Reach Out for KenyaUsing social networks to promote online and offline activism

April 30, 2008

Web actions on www.amnesty.org

Letter writing/petitions

Traditional methods withlimited impact

Connection between online and offline activism

Disputed election result on 29 December 2007

1,000 killed in post-election violence

Over 300,000 people forced to flee their homes

Human rights abuses across the country

Crisis in Kenya

Reach Out for Kenya: 27 February 2008A multi-component web action

Why Facebook?

Broad international reach Show worldwide public outcry Possibilities for offline events and self-organising Place for Kenyan diaspora to add voice Quick and easy to use – two-week deadline 3rd most visited site in Kenya

Our target audience

Kenyan diaspora Influential Kenyans Kenyan activists Kenyan leaders (via AI website) Amnesty International supporters (via AI website) New audiences

1) The Letter

2) The Flickr Page

Facebook

3) The Facebook Action

Facebook

4) The Offline Event

THERESULTS

Broad reach, quick mobilization

6,000 group members in two weeks

Space for activists and supporters to post linksand share information

600 confirmed eventattendees

Large proportion of non-Amnesty Internationalmembers

Profile picture and status

Offline results

Worldwide media coverage

Offline results – demonstrations in 11 countries

•Australia•Burkina Faso•Côte d’Ivoire•Canada•Germany•Mali•Mexico•Netherlands•UK•Uganda•Uruguay•USA

Facebook – Successes

Instant community

Connected with new audiences

Quick mobilization of people to protest/campaign

Increase in traffic to AI website (15% referred from Facebook)

Lessons Learned

Idea to change profile picture/status worked well

Only possible to send messages to 1,000 group members at a time, no limit on events/causes

Superficial level of engagement – a quarter of online activists never act offline

Regular updates keep a group alive

Facebook - Limitations and Dangers

Under 10% of Kenyans have internet access (although most Kenyan activists do)

Proliferation of similar groups/causes

Privacy – impossible to protect group members

Facebook’s confidentiality has not been tested

Kenya – 28 February 2008

The Future

Build network ofSomalian activists and human rights journalists

AI applications - linking to website

Riga Pride Event, 31 May (pictured)

Reach Out for KenyaUsing social networks to promote online and offline activism

April 30, 2008