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Blogging is so ridiculously popular these days that it's almost yesterday's news. You might even think that if everyone including your old ma and your kid sister has one, then what's the point in starting one yourself?
Well, that's exactly the point. Because there are so many bloggers out there, a blog is a great way to share your ideas and link up with like-minded people around the globe. And for this reason, blogging is a great way to get people fired up and spread the word about campaigns.
First up, some boring stats. Some study somewhere (in fact it was in Georgetown University) said that more than half of all blogs are maintained by 13-19 year olds. Some other study (this one was in The Guardian, we think) said that 31 per cent of 14-21 year olds with home internet access have launched their own website or blog.
That means there are a heck of a lot of people out there scribbling their thoughts and talking to each other.
So, with the prevalence of blogging well and truly established, we can start to explain how the blog can be the best campaigning tool since the, err, placard. First up, you'll need to actually get yourself a blog. There are lots of guides out there on how to set them up, so if you need the nuts and bolts of it you could do worse than start here: the essential checklist for starting a blog, though it might be a bit technical. It really is as easy as pie, anyway, so free sites like www.blogger.com or www.blogsource.com will talk you through the process.
Obviously, it's unlikely (unless you hit upon something truly unique) that your blog will be read by millions, or even thousands, but it can still be a great place to start your campaigning. At the very least, it will help you to formulate your arguments and sharpen your writing skills. If you make sure you plug it to family, friends and campaigner-type contacts - and encourage them to add comments and feedback - it can be the best place to share news, events and other interesting web-snippets.
Your blog will also be a great way to tell people about different campaign actions that might be going on at a particular time, and start debate about the issues behind them. If you publicise your blog in the right ways, you'll be able to hook up with people blogging about similar issues, and start a whole chain of people linking to each other. You could even (self-promotion ahoy) help to spread the word about Generation Why, and put our logo on your site too.
You could use a blog to start your own mini-campaign (for example, the now not-so-mini Starbucks challenge on the City Hippy blog). This could be something like trying to get your local Tesco to stock more Fairtrade stuff, or making your university or school go fairtrade. If you send your blog address to a few of your mates, and get them to send it on, news will soon spread and you'll have some great local activism on your hands.
Blogs are also a great way to send live updates and pictures from campaign events, conferences and stuff. This kind of timely content is a sure-fire way to increase the impact of your blog, and will be a terrific resource for people not able to make it to wherever you are. There are always loads of blogs around big events such as the World Trade Organisation summit, and of course there are our very own wonderful event blogs, such as Chris Rose's Coldplay Tour Blog, or our popular Glastonbury blog.
So if you're feeling inspired, angry or frustrated by the world around you, why not start a blog? It's easy as pie, and you might just make a difference.
Some campaigner blogs we’ve found
Total Tactics
Viva la Revolution
Edd’s Loony Bin
Green LA girl
City Hippy blog
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