Will the next revolution be tweeted? Yes! But it wont’ stop there. It will also be:
* Blogged 
* Emailed
* Photographed
* Filmed
* Texted
* Organized by phone – just reach out and touch someone.
* Written about in print – remember newspapers?
* And most importantly organized on the ground – good old fashion field organizing.
There’s been a ton of discussion in the blogosphere about Malcom Gladwell’s article “Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted” in the New Yorker.
Gladwell says that effective activism is built on strong personal relationships, and the willingness to take real risks, not "Friends" online who just point and click on an action button to sign a petition.
Anil Dash of Expert Labs responded with his post "Make the Revolution" and said, “The traditional method sit-in and picket-in-the-streets form of protest is clearly a failure online." But he goes on to say Gladwell's lens on the issue is anachronistic. "There are revolutions, actual political and legal revolutions, that are being led online. They're just happening in new ways, and taking subtle forms unrecognizable to those who still want a revolution to look like they did in 1965."
Dash raises great points. Activism is happening in new ways but it's still via multi channels. In an ideal world, the first point of contact a campaign would have with potential supporters would be so incredibly educational, meaningful and personal that these people would immediately become passionate, super activists. But that is not reality. Building a campaign or a revolution requires moving people up the ladder of activism. It requires an engagement strategy across several online and offline channels and it’s best to start with a small and easy action to hook potential supporters.
What’s a good strategy to quickly reach and organize people around an issue? Online petitions! Whether it’s through Care2’s Petition Site or on twitter via Act.ly, online petitions are a good entry point and proven tactic at quickly grabbing potential supporters attention and introducing them to movements. If you do your job right and educate them, this first step will lead to deeper engagement and these supporters will move up the ladder online and offline. Building a revolution does not end with online actions.
Gladwell argues that you need hierarchy in a campaign in order to succeed. That’s true, but it’s also important to empower supporters and let them claim their stake in the movement. If there is one lesson that the web has taught us, it’s that you can’t control people. You also can’t fire your volunteers. So arm them with the information, support and tools they need to help you build the movement. Combined with blogging, field organizing, phone banking, tweeting, Letters to the Editor and earned media, today’s toolbox is what we will need to build our next revolution.
More Resources:
Slacktivism: Why Snopes got it Wrong About Internet Petitions
Why Social Media Is Reinventing Activism - Mashable, Sarah Kessler
Will the revolution be tweeted? Gladwell vs. The Dragonfly Effect - Nonprofit Marketing Blog - Katya Andresen
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