Archive for June, 2007

Today’s interview guest has been active participant in the Craigslist ecology and environment board since 2002, weighing in under the nom de plume ‘the_real_yaki. Craigslist is best known as the dominant provider of online classified ads, but the service also offers a robust collection of bulletin boards on a variety of topics that enhance the loyalty of site users.

Although he asked that I not reveal his real name, he made time to explain why he makes so much time or this activity and what he enjoys about it. Our conversation is an enlightening listen for nature protection and pollution control experts that are seeking to familiarize themselves with what makes online communities tick.

“The thing about the Craigslist forum is that there can be anything, people post about all kinds of topics there,” the_real_yaki says.

Although it’s the different perspectives that hold his interest, the_real_yaki also describes the ecology and environment board as a kind of conversational wild west, where information seekers, provocateurs, experts, and the uninformed cross paths via typed missives, while a large number of silent observers take it all in.

I’ve always seen my angle on the Craigslist eco-forum as someone who can provide information and not trying to convince anyone of anything,” he says.

Download or listen to the full interview: click here

To ask the_real_yaki a question, leave a comment below

“Anybody can do even just a little thing to make a difference,” that’s how today’s interview guest, Ginny C., describes her involvement in the left-leaning online community Care2.com. But Ginny’s too modest. She has as much clout as a beat reporter at a small town newspaper. Here’s how she and others like her cultivated that influence.

“I’m basically a newshound, I enjoy finding out what’s going on the world,” she says.

Ginny C. has developed an elaborate system of newsfeeds and alerts to collect articles, blog posts, and viral videos about the environment, animals, and other causes. The ones she likes, she submits to Care2’s News Network, highlighting them to a large network of friends, acquaintances, and other Care2 users that share her passions.

What’s the appeal? It’s discussion that follows.

“Some of the stories have generated pages of comments by other readers, and it becomes a complete open forum for discussing what’s going on,” she says. “News to me is something that helps you stop and think and react, whether it’s an emotional reaction or a physical reaction.”

Another key to her enduring loyalty is relationships. “You don’t necessarily know these people face to face, but we still get to know each other and we get to know each other quite well.”

Ginny has a message for environmental groups: Join the party if you haven’t already.

“Care2 really has a group of people who will work hard, one way or another, to get the information out,”she says. We’ll help as much as possible with the things that they do.

Download or listen to the full interview: click here

To ask Ginny C. a question, leave a comment below

The Gulf Restoration Network is going after some irresponsible corporations with a hard-hitting animated video, accusing them of putting profits before the well-being of people living in hurricane alley along the Gulf of Mexico. This strong piece has generated quite a bit of buzz around the web, so I’m betting it’s caught the attention of the folks at Corporate Low Down Depot Mart.

There are two things that I like very much about this piece:

• The video starts strong with an unflinching focus on corporations. This word reminds viewers that “Corporate Low Down Depot Mart” is accountable to shareholders, not the communities where they do business.
• The video closes strong with a clear call to action: The video tells viewers that they can make a difference about this situation, and it tells them precisely what they can do. Bonus points for offering both a consumer action (don’t buy cypress mulch) and a civic action (write the corporations and tell them to stop selling this stuff).

Two thoughts on words that would have helped the middle part punch as hard as the opener and closer.

• The word “wildlife” is stronger than the word “endangered species” in this context. The word “endangered species” is polarizing: your supporters love you more, but your adversaries hate and fear you more. The word “wildlife” is unifying. You earn a wider sympathy with it, and this piece aims wide.
• The video makes the case that cutting down the cypress forests threatens the safety of people living along the coast. I wish they had used the word “safe.” I also wish they made this point first, before the point about wildlife.

Go get ‘em, Gulf Restoration Network.

We have shown through the actions that we have taken to date that we can have an impact and there’s that sense of optimism about being able to do things in the future, says Glenn McAnanama, today’s interview guest. Glenn has cultivated a thriving community group called Upper Greenside in New York City in just two years, using two simple tools: a blog and a Meetup.com group. Let’s find out how he did it.

At first glance, Manhattan’s Upper East Side might seem like an odd place to find an environmental online community leader, but Glenn and his group call it home and see it differently. Upper Greenside first coalesced around an effort to find a location for green market where neighborhood residents could buy fresh, organic produce. After chalking up this first success, the group has broadened its agenda to facilitating alternate transportation, improving recycling, energy efficiency, and other local issues.

The group meets and seeks petition signatures face-to-face, but organizes its efforts and recruits new members almost entirely online using Meetup.com and email.

I’m sure there are people we haven’t reached because they’re just not part of the digital community in the same way that others are, Glenn says. But at the same time, I’m not sure who they are.

Glenn reports that Upper Greenside members generally found out about the group online, or by word-of-mouth from somebody who first found out about it online. Glenn reports that this online organizing has led to face-to-face meetings and results.

Based on the emails that I wrote, I got invited to meet my local city council person, he says. That was really the first interaction I had with local government.

The first, perhaps, but not the last. Glenn now sees email as something to open the door for a phone call, which leads to an in-person meeting and the opportunity to get things done.

We need to make the new media work for us so that we can achieve our ends when we’re in live face-to-face meetings and build those relationships. So that later they know us when we’re emailing them, he says.

As with the other online community leaders profiled in this series, Glenn puts time into this effort 5 to 10 hours per week, he says. But by using online organizing tools with skill and commitment, Glenn and his peers make it look like they’re a team of pros working 50 hour weeks.

Download or listen to the full interview: click here

To ask Glenn a question, leave a comment below