From Our Brains to Yours
Bigger and Better Thinking About Success Online
In recent weeks, EchoDitto’s Michael Silberman and Biro Creative’s Tim Walker teamed up to produce the Web Thinking Manifesto: 10 proclamations to help move the story of how non-profits should approach their online work to change the world. They posit that the story of growing movements online has for too long been simply about investing in technology and technological expertise. The barriers to entry are low enough and expertise widespread enough that we need a new story to guide how we’ll succeed using the opportunities presented in our wired, connected world.
The thrust of the proclamations is this: it’s time to move past counting clicks and obsessing about list size. The number of fans you have or Twitter followers you’ve amassed isn’t the important thing. The important thing is whether the work you’re doing is making the change in the world your organization exists to make. The manifesto urges some shifts in thinking that are bound to be controversial.
We’ve endorsed the Web Thinking Manifesto, and hope you’ll read the whole thing: http://bit.ly/d5Nxxc. It’s caused a bit of a stir in our sector. We’ve been pondering on it quite a bit and have landed on our favorite proclamations, those we’re a bit skeptical of, and humbly offer up an 11th proclamation:
We love these proclamations:
Proclamation 2: We Will Engage Web Thinkers in Leadership
We will make it mandatory for the people in charge of Internet and digital strategies to be in senior staff meetings – and be sure they serve at the highest level of the organization. Planning a new campaign or initiative without “new media” at the table is as foolish as holding that same meeting without Communications or Membership Directors.
Yes yes yes! Even better…Communications and Membership should include online thinkers as leaders, since online tactics are carrying ever more of the water in those departments.
Proclamation 3: We Will Engage Everyone in Web Thinking
We will understand the difference between IT and the Internet and ensure all staff share responsibility for leveraging the web in their daily work. Not everyone will understand the latest tools and tricks, but collectively, we will appreciate the web’s value and the critical role it plays in the lives of our audiences.
We’re well past the era where anyone should ever confuse the roles of the people who make sure our computers work (bless you, IT team!) and the people who communicate, recruit, fundraise and more using computers to connect to the world.
Proclamation 10: We Will Be Nimble
We will move at the speed of the Internet – and the instantaneous news cycle. We will set up structures that eschew bureaucracy and allow us to move both quickly and strategically. Organizations that are positioned to respond rapidly are rewarded. We will redefine what it means to be proactive on issues. We will create and distribute news directly and we will hijack, adapt, and redirect the traditional news cycle to fit our campaigns and issues.
Again, yes yes yes. The behemoths who need 2 hour senior staff meetings and three weeks to make small adjustments to message and audience will be left in the dust. Nimble and quick are the quintessential keys to success these days, for better and for worse.
We’re unconvinced about these:
Proclamation 1: We Will Position Ourselves as Movement Leaders
We will be more concerned with our cause, our broader mission in the world than with building a brand or institution. And we will reflect this reality in all of our work. We seek to work across traditional boundaries of race, class, gender identification and religion to build alliances that truly represent the people impacted by our issues. We can’t be afraid to talk about other efforts in our space, to link generously and be genuinely proud of the successes of our friends and allies. Their success drives our success and drives the change that makes our existence worthwhile.
We’re skeptical because we think brands and institutions do matter in this increasingly fragmented world. It’s harder than ever to tell real grassroots from astroturf, advocacy from advertising, and genuine voices from those generated by “social media experts.” We love the emphasis on coordination, cooperation, and sharing credit and successes… we’re just not sure developing well-respected brands and institutions don’t play an important role in all that generosity.
Proclamation 4: We Will Hire Digital Natives
We will embrace millennials because we understand the difference between learning about technology and growing up digital – between speaking Internet as a foreign language and speaking web natively. Internet culture is radically changing the way people engage not only with one other but also with organizations. Transparency, collaboration, and open dialog – millennials can show us how to develop these cultural norms and values. We will listen and learn with them.
Pluralities if not majorities of the people who do the most work for many organizations and causes, particularly those that have been around for more than a decade or two, are older than millenials and approach online tools for engaging causes and making a difference in the world much differently than digital natives. Yes, we need millenials. But we also need people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and even older (gasp!) to help bridge digital divides and gaps in how people of different generations, access, and comfort levels with technology want to connect and plug in.
We hope Michael and Tim add this:
We Will Remember That It’s Not About The Campaign
We will not obsess solely about clickthrough and sizes of lists (in house and dispersed) and will not celebrate just tactical victories. We will obsess about power maps and strategic intelligence, not just application of the newest-best-most-visible-everyone’s-dong-it-latest apps. We will keep our eye on the ball and evaluate openly and honestly whether our tactics are connected to real life change.
What do you think? Weigh in on the conversation here http://bit.ly/d5Nxxc or in the comments.