Mobilized twitterers do more than chatting

A few weeks ago I wrote that I was not convinced that twittering text messages via mobile phones and internet of 140 characters would make my communication work easier. I know now that twitterers can be mobilized combining chatting with fund raising. Enjoying the first Twestival in 202 cities with local parties and twittering with each other they helped raise more than US$250,000 for water supply in the developing world in February 2009.

US-based campaigning NGO charity:water has on 11 April started broadcasting live via satellite the drilling of the first Twestival well in Ethiopia. Four daily videos of the drilling are shown on their web site , and they introduce you to the community who got the donations. Amsterdam was one of the cities where the festivals brought together Twitter communities on 12 February 2009, see our electronic Source Newsletter.

Lessons from US presidential TV commercials

The independent video Yes We Can (Web) setting one of Obama’s slogans to music, was a viral video hit, viewed online by more than 20 million people. View it at The Living Room Candidate. This fantastic site contains more than 300 commercials, from every presidential election since 1952, “when Madison Avenue advertising executive Rosser Reeves convinced Dwight Eisenhower that short ads played during such popular TV programs as I Love Lucy would reach more voters than any other form of advertising”.

For high school teachers and students the site has eight lessons. The first one on understanding the language of political ads will make students understand the nature and uses of language in presidential ads, and make them aware of the ways in which this language can be used to influence viewer opinion. I wish I would have had this opportunity at my high school in Schiedam, see the heading of this blog.