Can Social Media Save a Local Park?: Save Shollenberger Park Case Study
The citizens of Petaluma, Calif, in southern Sonoma County, who organized to fight the construction of an asphalt plant, provide an excellent example for how to use social media to fight a local political cause. For the sake of full disclosure, I support the position of the Save Shollenberger Park committee, which is opposed to locating an asphalt plant on the Petaluma River across from Shollenberger Park. However, the purpose of this post isn't to promote the cause, but to illustrate an effective use of social media.
Why Use Social Media
Before the Internet, building the base for your cause went slowly until you could get mainstream media attention. That is how protests, rallies and other political stunts became popular. Until your cause was picked up by the media, the leg work to promote a political issue was labor intensive and communication was slow. Particularly if you lacked financial resources.
Now the ability to reach a base of like minded people through social media, such as FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube makes organizing fast and inexpensive.
Save Shollenberger Park is taking advantage of three FaceBook tools: Groups, Profiles and Causes. When people with FaceBook profiles join one or more of these, it provides Save Shollenberger Park with an easy way to stay in touch with these individuals. In political organizing, when individuals take an action to express they support your cause, for example signing a petition, they become part of what is referred to as your base. Save Shollenberger Park now has more than 1,400 friends on its FaceBook profile that are part of its base. That's 1,400 people it can send updated information to in a matter of minutes, versus the hours to make phone calls or the expense of mailing, which would have been necessary in the "old days." Here is a screen shot example of message I received via FaceBook.
Save Shollenberger Park has also set up a Ning account. Ning is a social media platform where users create their own social networks — like setting up a private FaceBook.
Because I see my Twitter feed thoughout the day via TweekDeck, Twitter is how I initially get most of my information from the Save Shollenberger Park committee. This was how it reached me directly to make a request.
YouTube
Although people testifying at public hearings aren't the most compelling videos to watch, the viewing statistics show people are watching Save Shollenberger Park's YouTube videos. This is another vehicle for providing information to your base.
Blogging
The hompage of Save Shollenberger Park's website features a blog. This is a fast and easy way to publish the latest news and progress about your cause. You can promote your issue by having influencial supporters blog about why they agree.
A Role Model to Follow
Congratulations to the Save Shollenberger Park committee for pushing the use of online media for local politiclal causes in Sonoma County to a new level. Even if this fight is one environmentalists lose, how the Save Shollenberger Park committee used social media to conduct its campaign is one for the political playbooks.
Posted by Gina Cuclis at 5/11/2009 1:41 PM 
Categories: Technology, Case Studies, Political Communications, Social Media, Political Organizing
Tags: Twitter Social Media Sonoma County YouTube Shollenberger Park Petaluma FaceBook
Categories: Technology, Case Studies, Political Communications, Social Media, Political Organizing
Tags: Twitter Social Media Sonoma County YouTube Shollenberger Park Petaluma FaceBook
Trackbacks
-
10/13/2010 12:39 PM
BLOG.CUCLISPR.COM wrote:
By Gina Cuclis I wrote a case study in May 2009 about how a group of concerned citizens in Petaluma, Calif. calling itself Save Shollenberger Park was using social media to organize its base to fight a proposed asphalt plant adjacent to the park. The group lost a critical vote yesterday when the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve the plant. For more on what occurred at the meeting, read today's article in the Press Democrat. The leaders of Save Shollenberger Park say ...
Great post. There aren't nearly enough cases available that demonstrate how social media can and does work.
Reply to this
Thanks for recognizing the power of the net to raise consciousness about issues and level the economic playing field. Save Shollenberger is another David vs. Goliath scenario money wise.
Reply to this
I believe that social media can help social issues.
Reply to this
I'm skeptical. In some ways social media is like an opiate for the masses - it gives people the illusion of civic power, yet does it make a difference?
Reply to this
President Obama's campaign proved the power of social media. It's become an important tool for organizing your base and keeping them engaged and informed. The Save Shollenberger Park case study I describe here is another example. Social media can also provide information that traditional media may ignore. Read this post for how traditional media reported on the controversy.
Reply to this
Good luck - I hope it makes a difference.
Reply to this
Interesting article. It was amazing to me how the Obama campaign made use of up and coming social media tools. I would go so far as to say it had a lot ot do with the win. It will be really fascinating to see how the next presidential campaigns use these tools, after they have had four years to think about the advantages!
Reply to this
To gain attention for any cause I think you have to combine all of these social media networks and be sure to link them together. The internet has the power to change the world but it isn’t being used to do so anywhere near as much as it could.
Reply to this
It's amazing how far things can stretch in social media. This example is something we cannot ignore, social media is a growing power and not just virtually. Congratulations guys!
Reply to this
I think social networking has huge potential to create movements and change parts of society in ways never possible. This is a great cause and I will be supporting it!
Reply to this