I’m happy to announce that the consulting project I’ve been working on for the past 2 weeks is almost complete and I can finally show off the fruits of my labor! And it’s about time the because the reauthorization is now racing through congress and there are some very bad changes to it that need to be stopped!
I have been working with the ACLU to encourage bloggers to write about reforming the Patriot Act and to advise them on creation of the Reform the Patriot Act Blog. Please check out some of the cool stuff we put together. This page for bloggers features RSS feeds, technorati tags, graphics, and a list of the many helpful documents and presentations that have been developed by the ACLU.
Of course I am biased, but I think this is incredibly cool for two reasons.
- I have gotten a clear sense from the ACLU that blogs are a critical part of their overall advocacy/communication strategy. I find that most organizations can barely give a crap about blogs as an afterthought, so this really impressed me. Even their lobbyist writes things like “we’ve got to get this information to the bloggers…”
So kudos to the ACLU for being so smart and inclusive of blogs!
- The other thing I love about this project is from a personal standpoint. This is just the kind of consulting I want to be doing for other organizations. So it’s been a wonderful start for me, going in the directions I want, and highlighting my strengths as a consultant.
So my next task is to tell the blogosphere about it. The Patriot Act may pass next week, and Republicans are trying to make it stronger and last longer. I would personally rather see the entire thing go away, but if we have to have it, let’s make sure that it focuses more on protecting us instead of invading our lives!