Posted: Friday, 13 May 2011

Delegates to the CLC convention in Vancouver participated in an informative presentation on social networking by Juliette Powell, author, digital media consultant and co-founder of The Gathering Think Tank. She encouraged delegates who are not yet using social media to seize the opportunity.“You are not in the union business, you are in the community-building business,” Powell said. “People live with Facebook and Twitter in the palms of their hands. You have to reach out to them. ”

She said the fear of change is not a good enough excuse to avoid social networking, which adds value when organizing workers. Statistics show that more than 500 million people use Facebook. The key to success lies in the calls to actions, Powell said, but she cautioned that success must be measured and strategic. “It’s not just a campaign, it’s ongoing dialogue about co-creating our future.”

Delegates at the session shared their own stories, and one stressed the importance of using social networking to enhance and not to replace on-the-ground organizing. “The caveat,” concluded Powell, “is that solidarity is there, beyond borders, beyond geopraphy, beyond specific unions. It’s all about the power of the people”