Communication Strategy NEEDED

[MamaNelson]

CROSS POSTED FROM OUTREACH BY REQUEST.

Hello everyone, 

As a supporter of Occupy Chicago, I am always excited to see the numbers of supporters growing. I think the structure of the movement is uniquely beneficial because of the diverse crowd it attracts, the unifying power of the efforts, and the discourse fostered through its "leaderless" revolution. As a communications nerd (and professional), it has been fascinating to observe and participate in. That being said, things are coming to a turning point, and the communication structure of Occupy Chicago is falling woefully short.

I've emailed the info address listed on this site multiple times, with no response. I have attempted to engage via Twitter on multiple occasions, with no reply. I actually saw one person on Twitter questioning whether the movement in Chicago had been shut down because a lack of communication in the Twitter stream. Confusion continues to abound in Chicagoland press regarding what, exactly, we're trying to do.

Who is in charge of Communications? What is the strategy currently in place? Why is no one actively soliciting interview opportunities with the press? Why have there not been widely distributed press releases crafted and sent with every passing day? Why is the site not posting official responses to derogatory or factually incorrect media coverage? Why is there not consistent tweeting coming out of the main account? Why is there no engagement with querying members of the public? 

These inefficiencies not only limit the reach of the movement and its ability to bring others into the fold, but allow for the perpetuation of inaccurate characterizations. 

I am not proposing an abandonment of the egalitarian nature of the movement, but at this point in time, we need someone to function as the "voice" of the movement to streamline communications and better defend it. This would not be a leader, but a bullhorn. Without this, these problems will continue. Thoughts?

[pmdozes]

Agreed again. Really the part that belongs here is all the part about the press and perhaps twitter page. I'd be in favor to grant people authority to respond to the press on the movements behalf with consensus approved talking points and messages. I'm sure the press liaison committee is in charge of that, but perhaps we should do a better job of delegating fielding alias emails.

[MamaNelson]

It would be helpful to have the following:

- A press kit for placement on the website- provides easy information for interested journalists, and gives us better control over messaging.

- A template for press releases. I know some are available on the site, but they need to be distributed to the media more effectively. I recommend a free distribution service called pr-log. Easy to use, big exposure with the right keyword usage. If we have a template, a supporter without a physical presence can be communicating with people on the ground to make sure any events get the public attention deserved. It also helps us more accurately describe our numbers and impact.

- Someone not on the ground dedicated to fielding responses. 

I get that some of these issues pertain to us not having a true base camp, and I also get that we don't want to assign a lot of "power" to one person. This isn't about power, though. It's about facilitating effective communication with the public. Is there someone on the press liasion committee that I could speak with, or is this better suited for a GA discussion?

[Cathy]

I agree with Mama Nelson! I can't make it to LaSalle at 1:30 for the committee GA but I can be there tonight and I'd really like to speak with more people in person for this. I am an (out of work so now I walk dogs) academic scholar and have years of experience lecturing and writing. I'd really like to help in writing responses against criticisms on the web site or helping interested people become involved. 

[MamaNelson]

Cathy- shoot me an email at lkatenelson@gmail.com. Perhaps we can coordinate a join presentation at the GA tonight?

[McCarter]

Where are we with this? Any progress?  Need help?

[Cathy]

I emailed Mama Nelson off list but no response yet. I'd still like to help out with any writing or proofreading you need done. I'm pretty good at that stuff!

[nameredacted]

Journalism student here! If you need help whipping up a press release format, let me know. When I'm not on the ground, I'm constantly linked up to the Internet, so if there's questions to be answered, I'm also your man. 

Also, there's a request I have concerning the selective nature of the photographers that have been on our streets for the last two weeks, so if you can get back to me, I'd appreciate it.

 

elementseven@gmail.com

[dsentses]

Press Rep's should stop saying "we believe" ("we believe in capitalism..."  "we believe in free education...")  No press rep speaks for OC, they speak for themselves.