Online Politics 101: Resource for Non-profits

In Online Politics 101, Colin Delaney presents a thorough and very readable report on how to use the web to develop an effective political campaign. Much of what he writes can easily be applied to other types of online campaigns, such as a non-profit marketing or advocacy cause. I was especially impressed by the way he integrated descriptions of older Internet tools, such as email, websites, and databases with web 2.0 tools such as social media, blogs, and blogads.
Since I hadn’t previously read it in Ben Rigby’s book, Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web 2.0, I was enlightened by Delaney’s sections on online advertising, customer relationship management, and online promotion. A key point that can be so easy to forget: “The first step in promotion is to be worth promoting – content that is broad and deep will attract readers from every source.” By focusing on having an idea, concept, or some type of information that can be helpful to others, non-profits and political campaigners alike can lay an excellent foundation for promotion and eventually action.