Here are some of our suggestions on how to spread the word about your Take Back The Tech! campaign. Share your ideas or knowledge to continue building this communications resource.

Basic guidelines:

1. Creative action - The more creative and different you are, the more likely that people will pay attention.
2. Timely response - If your campaign coincides with a key event that is taking place, you can build on the wave of already existing public interest.
3. Know your audience - Think about who you'd need to communicate with to effect change, and what media channel they go to.
4. Clear message - Keep your campaign call clear, consistent and simple. Use the same logo, and maintain the few key points of your argument.
5. Build networks - Partner with your friends, allies and community to disseminate your campaign calls to their networks.

Print & Broadcast Media:

• Create a "media list", which is basically a list of media channels. If possible, include names and contact details of editors or reporters who might be interested in covering this issue. Don't forget the "technology" desk.
• Send them your campaign media advisory 1-2 weeks before the campaign. This gives them time to consider covering it during editorial meetings.
• Media advisories should clearly answer the why, who, what, when and how of your Take Back The Tech! campaign.
• If you know specific reporters in the media, get in touch with them personally to let them know about your campaign.
• Try to organise for an interview or feature. Think of what is newsworthy about your campaign. (e.g. important people, current issues, number of people etc.)
• You can refer to "How to talk about your Take Back The Tech! campaign" for some ideas.
• If your campaign is an event, follow up with a phone call to the media 2-3 days before your campaign to remind them about it.
• Identify a few people in your team who will be the "media spokesperson", and prepare your key message.
• Send our a press release on the day of your campaign. Include as many campaign materials as possible, such fact sheets, your campaign logo, pictures etc.

Online and social networking media:

One of the most powerful aspects of the internet is its ability to pass on a message to many people and start conversations across great distances very quickly and at relatively low costs. During the 16 days, populate the internet with the campaign message. Call on every user to take control of technology to end violence against women!

Campaign banner

• Show support to the campaign by putting up the Take Back The Tech! campaign banner.
• Just copy and paste the campaign banner codes onto your website.
• All banners can be found here: http://www.takebackthetech.net/organise/visuals-multimedia
• Twitter
• Twitter is a service that lets you publish short text entries online, like SMS.
• Tweet about statistics, stories, quotes, your action, thoughts and facts related to violence against women and ICT, and use the campaign hashtag: #takebackthetech.
• You can pull together and publish everyone's tweets on Take Back The Tech by adding a Twitter widget to your website.
• Ask people who follow your tweets to retweet your #takebackthetech posts
• Find out more about Twitter from our previous campaign's daily action.

Send a digital campaign postcard

• Send a Take Back The Tech! digital postcard and include a message about your action.
• You can also create your own to send it on. Create an account on the campaign website to upload your digital postcard.

Change your usual online message

• Post up messages about your action and Take Back The Tech! as your status message in your social networking accounts such as Facebook, or in your online chat service, such as Yahoo!
• Put it as your email signature.
• Change your screensaver to facts and figures about violence against women, and add the campaign website address.

Use your mobile phone

• Send 10 SMS message out about your action and ask your contacts to send it to another 10 and keep it going
• If your organisation has a large membership and you would like to communicate with them through mobile phones, you can also use Frontline SMS. It's a free and open-source programme that makes it easier for you to send SMS messages to a large number of people.
• You can also change your mobile phone ringing tone to the Take Back The Tech! tune during the campaign period. Use this to start a conversation about your campaign.

Join our Facebook group, or start one

• Join Take Back The Tech! in Facebook. Facebook is a popular social networking site with millions of people connected through it. If you have an account, support the Take Back The Tech! "cause".
• Use the "cause" page to let supporters know about your action, how they can take part or ask them to invite more supporters.
• You can also start a Take Back The Tech! local group that is specific to your campaign. Once you've started the group, invite as many members as you can, and ask them to invite their contacts to become members. This way, you can keep growing the campaign.
• Connect what's on Facebook with activities that you are organising. Post up pictures of campaign activities, daily actions that members can take part in, facts and figures and feature it on your Facebook profile during the campaign period for more visibility.

The key to social networking and online spaces is communication and dialogue. As far as you can, create opportunities where people can take action and speak back. For example, invite bloggers to write about the campaign, and comment on their post. Keep the conversation growing!

Physical space

There are many ways you can spread the word through the spaces that you occupy in day-to-day life.  Here are some initial ideas to help you get started:

Stickers

• Save, adapt and print Take Back The Tech! stickers.
• Create your own and share them with other campaigners by emailing it to the Take Back The Tech! mailing list, or uploading it on the campaign website.
• Stick them on your laptop, bicycle, drink tumblers, pencil case and anything else you like :)

Stencils

• We've created some stencil designs as part of the 2007 campaign. You can find out how and download designs on the action page.
• Stencil your t-shirts, and use your bodies to make a stand.
• Or you can stencil them onto pieces of paper, add your campaign URL and a call to action, and leave them in public places to be read and passed on. This was also one of the daily actions for the 2007 campaign, that you can read more about.

Chalk

Chalks can be powerful mediums to pass on the message. Populate sidewalks with Take Back The Tech!, or questions about violence against women, and provoke questions and reflections. Don't forget to connect offline with online, and add the campaign website address.

If you have more creative ideas and thoughts on how to spread the word, share them with other Take Back The Tech! campaigners. Email us, add a comment on the website, or post a message to the campaign mailing list.

Happy campaigning!