the org, period.

Now we have some helps with the basics of starting a 501(c) 3 non-profit org

(right now we have only US info, but when we have some from other countries,

we'll add it!)

starting a nonprofit

http://fdncenter.org/learn/useraids/nonprofit.html.Reaching Out

The first thing most people think of when it comes to publicity is spending money

on advertising. My advice to you is: don't! Chances are your group doesn't have

the kind of money you'd need to conduct an effective media campaign on paid

advertising. A little classified ad in a local paper, or even a single spot on radio or

TV is counterproductive, since you can't guarantee you'll reach the right people.

The logistics, money, and volunteer hours passing out flyers is a waste of time

and manpower best spent elsewhere. You can get far more page space or

airtime with some carefully-considered PSAs and press releases.

Many radio/TV stations and newspapers have policies that prevent non-profits

from taking advantage of freebies if they've bought advertising in the past. It's a

good idea to do as much as you can without money first, and then once you've

got your org on a self-supporting basis, maybe considering some paid ads that

don't conflict with the free stuff that you've used and found worthwhile.

Examples of PSAs here:

Writing PSAs

http://www.tcada.state.tx.us/redribbon/redwrite.html

Examples of press releases here:

General form for Press releases

http://www.landrights.org/prleases.htm

When you get confused about which is which, remember you can write a PSA

using only a press release for info, but not a press release from a PSA.

A press release is an announcement of a specific event, such as: "Mad Men

United holds a bake sale and chili cookoff on the 23rd..."

A Public Service Announcement is more general, and not time-sensitive, such

as: "The Arizona Fathers' Rights Organization has helped families through

divorce since 1973. Their monthly meetings provide information and support, and

their website gives resources AZ families can use to help themselves." PSAs are

more for release to radio and TV--they use them to fill in spaces that would

otherwise be dead air.

The thing both PSAs and press releases have in common is that they are both

reports of something happening, somebody doing something. One org is doing a

bake sale; another org holds monthly meetings. Maybe you've heard of the 5

W's. Who, What, When, Where, and Why. All of these should be included. With

non-profit, activist groups, the WHY is the most important thing. This goes back

to what was discussed in the section on Birthing an Org---what are you doing and

why are you doing it? With PSAs, you give the public the opportunity to decide

for themselves--why should I care? It's your job to make them care. There's a

fine line you have to walk here between sincerity, and urgency while not coming

off as hysterical or ranting

If you have someone with experience in radio or TV, and you also have access to

the equipment and personnel to make professional-quality tape, then by all

means utilize what you have and create a couple of good PSAs for radio or TV.

Otherwise, don't attempt it.

Forgive me for repeating here, but do your best to discover the policies of the

various media you intend to contact, as you do with Letters to the Editor, and

follow them. These policies will be more related to how the message is delivered

rather than word count. If they don't accept faxes or e-mail, then don't send that

way. Generally speaking, press releases will go to the news desk, or in cases of

regular meeting announcements, the Community Events dept.

Make sure you've allowed plenty of lead time! Lead time is the amount of time a

medium needs to know ahead of time when you're holding any event. Two weeks

is pretty much standard. That is, two weeks from the time they receive the notice.

With big publications or stations it might be a good idea to use a double-threat

approach: fax, and e-mail. It's considered OK to phone and ask if the message

has arrived. You may also ask, politely, if they've assigned a reporter and ask to

speak to him or her. Try to do this in a way that suggests you're making yourself

available and expect to be cooperative. Make sure you've got your facts and

figures at hand on paper on the outside chance of a telephone interview. If

anyone phones you and you miss the call, be sure to return their call as soon as

possible.

Concentrating all of this on one TV station or newspaper is not going to get the

response you're hoping for; neither is sending only to network headquarters.

Start small, in your local area, but make sure you've covered every single paper

and station there is. Resist the urge to pick and choose. An interview with a

neighborhood or small town paper could land you on their front page; half an

hour on a community college radio station could give you great exposure, as well

as experience for bigger things. Another rule I always keep in mind is: "You never

know who's watching." An aide for that senator you've been trying to get a

response from for months might hear, and maybe 'get' your message. Or maybe

a zillionaire industrialist who understands and would like to help with his

checkbook; you can't know.

Meeting notices can help keep the continuity of your message in the public eye. If

your group meets on a regular basis, don't count on the Community Events

people to renew your message. Send it out once a month or whenever applies,

remembering about the lead-time.

