Date post: | 30-Jun-2015 |
Category: |
Technology |
Upload: | prakash-neupane |
View: | 516 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Cyber Unions, Web 2.0Cyber Unions, Web 2.0and Social Mediaand Social Media
Prakash NeupaneUNICTS
NCELL Employers Trade Union
Dhuikhel
8-9 Dec 2012
Using New Technology to Organise
• Interaction between trade union and new Interaction between trade union and new technologytechnology
• Favour horizontal rather than hierarchal organizingFavour horizontal rather than hierarchal organizing• Started by Walton Pantland Started by Walton Pantland • Other Activists are Stephen and Eduard Other Activists are Stephen and Eduard
CyberUnionsCyberUnions
What is ‘Web 2.0’?What is ‘Web 2.0’?static websites designed by professionals
easy to edit, dynamic, participativeWeb 2.0
Web 1.0
Why is this useful for unions?Why is this useful for unions?Free, easy to use communications tools
Improves communications with reps and members
Gets the union message across to media and the rest of the world
Enhances union democracy by keeping people informed and engaged
Makes the union a more dynamic organisation
Blogs, wikis and websites
Tools
Telecommunications
Microblogging – twitter, identica
Social networks – Facebook, Unionbook, Ning
Countries with low Internet penetration
But first, an interesting trade union campaign
IN 2007, the union UNI-Global held a cyber picket in the virtual reality world, Second Life, against IBM.
Appropriate technology
Cheap or free is goodSimpler solutions are usually better
No point setting up a website for people who have no Internet access
Experiment widely – what works for one group might not work for others
Technology must be appropriate to the needs of the people it serves
Social Networks
A social networking site for trade union activists.
Very useful for sharing ideas with activists in other countries.
www.unionbook.org
The social network that everyone is on – including your boss and your mother.
Useful for keeping in touch, but major privacy concerns.
www.facebook.com
Not really a social network – more for sharing news
Dynamic, real time communication
Great for ‘crowdsourcing ideas
Unique syntax:
‘@’ identifies a user – for instance I am @leischa on twitter
‘#’ makes a term searchable by creating a hashtag – e.g. #unions
‘RT’ means ‘retweet’, or forward a message
My message
‘@’ replies
Most people use an app like Tweetdeck to follow twitter.
Tweetdeck is dynamic, with tweets rolling down the screen like a waterfall – or twitterfall.
You can follow different streams in the different column
#vestas #unions
Some twitter campaigns & hashtagsSome twitter campaigns & hashtags
#vestas
#BAstrike
#Iloveimmigrants
#trafigura
#Nestle
#iranelection
Set up a simple branch website
Wikidot.com
Create a basic website using free tools
Yola.com
Wordpress.com
Blogger.com
Create a custom email address with Google Apps, e.g. [email protected]
Register a custom domain - $10 - $ 15 per year, e.g. www.yourunion.org
Integrate Web 2.0 tools to keep content dynamic
Most sites have tutorials to show you how to do this
Smart Phones
BlackBerry Android
They are getting cheaper…
Allows you to access Web 2.0 anywhere
iPhone
Telecommunications
*Needs a fast Internet connection
Allows you to ‘stream’ live video from a smart phone to the Internet*
Free software you can download to your computer – allows you to make free phone and video calls to any other user in the world.
Telecommunications
VIBER/Tango
Free software you can download to your mobile allows you to make free phone calls to any other user in the world.
Other useful toolsOther useful tools
Easy to use, and allows you to find out exactly what matters to your members
surveymonkey.com
Why not take my online survey, and tell me how you use technology in your union work?
www.surveymonkey.com/s/cyberunions
Used by Unite in recognition campaigns
Easy to use, and allows you to find out exactly what matters to your members
Online Surveys
Other useful toolsOther useful tools
…you can export the links using RSS…
Delicious.com integrates with your browser and allows you to save, tag and share interesting links online…
…and display them on your branch website – along with any other RSS feed.
What about countries with low Internet penetration?
SMS – the Text MessageMobile phones are ubiquitous in developing countriesMobile phones are ubiquitous in developing countries
There are many examples of activists using text messages – for instance to monitor elections
Frontline SMS is a great tool
Frontline SMS is free software that runs on a PC hub and collates information sent by text message.
The PC doesn’t need an Internet connection – it uses ordinary mobile networks to send messages.
Why are so many tools free?Why are so many tools free?Most common business model is ‘freemium’ – basic account for free, paid account with more features
The are lots of free tools for union activists
People who create free and open source software are ideologically committed to making tools freely available
Go out there and experiment!
Free and Open Source SoftwareFree and Open Source Software
LinuxOperating systems
…as well as free software that runs on any system: Open Office, Scribus, Inkscape and thousands more
RecommendationsRecommendations
We should accept that new technologies will create more open, fluid and dynamic union structures. This is a good thing.
Reps should feel free to experiment widely
Unions should train their reps and members to use online tools
Unions and their activists should make a conscious decision to embrace new technology
Warning!
Expect glitches – hardware and software failure is common. Batteries run out, or there is no WiFi or 3G signal.
Incompatibility – there are still no standard file formats
Privacy: there is no such thing as online privacy. If you don’t want people to know, don’t post it!
State and corporate control – we need to defend the freedom of cyberspace
“Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life - Whether you want to or not.”
www.youropenbook.org
What’s next?What’s next?the ‘semantic’ web: knows whoyou are and responds intelligently, showingyou the content you are most interested in
Web 3.0
A.IMachine acting and thinking as a humanFinding the patterns and behaviours - mining
ReferenceReference1. Cyberunions.com2. Slideshare.com/cyberunions3. uniglobalunion.org
Special ThanksWalton Pantland
Glasgow, [email protected]
http://cyberunions.org
Thanks for your timeThanks for your time
Prakash NeupaneExecutive Member, UNICTS
Facebook: nprkshTwitter: @nprkshn