Shake the Pillars

Just been sorting through notes from the ecampaigning forum 2009 which wrapped up a couple of days back in Oxford - might as well type them out here…

there was even less room during coffee breaks ..

This was my first time back to ecf in two years, so I was interested to see if and how it had evolved in that time.  Good news - the venue was new (to me) but the event is still pretty much the same - an open, casual and yet highly focused opportunity for front-line ecampaigners, agencies, and new media activists to get together to swap notes and experiences on what’s working, what’s not, what’s coming next, what’s already passed..

Some personal observations: The open format sessions felt more comfortable than in previous times,  due for sure to the admirable facilitation work by Sofia B. and her team, and also to the familiarity of many attendees who’ve been here before and know how the ‘unconference’ format works. Everyone got up to speed quickly.  I called together an early session on the topic of  ‘mobiles’, which became an interesting exchange of experiences of ngos using mobiles for campaigning and mobilization but didn’t really generate the kind of collaborative discussion and inspired thinking that happened in some of the later sessions ..  takes some time to warm up the ol’ brain ..

Some other highlights:

Sam Graham-Felsen, chief blogger from the Obama campaign who lifted the curtain to show us some of the machine that created the biggest, most successful online movement in history - including the stunning sum of $500 million raised online (2/3 of the total $750 million raised by the campaign). His session covered engaging grassroots, bulding the message around the people, using online video, and of course heaps and heaps of email (some 2,000 different messages broadcast out over the 18 months of the campaign).  Session following his presentation on making an Obama campaign for Climate Change had trouble finding a solid bridge - i.e. moving from a campaign of Hope for the future to a campaign of Fear for the future, and other difficult chasms to cross, but the encouraging analysis was that the tools and know-how are all there - the main difference is just more effective planning and execution (plus a really big pile of money).

Gene Hashmi from Greenpeace India wh showed off ecampaigning ninja moves that his team have rained down on the Tata Corp - see диваниhttp://www.greenpeace.org/turtles tokeep them reeling - pushing the limit, asking for more, and “begging forgiveness, not permission” generates energy and innovationin mass mobilization, even if it is a losing cause (still waiting to see notes from a followup session on “how to message a losing campaign”.

Tonee Ndungu from Kenya wowwing the audience with his tale of guerilla bluetooth broadcasting and viral networking based on hidden transmitters at bus stops, plus an innovative just-make-it-work model for getting donations and sending money to people in need during the post-election violence in Kenya in early 2008.  This is what the post-desktop/laptop future of ecampaigning looks like.  Best line: “Gene, listen, we can take down Tata in 15 minutes.  Believe me, I know how.”

Breakout session facilitated by Patrick Olszowski on “original ideas in ecampaigning”. Great antidote to my general grumbling about the lack of new ideas - just repeating and refining the old ones. The next wave of ecampaigning innovation may just as likely start with some facebook and twitter-wielding volunteer as with the seasoned and resourced ecampaigner in the head office — we should think more about opening up our planning processes and giving larger, looser frames to our participants/supporters/activists allowing them to bring their own creative ideas into the mix.

Twitter rules:  Legend has it that Rolf Kleef held a session last year to tell 4 other ecampaigners about twitter (the next big thing) and this year the tweets were flying in cloud formation through the sessions/plenaries and meal breaks. The #ecf09 hashtag broke into the top “Trending on Twitter” ranks (until approx 7 am New York time when all the US twitters woke up). Inside the plenary hall, the persistent rattling of fingers tapping ’soft-keys’ made the place feel a bit like a las-vegas casino — or a college lecture hall ;-)   Most useful discovery: Tweetdeck - suddenly it all makes sense!

Final thoughts - the ecampaigning forum is one of the do-not-miss items on my annual agenda - was nice to be back again. It’s one of a very very few places where ecampaigning colleagues within and across organizations have a chance to get away from their never-ending inboxes and to-do lists, and do the necessary networking building and peer-sharing that keeps us all moving forward. Extra ice cream for Duane and everyone else on the ecf team who work so hard to keep it going!