Wednesday, April 7, 2010

It was Facebook what won it

Ever at the forefront of Technology the latest phase of UNISON’s Million Voices campaign has used a range of social media, from YouTube to Twitter. Initial results presented to UNISON’s Campaigns & Recruitment Working Group today suggests Facebook being the most successful having been the biggest single source of referrals to the Million Voices website. Being a bit of a Facebook addict I was surprised because I hadn’t seen one of the adverts, but apparently most referrals came through a farm application which is the sort of thing I block on sight!

I have long argued that UNISON needs to access these media more effectively, and I hope this foray into the modern internet will lead on to more activity.

It seems that there has been a lot of response to this campaign with if I remember rightly over 50 000 extra visits to the Million Voices site in the month after the launch of this phase, which has also led to a significant increase in online joining.

Now I’m not one to think that social media can replace traditional campaigning, the most important part of our Million Voices campaign is going on out in workplaces and communities defending our services from the onslaught to come, but it is an important tool that engages different people in a different way.

How else can be use technology to use political change?