Make yourself a list of local media contacts, including the fax, and e-mail of each

with a name if possible. Make sure your press release goes to the right

department. Do not send to everyone at the paper/station, and do not send group

e-mails. Keep the list for future reference, and keep it updated if people's names

change, or other info changes..You notice I haven't said much about online contacts;

the discussion groups or the forums. That's because online exposure is maybe only a

tenth of what you can do with exposure in the real world. Posting your message on the

groups is mostly only 'preaching to choir.' This is valuable when you've got online buds in

other parts of the country or world to share successes and failures, but not very

effective for getting the word out to the public at large. You can't really count on

what happens to a message once you've sent it out to your entire addy book with

instructions to 'forward to everyone you know.' Chunks of the top and bottom get

lopped off, some guy 25 computers away from yours might decide to add some

commentary and the subtle meaning of your original post is lost.

The only way to guarantee the clarity and integrity of your message is by the

content of your website, which is dealt with in...guess what! The section on

website promo.

Basic strategies for a publicity campaign

We're going to presume this is a temporary campaign devoted to a single event

or effort.

First, you need a clear idea of what it is. Is this a fund-raiser? Is it a lecture or

conference? Is it a demonstration? Make sure everybody involved is on the same

page and is fully informed.

Designate someone to be available to the press. This will be someone who can

speak coherently and confidently, while not preaching or conveying a negative

attitude. This person will be free of unpleasant body odor or bad breath, and will

dress neatly. Fidgeting, playing with glasses, hair, or constant motion such as

gum or pen chewing can blow the most promising interview, even with print

reporters. Don't make them uncomfortable. Probably most important in choosing

this person is their availability. I once worked for an org that had firm policies

about who was allowed to speak to the press. Unfortunately, this worked against

them since their designated spokesman was often out of town and only attended

events sporadically.

Write up a press release and send individually to all on your list, remembering

about lead time. Make sure you have everybody's name spelled right, and all the

important facts. If something occurs on Tuesday, October 30, check your

calendar and verify.

Do not rely on spellcheck! If you can't spell, have your release proofread by

someone who can.

After a few days, verify receipt of your release by phone. Be prepared with all

pertinent info within reach. Watch/ read/ listen to all media that were sent your

PR. If incorrect info appears at any point, immediately phone the medium and

correct..The day before the event, send an e-mail or phone a polite reminder to all media

that have not picked up on the story.

The day of the event, have hard-copy handouts available with background

information. The publicity chairman or designated spokesman needs to be

present from set-up to clean-up. It is his job to keep an eye out for the media,

and as much as possible be the first person they talk to. Keep the press contacts

under control! Too many people speaking to the media leads to conflicting

information, and gives the impression of disorganization and lack of focus.

You're not done yet! ;>)

Afterward, send a nice postcard thanking those media that have mentioned your

story in some way. Anything more looks like bribery, but a card is always

welcome.

Keep some notes as the campaign goes on, to remind yourself of what happened

for the next time, so you can avoid making the same mistakes twice.

More online help: (note--the suggestions made by the groups apply to any

non-profits, you don't need to have their focus to apply them!)

Marketing for non-profits

http://www.museummarketingtips.com/links/links_pr.html

Free Tutorials on Ad writing

http://www.adcopywriting.com/Tutorials_List.htm

Media skills and tactics

http://www.green-room.org/tools.html.The Website

Website promo

Build it and they will come? Not!

You need, at the very minimum, a website. E-mail discussion groups are only

that--discussion groups, and the public has somehow been trained to expect

something more. It need not be fancy, and there are still freebie webhosts

around.

http://www.comparewebhosts.com/

http://www.freewebhost.com/freewebsite.html?goto

http://100best-free-web-space.com/

In fact, from what I've seen, the more basic of websites I've seen come from

groups who have the most active, effective presence in the real world. They're

too busy serving their functions in face-to-face meetings and activism projects to

concern themselves too much with a fancy website.

Some of the freebie hosts, such as Freeservers.com, provide a site editor that

pretty much does the job for you. If you don't have a volunteer in your group with

technical expertise, this could be a way to go, provided you can resist the lure of

the bells and whistles offered. Too much junk on your start page make it (and the

org) look unprofessional. You intention is to convey information, so leave your

animated graphics, MP3s and pictures of your kids/dogs/65Mopar for a different

kind of site, or areas other than the start page. Stick to text and simple graphics,

and work toward having a page that loads in eight seconds or under. I don't

personally go along with the current trend of jamming a lot of info in tiny type on

the first page. A social activism group needs to have special concern that their

information be accessible by anyone, not just those with perfect vision and

lighting-fast connections. When I started this site, I checked to see that my

husband could read it without his glasses.

