You know twittivism? Anyone? I dont know too. But twittivism is about Twitter, like you can using petition on Twitter and something like that. But not that only, theres many you can find out, What is Twittivism?
twititions (using Petitions on Twitter)
Twittitions (Using Petitions on Twitter)
Now that you are quickly becoming a power tweeter, what will you do with your influence? Consider some of the following ways to use Twitter’s awesome power to make a difference in your community.
As many of you know, one of the greatest tools we have to hold our public officials accountable is our numbers. When there is a public outcry for or against a given issue, they must listen, if only for fear of losing re-election. But, how do you organize and gather the voices needed to make such a difference? Petitions.
Why petitions? As a Twittivist you know that there is strength in numbers and that the viral nature of Twitter sets the perfect stage. It used to be that we had to travel door-to-door to collect signatures, then we had email chains (which MoveOn used very successfully), now we have twittions. Combining the viral nature of social media, the strength of coalition building, and the sheer determination of a Twittivist like YOU, we are confident to see real changes in political accountability and transparency.
Top reasons to start a petition:
• Provides outreach into the community, drawing people together who have similar grievances
• It measures your affect on the community – the more signatures, the more impact you will have on your elected official.
• Create contacts and meet people who will be a continued support for your cause. This online petition can branch out to a phone tree that floods your government’s switchboard.
Act.ly
The team at Act.ly has done a great job bringing the power of petitions to your keyboard, combining a sleek design with great functionality. Designed specifically for Twitter, this petition builder holds many convenient features to help your cause go viral.
Simply login with your Twitter account information and build your cause. Once you have your petition built, you can then post to your Twitter followers, Facebook page, and popular content sharing sites, Digg, StumbleUpon, and Reddit. In addition to these clever functions, Act.ly provides an embeddable code so you can place the petition on your blog or website.
What makes a Twitter petition so unique is that each tweet is seen as a signature. Every new tweet will be catalogued and a display will show recent signers and comments. Each signature (or tweet) is then pushed into that person’s social sphere and the potential for more signatures goes up incrementally. So, you can see how this is a wonderful way to make a big impact quickly.
To take things to another level, Act.ly even allows you to target your petition at a specific Twitter account. Act.ly then tracks how long it takes for the account to respond. So, for example, if you’re targeting your petition at your local congressman, you can have Act.ly directly tweet the petition to @congressman. Truly a tool for the savviest Twittivist.
twibbons
Twibbon is a different kind of petition site. Rather than just getting people to tweet their support, Twibbon asks them to do more – wear it. After uploading an image to Twibbon’s website and writing a brief description of your cause, you are ready to go. Simply begin asking people to visit your cause on Twibbon and by showing their support Twibbon will automatically overlay your image on their avatar. Be sure to keep your image small and in one of the corners. Nobody will want to support a cause that covers their entire avatar.
If all this sounds a little funny, consider this: a recent Twibbon a recent Twibbon campaign, encouraging the death of IE6, recently took off and and has now attracted over 9,000 supporters.
twitmic
During the American Revolution, stirring speeches played a critical role in rallying citizens to stand for liberty. A commanding voice has always been an efficient tool in activism and with the advent of the TweetMic, you too can empower your followers with powerful stump speeches.
TweetMic is an iPhone application that turns your phone into a microphone. You can record high-quality audio sound bites and broadcast them into the Twitosphere. Often referred to as tweetcasts, recording these small audio captures is extremely easy to do with TweetMic’s simple interface.
Simply download and open the application on your iPhone. It will look like this:
Once you are ready, simply click on the big, red, “record” button and begin talking. Once you are satisfied with your mighty call-to-action click “publish” and it is off to your Twitter account. If you want to overwrite a tweetcast you’ve just recorded, simply hit record again.
Your audio files can be as long as you want (but, it is important to keep them relatively short, as the loading process and your iPhone’s memory do have limitations) Your tweetcast will be hosted on TweetMic’s servers, where you can manage them at your convenience. The iPhone application also comes with some nice management tools.
