[HacktionLab] Research into web resources for activists

[Mike Harris]

 Hi Andy,

Thanks for your email.  Been meaning to respond to it, but am up to my
neck in organising this year's BarnCamp, so it's been hard....

On 30/05/2011 16:50, Andy wrote:
> Hi Everyone
>
> I'm not sure if you have seen this document but I've been asked by
> peace news to conduct a report on the current set of resources
> available to activists on the internet. I have a deadline of the end
> of June so I need to get talking to people ASAP
I had a look at that, looks interesting.
>
> I would like to speak to as many people as possible from different
> projects to do a nice thorough job for them.
Go for it.
>
> Basically they have received funding to set up a set of resources and
> they don't want to be re-inventing the wheel or stepping on anyones
> toes and want to work with people to make this happen.
>
> It could be that they would simply publicise some of the things you
> are already doing, they may bung you some cash for a bit of R&D to add
> bits  to your existing projects. 
Publicity is always good, but to be honest some wonga to support a
project would be really good as well.

Thoughts off the top of my head are that the most applicable to what
you're talking about would be the production of a second edition of our
booklet 'Tech Tools for Activists' (http://hacktivista.net/book).  There
are two things we could do with help here, one is to find a bit of money
to pay someone to do the onerous/honourable task of being the
editor-in-chief of the book, making it move along, not loose focus and
getting it to a deadline.  We didn't have that for the first edition and
I think that it was a sticking point making the project lumber along!  I
also think it would be good to have some funding to print and distribute
it. 

We have other projects on the go, but that's possibly the most outward
looking and appropriate.  But I'm speaking for myself, my own opinions,
off the top of my head, others might have other ideas.

> It could be that they would like a Peace News skin on what you are
> working on anyway. Who knows...
I like Peace News it's okay, not quite my scene really, but I'm not sure
how that would happen.  I guess co-brand, or 'with the support of Peace
News'.  I guess as it's largely voluntary work we're talking about here
to date, then it's more appropriate that it's for ourselves - if that
makes sense.
>
> If you would like to talk to be about what you are doing in the field
> then please do get in touch. I may try and come down to HactionLab but
> I'm working in Yorkshire (on a 23 mile walk) until late on Saturday
> evening and coming down on Saturday night to interview a load of
> hungover people anxious to get home doesn't sound too productive.
> However, if you would like to meet me and arrange a time on the Sunday
> then I will come down. Otherwise we could meet in a chat room or on
> Skype or something.
>
Do come if you can make it Andy.  I'm not sure how a talk would work,
BarnCamp is a public event, and HacktionLab is made up of individuals
volunteering their time, on Sunday they may well be nervous about
committing to more work... again my own personal thoughts on it, not a
statement.
> Your help would be very much appreciated
>
> Andy Godfrey
>
> Some Credentials
> I am a former member of Cornerstone Housing Co-op and a Founding
> member of Footprint Workers Co-op. I think I've been asked to do the
> research as I am a bit technically minded so have a bit of a handle on
> the jargon but am not actually involved in any techi-activism projects.
>
>
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-- 
Mike Harris
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