AC2.2 EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDIA
USED IN CAMPAIGNS FOR CHANGE
Blogs
A blog is a regularly updated website or web page, typically run by an individual or
small group, which is written in an informal or conversational style. An advantage of
using a blog in a campaign is that anyone can set blogs up and they are free of
charge. As well as this, they allow people to express their views and opinions on
specific topics. There is up-to-date information and statistics on blogs that will keep the
content fresh and interesting. Usually, there will be links to social media pages, which
allow readers to find out more and donate to the campaign. Furthermore, they do not
just contain writing; they also have video links, pictures and links to other similar
websites that may also be of interest to the reader. However, blogs are extremely hard
to keep up to date and they can become quite time-consuming for the author. As
well as this, it is becoming an out of-date method because many people prefer to use
social media as it can be more appealing to a younger audience. A blog has to be
found in order to find information, so generally there will be a limited audience of
people who are really interested in the cause or the campaign. The environmental
campaign group Greenpeace uses a blog that has videos, images and articles
included on it, and the majority of posts have been shared via social media platforms,
helping to widen their audience. Some of the things have been shared nearly 1,000
times, which shows that the blog is effective in raising awareness to the public.
Social networking
Social networks are websites such as Facebook and Twitter, which are dedicated to
allowing people to communicate with one another. When used for campaign
purposes, social networking allows videos, information and other forms of
communication to spread quickly and reach a wide audience. Approximately 2.3
billion people use social media, so a campaign on one of these platforms will raise a
great deal of awareness in a short space of time and in a very cost-effective way.
However, hackers can get onto the network pages and alter information. There is also
the possibility of internet trolls, who send upsetting messages that can deter people
from using the sites. The ice bucket challenge was used to raise money and
awareness of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) disease. The campaign posted on
Facebook and other social networking sites, requesting people to pour a bucket of
ice-cold water over their head and nominate others to do the same. In turn, people
