Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

Rxke · 2003-12-13 16:00:10

Been thinking about this for a while, now...

If we are objective, things don't look too rosy... Take this board, for instance, the www is huge, but still this board has a measly 500-ish members... wich is peanuts.

Instead of rooting for the Mars Society, I honestly think it would be more fruitful to 'advertise' for boards that mention the Society regularly, like New Mars. And advertise beyond the space-community. That way, people get more personally involved in discussions, and if they're really interested, they'll become a member of the Society... Eventually. Boards are more 'addictive' than merely surfing to an interesting webpage, IMHO. But how do we get people on the boards?

Simple. (Reasonably)

Several people here have a 'good pen,' they write interestingly, but if they post here, only a minor subset of the www gets to read it, so what about a 'Task-force' that takes the best writings, after asking for permission, of course, and put these writings on *NON-Mars* boards?

For instance XX writes something interesting about let's say CO2 scrubbing, or a certain aspect of technology here, this could be of interest to other readers on other boards, say engineering-boards. Now this 'Task-force' edits this post, and submits it to an extern board, humbly asking them to help out, provide them with a link etc. Inviting experts, in other words. People with an interest AND the tech Know-how might 'discover' New Mars as an interesting board, and get hooked. After a while they discover this Mars Society thing is really interesting, and start advertising about it themselves, and so on...
Fresh blood. Face it, a lot of people think the space-people are crazy, so they never visit. A humble invitation here and there could change this, slowly.

Another 'tactic': within weeks, the news will be abuzz with all things Mars, so there'll be online discussions going on, everywhere, major opportunity to point people to this board. The Slashdot community comes to mind, for instance, a lot of the regulars are techheads, computer users, high educated people... with an interest in spaceflight, so mentioning newmars in a reply to a new article could bring in some new members.
Now is a potentially very good time to make New Mars big. And in doing so, the Mars Society.

Boards-people that *could* be interested in certain aspects of the Society are, for instance:

political theory boards
ecology
physics
psychology
economy...

(Just a thought)

Palomar · 2003-12-13 16:17:15

Been thinking about this for a while, now...
If we are objective, things don't look too rosy... Take this board, for instance, the www is huge, but still this board has a measly 500-ish members... which is peanuts.

*...and yet only a fraction of them ever post.

I drop information about the Mars Society, New Mars, etc., whenever I'm able to -- i.e. within the context of a genuine discussion, etc.

Usenet (which I haven't posted on lately) is a good tool. Just make a mention, provide a link.

Putting links in signature lines, etc., is also a great way to advertise (and it nonintrusive -- i.e. while you're chatting about anything, there it is).

--Cindy

Rxke · 2003-12-13 16:24:33

You were one of the people with the 'good pen' i had in mind when i wrote my idea down. Would be nice to see some of your 'old french philosophy' friends here getting their opinions into the formation of a 'new' colony... I mean Voltaire et al, the social contract (Rousseau)... Revolution-independence, the effect of the new technologies that were so important in that era on the thinking of the man in the street. A new colony would be a major psychological, philosofical (and of course technological) experiment. it's all pretty fundamentall stuff, that could add to 'deepening' discussions...

BTW, a quick scan shows *at least* 1 in 5 people post kinda regularly, so this is quite an active memberbase...

Palomar · 2003-12-14 13:21:56

You were one of the people with the 'good pen' i had in mind when i wrote my idea down. Would be nice to see some of your 'old french philosophy' friends here getting their opinions into the formation of a 'new' colony... I mean Voltaire et al, the social contract (Rousseau)... Revolution-independence, the effect of the new technologies that were so important in that era on the thinking of the man in the street.

*Thank you for the compliment.

Yes, the French philosophes...and also Benjamin Franklin! He wrote the following in 1780 to a correspondent (one of my favorite Franklin quotes):

"The rapid Progress true Science now makes, occasions my regretting
sometimes that I was born so soon. It is impossible to imagine the
height to which may be carried, in a thousand years, the power of man
over matter. We may perhaps learn to deprive large masses of their
gravity, and give them absolute levity, for the sake of easy
transport. Agriculture may diminish its labor and double its
produce, all diseases may by sure means be prevented or cured, not
excepting even that of old age, and our lives lengthened at pleasure
even beyond the antediluvian standard. O that moral science were in
as fair a way of improvement, that men would cease to be wolves to
one another, and that human beings would at length learn what they
now improperly call humanity!"

I have no doubt that Franklin especially would have been keenly interested in space exploration, its technologies, etc. [I certainly think Denis Diderot and Voltaire would have been very enthused as well. ]

--Cindy

jadeheart · 2003-12-15 19:46:57

I wonder if it would behoove the mars society to take out banner space on certain websites leading up to & after the landings? Advertise outright! It would be a golden opportunity to attract new members on the wave of public interest that's sure to be generated. More money will never hurt the cause. And in line w/ Cindy's suggestion of featuring chat boards (specifically, the NM forum), they could display the link to NM much more prominently on the MS website, at least in January/February during the brouhaha.

Shaun Barrett · 2003-12-15 23:25:46

The more I learn of Benjamin Franklin, courtesy of Cindy, the more impressed I become at his wide-ranging intellect.
When the vast majority of his fellow travellers were immersed in the everyday matters of 18th century life, he was anticipating the 'Green Revolution', which we have achieved, and longevity enhancement techniques, on which we are presently at work. He even speculated on the nullification of mass and gravity as an aid to transport, something still in the realm of physicists' wish lists!

A 21st century man indeed, born out of his time.

Palomar · 2003-12-18 12:03:01

*Another suggestion. It may initially sound a bit odd, but if done tastefully....

I am registered with http://www.findagrave.com

You can create a profile there, and include a link regarding anything. I've left "virtual" tributes to deceased astronauts (Chaffe, Grissom, White, Swigert, etc.) there. Could also leave a tribute (with your profile intact) at the "virtual graves" of space pioneers (Sagan), scientists, etc.

Again, this can be done discreetly and tastefully while you're paying your respects.

--Cindy

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#1 2003-12-13 16:00:10

Re: Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

#2 2003-12-13 16:17:15

Re: Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

#3 2003-12-13 16:24:33

Re: Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

#4 2003-12-14 13:21:56

Re: Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

#5 2003-12-15 19:46:57

Re: Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

#6 2003-12-15 23:25:46

Re: Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

#7 2003-12-18 12:03:01

Re: Grassroots campaigns - Preaching for the converted?

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