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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
3) The Facebook Action
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
