The biweekly ‘So What?’ guide highlights advice, events, and tips — mostly from the advocacy and evaluation worlds, selected by the Aspen Planning and Evaluation Program.
Hashtag Democracy?
Recent data from the Pew Research Center shows that 43 percent of Americans often get their news online, and two-thirds get at least some of their news on social media. And what do they find on the mighty inter-webs? Everything from major policy announcements to political smack talk goes down on social media. And revelations continue to emerge about how Russian operators have used – and continue to use – online platforms to try to influence American politics. It’s all a smidge worrisome. But here’s a bright spot: the intrepid band of academics at the newly re-minted Center for Media Engagement are busy conducting research and developing nifty tools to improve online news. Research-based solutions that are designed to advance both democratic and business goals? Yes, please! #HugANerd
Proven Social Media
APEP has some old-fashioned skepticism about social media as an advocacy tool – because of perennial difficulties with defining its impact or its contribution to policy change outcomes. The for-profit sector offers results that are easier to quantify. In hopes of offering more tools with potential crossover value for social and policy change, we offer this convincing case study of social media impact in the tattoo-parlor equipment field. Even if you can’t make the killer cross-over work, at least you’ll learn some killer tips for marketing ink capsules.
Feedback and Evaluation
Washington, DC hosts two gatherings of the evaluation clan very soon: first off, the cool people at Feedback Labs bring you the Feedback Summit November 2-3. And the as-cool-as-evaluation-nerds-can- ever-be folks at our own American Evaluation Association bring you Eval2017, coming to the Washington Marriot Wardman Park from November 6-11 and not too painfully far from APEP world headquarters. So, procrastinators: it’s time to register and show up.