Also check this site:

Why advocacy sites fail

http://www.democracyproject.org/about_us/citizen.htm

Content

It's a good idea--critical, in fact, to have the front page of your website address

who you are, what you do, and a bit of what you hope to accomplish. Check to

make sure your mission statement or other text is free of spelling and grammar

errors. Remember, most often you'll be introducing yourself to strangers, so

explain any acronyms and avoid jargon if at all possible. Get a friend who is not

involved with your issues to take a look and see if your point's getting across..

Make sure your content is 1) Accurate, and 2) Legal. If you use stats or facts,

refer to the source. If you use written work done by someone else, make sure

you have the right/permission to use it. It's tempting to copy and paste stuff from

somewhere else that looks interesting, but first make sure you have the

permission of the author. It never hurts to ask! Here are some sites that give the

skinny on copyright issues.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

http://www.oreilly.com/oreilly/author/permission/

Avoid using your org's website to promote your home business or favorite MLM.

This clouds the issue, and visitors won't know whether your real purpose is to

promote the cause, or sell them something. A discreet link to your business

website on an inside page is acceptable, but beyond that, don't dilute your

message with other concerns.

Once your website is up and rolling, make sure you or your volunteer in charge of

these things keeps it updated and responds to requests for info. More than once

I've e-mailed an org and never got an answer, or if I did get one, it was weeks or

months later and I'd already located the info I needed elsewhere. Once I e-mailed

a DV shelter in a southern state that claimed to provide help for men. The e-mail

contact they gave for general info was the same as the one on the first page, the

one to use for immediate help. Three weeks and a couple more e-mails later, I

finally gave up and phoned. I was told they only check the e-mail every few

months, because they get so little, and only one person in their office understood

how to do it. Sorry, but that's not the way to run a website. Never promise what

you can't deliver, particularly if you're offering assistance of any kind.

And one more thing--never, ever, publish a page that's "Under Construction!"

Your ideas may change, and those looking for that info you promised them way

back when will be disappointed when it doesn't materialize. They'll think twice

about going to you for info again. What you want is repeat visits, and a good

relationship with your cyberfriends. A little bit of reliable information is worth far

more than lots of empty promises.

Then you begin promoting your site. This is important! It's also a continuing

process. Here are some links for the basics of website promo, that mostly

address the questions of getting on search engines and directories and

improving your standing in the listings. Webmonkey has some basic info,

http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/01/23/index1a.html?tw=e-business

and

Self Promo is updated frequently as conditions change. Believe me, things

change fast in cyberspace!

http://selfpromotion.com/.However! It currently takes months to be listed by

the major search engines, so while you're waiting for that all-important Yahoo

listing, there are other things you can be doing. I read somewhere not long ago

that the average website gets 3 hits a day. Well, you can do far better than that,

even before you get listed by Yahoo.

Trade links with as many related websites as you can. The better-trafficked your

buddies are, the better it reflects on you, as well. Your links are also taken into

consideration when the search engines decide whether to list you.

Get yourself listed by local community directories. Often your city, county

governments, or local newspaper will have a community directory that lists

websites of non-profits/community orgs for free. Also check with colleges and

universities, the chamber of commerce and the cultural council, if there is one in

your area. A hint--check first to see what their criteria are for listing an org before

you apply. Some friends of mine recently helped out a lady get listed by her local

paper, because they required that the site have a certain amount of traffic

(website hits) to prove its viability.

Most of these listings will not require a 501(c)3, because so many groups are not.

Just your statement that you are a non-profit community service org is enough.

Sometimes they want a snail mail addy and phone number, and it's a good idea

to have that info on the site anyway, to assure the public there are, in fact, people

behind it.

Post your meeting announcements and other news about your org on as many of

the online boards and forums as apply. Don't forget the local forums, such as

they have at About.com and other places. Try to be as active as you can on the

forums. I find every time I post a message somewhere, it commonly results in

one to five immediate website hits.

Make sure your signature line for your e-mail reflects that URL. This is especially

helpful when you're posting to unrelated discussion groups.

Fill out those profiles on Yahoo Clubs and About.com forums! This is another

chance to get your website noticed. Add a link to your site on any Yahoo Club to

which you belong.

Don't forget to consider offline promo, as well. If your group or org has stationery

or business cards, make sure that URL is on there. Every piece of paper that

leaves your office relating to the org should have the URL included somewhere.

T-shirts or hats that promote your org could also be a help, especially if you're

doing a demonstration and appear on TV or in the paper. I can't tell you the

number of times I've checked out a site just because I saw it on somebody's t-shirt

when I was in town.