While the application does cost $.99, the price is an absolute steal for what you are getting. If you have followed the steps above and become a power tweeter, you potentially have the ability to now speak directly to thousands of people. You simply can’t put a price on that ability.
twitwoop
For those of you who may have not rushed out and purchased your iPhone just yet, check out Twitoop.com. Twitwoops are voice messages that are posted directly onto your profile, like a regular tweet, from any phone. So if you are on the go and want to update your followers about what you are doing: call in and leave a twitwoop.
To use twitwoop you will need to register your phone at twitwoop.com. After registration you can instantly use twitwoop with your registered phone and send voice messages up to 140 seconds long. You can register up to two phones and the service costs nothing. Standard calling rates do apply, but the ability to reach your followers with a powerful quote, TV clip, or song will go a long way in diversifying your tweet portfolio and help take your Twittivism to the next level.
twitcam
Now that you have a consistently active following, you may want to get everyone together and host a meeting online? Well, we have something for that. TwitCam, a recent entry into the Twitter-video market offers a great way to host your own video chat room where guests can log in via their Twitter accounts and interact with you while you are addressing them through a webcam.
To get started, visit TwitCam.com and sign in. Use the well managed drop-down menu to set up your video and audio preferences. Once you have your webcam connected, simply select “broadcast and tweet.” You are now Live.
One of the great things about TwitCam is that it provides you with a unique URL that you can pass to only those you feel comfortable “meeting” with. This also helps to advertise the event via blog posts and email. The site remains “offline” until you are ready to go live. Once you begin broadcasting, TweetCam will aggregate related Twitter posts into a convenient box next to the screen, this allows you to interact in a Q and A fashion with your members.
One aspect of video meet-ups like this is that it provides a personal way to connect with other Twittivists, while keeping it comfortable for them (they don’t have to be on video). But, with that said, remember that everything you do WILL be shown to them, so prepare what you will say.
TwitCam also comes with the ability to playback your broadcast to others that may not have been unable to attend.
organizing a tweetup
So the time has come to actually meet in person. Congratulations, you are an effective Twittivist. Here are some tips on planning your first tweetup.
Twitter meetups, or Tweetups as they’re commonly called, are the ultimate display of your Twittivism. If you have orchestrated an act of citizen advocacy in your community, you should be proud.
Why? Because you can now solidify those online relationships, meet new contacts to enhance awareness for your cause, and make a difference.
Here are some things to keep in mind when organizing a tweetup:
Utilize your Twitter network as a way to drum up support, and ideas. The number of PR and marketing people on Twitter now is astounding. Use their collective wisdom and networks to create buzz and support for your event.
Pick a comfortable and central venue with WiFi. Avoid asking people to come to your house or a lesser know dive bar. The goal is to attract as many people as possible. Consider a venue centrally located and public enough that the attendees won’t feel uncomfortable. It is extremely important that you make it known there will be free WiFi provided. Remember, this is a Twitter meet up and people are going to want to share their experience with their followers.
Plan for more people to show up than you think. It’s Twitter. These people do know how to spread the word better than anyone. Consider that your message, if well crafted, will spread quickly. You not receive a huge response on Twitter, but the online tool is only an extension of the relationships we all have in the real world. You might be surprised at how many show up and you should plan accordingly.
Schedule some power tweeters to appear. This may be one of the most important aspects to a successful Twittivist tweetup. Try to secure some other, well-known, power tweeters to speak at your event. Drawing on the collective wisdom and popularity of the veteran tweeters is a smart and powerful move to ensure your cause is well supported. Don’t forget 1999. I know it has been a while since we have thought about email chains and phone banks as modern media, but consider returning to these mediums to help spread the word. Remember, your Twittivism may start on Twitter, but change happens in the real world. Try tapping into your email and cell phone address books to increase awareness. If nothing else, you might get a few guilty friends to show up.
Use a third party service. Seriously consider using a service like Eventbrite to organize attendees, possibly collect donations, and mange shareable content. Eventbrite is a favorite among American Majority and our allies. But, if you are expecting smaller numbers, you might prefer to use Facebook. Facebook is an excellent way to manage a small event. Remember to use this opportunity to really showcase your talents. Show up early, provide food and refreshments, and network, network, network. Tweetups should only be the beginning to your Twittivism, grab business cards and remember to send “thank you” tweets to everyone who attended.
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