As you know, having a website is the most helpful thing in a campaign, it’s the place where everyone can stay up-to-date. There are lots of places where you can host your website, and a while ago I made some extensive research about the cheapest and best places to host your blog/website. You can read the full article here This article doesn’t contain every host there is, it only contains the best hosts in my point of view and according to the reviews I read about them and my experience.

Having a network, organization or even one campaign might be very costly, that’s why you should consider doing some research, to find cheap stuff, and doing more research to see what people are saying about the service provider!

Good Luck and Keep up the good work!

Blogs were one of the most important softwares that started the idea of “Web 2.0″, the new era of communication and sharing of information. Some people started using blogs to share their thoughts and ideas, others use it for sharing information with the world, hence why they are also referred to as “citizen journalists.” Nowadays, people are using blogs to raise awareness of the issues that effect us all. It’s a powerful tool for global awareness.

Since then, blogging started to get more and more popular and developers started to make more developments to make a blog more of a multi-media sharing utility, that’s when vlogs were introduced.

Vlog stands for Video Blog, which is one of the more effective type of blogging, why? Well… think of it this way, what do you prefer, reading the newspaper, listening to the radio or watching the TV? Honestly, I prefer watching TV, because it brings you everything in motion with voice! You can see and heard everything that’s happening; emotions, views, people…etc.

Anyway, that’s a long introduction as it is, let’s get to the point: What do I need to get my own vlog? The answer is, almost nothing exept for a computer and a camera, you can use a webcam if you want a personal vlog, in your own room, or to record outdoors. You can use your cell phone if it has a built-in camera, but it’s better to have a digital camera for video quality.

All you have to do is get your camera, start recording what you want to put on your vlog, and if it’s not good enough or you want to add some effects and cut some of the parts out, you could use a video editor, such as “Windows Movie Maker” that comes with Windows XP and newer versions. Or you can search for some video editing software on the internet, you’ll find some good and free editors out there, here’s a list of some on Download.com

Well now after you got your video all you have to do is find a place to host it. You can host your videos on one of the Video-sharing sites such as Youtube, Google Videos, Metacafe, Lulu TV, the new Arabic website called Ikbis.com, or any of the many other choices available. The upside to this way is that you host your videos on a community website where people that don’t know you or your website can watch your videos, and you get your own “Channel” or Album, where people can watch all your videos.

After that, if you want, you can have a normal blog, either hosted free on one of the blog-hosting services, such as Blogger, or Wordpress, or you can get a hosting plan where you install a blogging software, so you could add comments, or make the video part of an article you are writing.

Blogging, Podcasting and Vlogging have changed the way that people get information, and it’s a new way where everyone can say whatever they want.

[For the Arabic version of this, please click here.]

Here is what you can do online as soon as you confirm the basic facts regarding an imprisoned blogger or journalist:

Step 1:
If the blogger is from the Middle East or North Africa, The Alliance for Essential Liberties in the Middle East made it incredibly easy for you to take action. (Note: The website is currently in English in order to increase awareness on a global scale. Effective action can take place only if the action is being supported worldwide. English as the global language makes it very easy for people to access information and to report it in worldwide media outlets. It increases your readership significantly.)- Visit the website and register:

Once you created your account, click on ‘create content’:

- Create a profile of the blogger or journalist:

- Read through (and follow!) the submission guidelines. After that, scroll down and begin writing the profile. Be sure to specify the country in order for the profile to appear in the right category:

While writing your profile, here are some questions to answer:

Who is this blogger or journalist? (Name, age, location, occupation, keep it very general.)

When was he/she arrested and why? (Confirm the exact facts before reporting it.)

What did this blogger or journalist write about? (If the posts are in Arabic, provide a brief summary of their posts in English, or the general theme behind the blog and the types of articles written.)

Why is it important to take action against the imprisonment of said blogger/journalist? (Convince your readers to take action by emphasizing the fact that freedom of speech is an essential aspect of human rights, and that we must always support it, even if we disagree with the opinions expressed by the victim.)

Media laws: Did the government of the country in question promise rights to free speech? (Use communication laws to your advantage, did the country sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? What does the constitution say about freedom of expression?)