Using your website.Effective e-mail alerts

http://dlis.gseis.ucla.edu/people/pagre/alerts.html

E-mail overload in congress

http://www.congressonlineproject.org/email.html

Advocacy toolkit

http://www.benton.org/Practice/Toolkit/advocacy.html

Internet PR

http://www.spinproject.org/resources/internet_pr/tools.php3#4

Miscellaneous resources

Find almost anything at:

http://www.journalismnet.com/

Journalism resources

http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/journalists.html

Media contacts (Worldwide listings of newspapers, TV and radio stations)

http://newslink.org

Electronic Activist--contacts for legislators

http://www.ifas.org/activist/

The English Language Reference Page

http://www.jindagi.com/ref/

The Lexical freenet--online thesaurus

http://www.lexfn.com/.Effective Letters to the Editor

A lot of people who had never thought of writing a Letter to the Editor of their

local paper are now sending in their commentary. Sometimes we hear the

frustration and even anger from those whose letters are never printed. It is

blamed on everything from the 'liberal media' to the feminists, but many times the

reason a letter doesn't appear is because it doesn't follow the rules. I've compiled

a set of guidelines that may be helpful in getting your work out to the public.

1. Check the paper's policy. If they say there is a limit of 250 words, they

mean it. If they don't allow publication more than once a month, they mean that,

too. Large newspapers such as the New York Times get hundreds of letters a

day, and in print, their space is limited. Some also have policies that only allow e-mail,

or only allow fax.

2. Make sure your letter is free of spelling and grammar errors. Make your

point clear enough that anyone can understand it. Acronyms, such as CPS, or

GAL must be explained. It's OK if you spell out an acronym once and then use

the letters later in the letter.

3. Avoid terms like, 'fembot,' feminazi,' and other terms frequently used by

people of the movement. The general public doesn't understand them, since they

have no meaning on their own. At worst, you may be thought of as not thinking

for yourself and parroting Rush Limbaugh, which pretty much blows your chance

of making a point.

4. Faxed letters have the best chance of publication.at the moment, though

e-mail may win out. Make sure you are sending to the appropriate department,

and never send the same letter to everyone at the paper. This only makes them

mad.

5. If you intend to send the same letter to several publications, do not send

a group e-mail or group fax. Send individually, always. It's actually kind of sneaky

to send to more than one paper, and risky for the author if two papers in the

same market print the same letter. It will most likely guarantee you never get

published again, because print editors are rather jealous of having exclusive

content. ;>)

6. Never insult an editor by saying, "I know you'll never print this,

because..." An experienced editor will not feel he has anything to prove, and

you've just labeled yourself as someone who doesn't understand the purpose of

the Letters to the Editor section. Editors frequently print letters whose ideas they

don't agree with. This is their job.

7. If you write fairly often, make intelligent, clear points on timely issues and

seem convincing, your letters have a much better chance of publication. Even if

the first one or two don't make it for whatever reason, perhaps the third or fourth

(all on slightly different subjects, of course) will.

8. Include your real name, address and phone number with your signature.

I've only had an editor phone me once or twice over 15 years of writing letters,

but this information is an indication of your sincerity, and for all you know it may

be good enough, and interesting enough for the editor to assign a reporter to

write an actual article! (No, a letter to the editor is not considered to be an

article.).When you've got a clear focus on what your group hopes to accomplish, then it's

a good time to begin writing your local, state, and federal governments. Letters

that have a solution included with your statement that you feel something is

wrong pack the biggest punch. With the mail situation as it is now, possibly faxed

letters will replace snail mail as the best to send. This is good news/bad news for

us cash-poor activists! While we save stationery and postage costs, we still pay

for the phone call, since most people have their fax on their computer, and it dials

the number direct.

Some links to free online fax services:

http://www.freefax.com.pk/

http://www.zipfax.com/ (be prepared for music!)

You've got more leeway writing letters to your legislators. You don't need to be

as concerned about length, so go ahead and include whatever facts and figures

you have to back up your statements. They're also not as picky about getting

group communications. But it's better to focus on your local guys first--there's a

better chance of the letter being seriously considered and starting a dialogue for

some serious lawmaking. If your group has a national focus, then get somebody

in each state to keep in touch with their locals. If you're lucky, this person might

be a local phone call away from your senator or congressman's office, which is

always a help.

Before you do any of this, determine whether your issue is a state one or a

federal one. Are the laws that govern your issue state or federal, or even local?

Don't waste your time and theirs by addressing something that is a federal issue

with state politicos, or vice versa..Links for activists

Birthing an Org

Advocacy toolkit

http://www.benton.org/Practice/Toolkit/advocacy.html

Starting a nonprofit

http://fdncenter.org/learn/useraids/nonprofit.html

Reaching Out

Writing PSAs

http://www.tcada.state.tx.us/redribbon/redwrite.html

General form for Press releases