Do you want want to monitor what are hot issues on social media? RTreporter is a handy data tool doing that. It was developed by a Dutch fund for promoting journalism in The Netherlands. The Dutch Nu.nl site already makes use of this tool.
The tool signals trends on Twitter. Different packages can be ordered that send notifications on high volume use of one ore more keywords.
Big civil society organisations in the Netherlands team up with international companies for campaigns that want to sell more products here and bring money for school latrines in Sudan and clean drinking water in Burkina Faso.
Oxfam Novib has entered a three-year partnership with SCA Hygiene Products. The Swedish multinational finances, among others, several projects on hygiene in South Sudan. The Dutch National UNICEF Committee teamed up with Spa: for every one litre bottle sold until the end of December Spa donates four litre clean drinking water in Sudan, see http://spa.nl/unicefinfo/
In the Netherlands SCA is selling the brands Edet (toilet paper), Libresse (sanitary napkins) and Tork (soap). In the coming three years the company will support several projects of Oxfam Novib’s partner MRDA in the fields of education and hygiene. For every action box sold during the campaign SCA donates an amount to Oxfam Novib. You can also click for toilets in Sudan at http://klikvoorsoedan.edethelpt.nl/.
Every 100,000 click means 3,200 dollars for one school toilet.
December is the month of introspection, a least in the Netherlands. My Dutch Communicatie magazine of this month is no different. “This is a crisis issue”, writes editor Rocco Mooy. The illustration of the economic crisis they use shows boxes “recession: people spend money they don’t have … on things they don’t need”. Continue reading
Using Twitter can be a useful addition in the public communication mix of companies, only if the info of 140 characters is relevant for early adaptors. This is one of the key conclusions I draw from research Laurens Roos reported in the October 2009 issue of the Dutch Communicatie magazine.
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.
“Climate activist in SF in self-immolation PR action stunt to raise awareness about global warming: Do not try this at home! If you want to see this story researched, written, and published, click donate to help fund it!” That is tip 164 from a reader on Spot.us , a non-profit project that is pioneering “community-funded reporting” in California. My Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant had a feature about it today on its media page with the heading “Help, journalism is disappearing.” As I wrote in my earlier blog, I am worried about the future of my newspaper.