There is a already a list of contacts which you can use depending on the location and purpose of the jailed blogger/journalist. Be sure to be very specific; find the correct contact information and send this to the most influential members (or the people involved in the decision making process, such as ambassadors, foreign ministers, etc.) See a sample list here:

Q. “How do I create contacts?”

A: The same way you create profiles. Once you click on create ‘contact,’ you have the option of plugging in a telephone number, a fax #, a postal address, an e-mail address, and any additional information. Please be sure to plug in the contact’s full name and occupation, as shown above in the sample. You also have the option of specifying your recipients:

Bonus points: Create a banner to include in your profile, so that in the end, you add the fact that you are in dire need of immediate support. Examples:

[Since the default version of PhotoShop does not accept Arabic text, the Adobe software is available in many languages, including Arabic. Click here for installation, and click here for a list of free Arabic fonts.]The results could be like this:

Step 2:

Create a website or a blog compiling a list of information and media coverage regarding said blogger/journalist.Here are some free blog sites that you can use for free:Blogger
WordPressHowever, it is strongly encouraged for you to get a domain (ex: FreeThisBlogger.org) in order to make the campaign more official (and easily accessed.) If you don’t have a credit card and want to start a temporary campaign site at first, skip to step 3.

Here are some recommended domain sites, where you can buy a .org domain for less than $10:

Go Daddy

Q. “How do I do this?”

A. Look for this feature in any domain service website, and seek your wanted domain:

Proceed to your shopping cart by clicking “Go!”Follow the information, plug in your credit card number, and buy the domain. Within a few hours, check your e-mail. Follow the information about how to manage this domain in order to make it accessible. You can apply a domain name with free hosting, such as wordpress. To do this, you need to cloak your domain. This option should be available in your control panel. Please contact us for further information on this.

We also recommend DreamHost domains for excellent customer service.

If you want to pay for hosting, browse through this cheap hosting directory.

For FAST and efficient services, we once again recommend DreamHost.

IMPORTANT: When choosing a host, make sure you turn on your privacy features! Select anonymous addresses when asked whether or not you want to expose your information (this includes your full name and billing address.) This way, you will not be able to be tracked. This is very important for security reasons. If you choose to pay for a host, please double check with your hosting company that this privacy setting is enabled.

Step 3

- Now that you have a blog site, introduce your campaign. Who are you supporting, why are you supporting them, and why should others support them? Why is this important? Make it very easy for people to find things. Include a section for an FAQ, an “About” page with the essential details, and a page for press releases and media links.

- Give people a reason to come back. LiveBlog the case. Is this blogger/journalist being held for trial? Do they have lawyers and if so, collaborate with them as often as you can for quick and reliable information. Keep people well informed and up to date.

- Post pictures of the blogger/journalist in question. This makes them easier to relate to.

- Register for Google Alerts, where, through e-mail, you can receive all kinds of news (from both news services and bloggers) about the blogger/journalist in question. Use different variations of spelling (i.e, Kareem Amer vs. Abdul Karim, Ahmed vs. Ahmad, etc. Just in case you don’t miss anything!)

- Be ACTIVE as a writer! Give your readers a reason to come back. Post videos, podcasts, and if these are not available, create your own!

Q. “How do I create my own videos?”

A. You can create your videos using Windows Movie Maker. (Your PC most likely already comes with this installed, and if you are on a Mac, you can use iMovie.) If not, these are available on download.com

Once you are done creating these videos, import them, and then you can submit your videos to YouTube or Dailymotion for free.

If you want to translate your video, you can easily do so using BubblePLY.

Step 4- Start an online petition.Recommended services:Petition Online
iPetitionsInsert the contact e-mails of the recipients (be sure of the correct details.) Have a permanent link on your website to the petition, and promote it in every way possible, such as through blog comments, mass e-mails, newsletters, etc.

Step 5:Organize a team and take on specific roles. Start with 3 roles:

Director

Editor

Webmaster

Director’s responsibilities include: Media contacts, tracking all information on the blogger/journalist, spreading the word to international organizations and NGOs dealing with human rights issues.
Editor’s responsibilities include: Reviewing comments, promoting the website, publishing information on the site, sending newsletters featuring the latest updates.
Webmaster: Web design and technical support.

After this stage is completed, look for people to help you with public relations. Example: journalists, influential bloggers, people involved with active NGOs, etc.

Step 6:Start groups on social networking sites and start looking for people to invite.Recommendations:MySpace
FacebookAlso, contact the relevant writers of Global Voices Online and have someone cover the story for you.

For now, this is our quick list of what you can do to start a campaign! In future lessons, we will be discussing how to maintain a campaign’s attention, how to contact media outlets and which news services to target, as well as creative ways to increase awareness outside of the blogosphere and in the real world. Stay tuned!