Proposed by Sarah Granger. Currently being merged with Social networks, fulfilling the promise of the net for an all-day workshop/tutorial on Monday, June 1.

Submission type: Tutorial
Title of proposed tutorial: Twittering in the Trenches: Online Campaign Strategies Disected
Proposed time for tutorial: half day
Related URL: http://www.futurecampaigns.com/
Brief description of content
This workshop will review online campaigning strategies and tactics used for campaigns at all levels from 2004-2008, focused on educating the tutorial attendees on how Internet tools like websites, blogs, online video, social networking, and e-mail have been used effectively in campaigns for advocacy, outreach and campaigns. First, the tutorial will review what's been successful in recent campaigns; then we will go step-by-step through the leading tools, learning and discussing how they were used effectively and how they can be used in the future.
About the presenters
Sarah Granger advises and trains organizations on the use of Internet and social media tools to further their outreach, advocacy and campaign goals. She led the launch of what Wired News and political analysts called the “first true weblog to be put up by a politician” while directing Internet strategy and operations for a 2004 presidential exploratory organization. Sarah is also a writer and blogger on topics related to technology, politics and advocacy. Her background in IT and web project management combined with experience working with a wide range of candidates and organizations gives her a unique perspective on the value of an integrated approach to energizing and increasing supporters, volunteers, donors and voters. She is Managing Director of FutureCampaigns, Contributing Editor for techPresident, and a USACM member.
Detailed description
Alternating between presentation, Q&A and discussion, this half day tutorial will delve into the details behind what Internet and social media strategies have been and will be most effective in campaigns for candidates, causes and other advocacy projects. The tutorial will be catered to the audience based on their interests and experience level.

Beginning with the evolution of IT in campaigns, the presentation will review how e-mail, websites, MeetUp and blogs exploded onto the national campaign scene, followed by increased online fundraising and activism, online video sharing and social networking. The tutorial will then go into how campaigns get started online, why it's important to be there in the first place, and which tools to target based on goals and objectives. The tutorial then will outline the importance of building a strong campaign team, budget planning, and volunteer management.

Then the discussion will take on a more specific view of content at the core of online campaigns, why "sticky" is key, and how to best reach out to constituents. E-mail, website, blog and social networking content will be reviewed and core content for all campaigns discussed.

On the technical side, the discussion will go into site design, choosing databases, implementing security, providing a code base, blogging tips, building infrastructure and IT support. Other examples of tech tools for campaigns like free phone conferencing services and mobile phone technologies will also be discussed. Finally, measuring success, reviewing metrics and providing analysis will all be explained, with common mistakes and pitfalls highlighted. Substantial examples will be used throughout, and the tutorial can be sped up or slowed down depending on participant interest and questions along the way.