According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 55% of U.S. households had access to the Internet in 2003 -- triple the percentage that had access in 1997 (http://www.census.gov).

So we know the public is connected and online. One of the ways to increase your media coverage is to increase the public knowledge of your issues. If there is a buzz about your issue, the media will pick up on it. There are a number of tools and tactics you can use to raise visibility of your issues and organization while reaching out to your target audiences.

Following are a number of outreach trends that you may want to explore.

1. AstroTurfing Astroturfing, sometimes called fake grassroots media outreach, is using technology and mass communication tricks to artificially create the appearance of a grassroots movement supporting a position. Read more about Astroturfing.
2. Blogs Seems by now that everyone has heard of blogs (weblogs). Blogs are online diaries, rants, ravings and commentary on whatever interests the author. You can have one, I can have one, even the 12 year old that lives on your block can have one. What's trendy about blogs is that the content is mostly statements of opinions and concepts as related to facts, issues and current events. Blogs also connect the reader with other blogs that feature similar content. They often provide links to a news story or website that sparked an idea or entry. More importantly, reporters write their own blogs and they might just be surfing other blogs for story ideas. Take a look at a few reporter blogs. Also, Blogger lets you create your own blog for free.
3. Cell phone advocacy Did you ever think that you -- or your members -- could make a difference with a cell phone? A growing trend in advocacy and communications proves that it is possible. For years cell phones have been used for emergency tracking needs such as reporting an injured marine mammal when out on the water or assisting a motorist with a broken down vehicle. People are on the move and rely more and more every day on their cell phones to communicate and complete personal tasks. Why not turn cell phones into a tool that can make positive change? According to the MobileActive website, "the cell phone is increasingly becoming the most important communication tool used by the general public all over the world. The mobile nature of the phones along with the rich voice and data connections have become an invaluable part of youth and business culture." You can learn more about this powerful advocacy tool and how individuals and group across the globe are using cell phones for civic engagement at www.MobileActive.org.
4. E-newsletters Many groups have messages for their members and supporters and have taken to delivering them through email. There are dozens of e-newsletter tools out there that range from no cost to monthly, per-list fees that let you engage with your target audiences and call them to action. GMT members can access our e-newsletter tip sheet for ways to create an e-newsletter that people will read and keep reading. Internet Advertising If you want to make an impression to move an advocacy message, support a candidate, make a change in legislation or simply encourage volunteers to get involved with your local events, you may want place a few advertisements online. With affordable contextual ads available through popular web search engines like Google, a little money goes a long way in terms of reaching your target audiences. E-advertising is customizable and ads can be seen by folks in a particular zip code or can viewed in relation to searches of similar key terms. You may not need an expert to place your ad, but if you're looking for folks who can lead you in the right direction, try @DVOCACY, INC and the Internet Advocacy Center.
5. Networks If you're trying to connect a community of like-minded folks, you might try doing it the old fashioned way through coffee meetings, happy hours, picnics or casual meetings. Everyone gets friendlier with good food and drink, right? Free online services like Evite, Friendster and Meetup.com, help make it even easier to connect people to others by similar interests, hobbies and geographic location. By registering for one of these services, you might get a recommendation on a local restaurant or find out which plumber best serves your neighborhood. You might connect with alumni from undergrad, make new friends interested in biking or hiking, or even find a date. You also might find connections to folks with similar political views and opportunities to engage your community in activism. Social ties connect us to everything we do. However, according to Robert D. Putnam's book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, membership and activity in local organizations has been on a rapid decline. He reports that in the 1970s, the average American attended some type of club or meeting once a month, but that by 1998 attendance had been cut by 60%. According to Martin Kearns, opinion leader on the concept of Network Centric Advocacy, the people that no longer join clubs and organizations - the non-joiners - end up self organizing into meetups, book clubs, pay groups and running groups. But they don't join churches, bowling leagues and civic associations. Kearns asserts that the challenge to grassroots organizers and advocacy communications strategists is to match their own mobilizing and advocacy efforts with these new trends in social engagement while taking advantage of emerging technologies and communications modes. Source: Concept paper on Network Centric Advocacy by Martin Kearns, www.network-centricadvocacy.org. Check out a few blogs that are already leading this concept: Network Centric Advocacy and Movement as Network.
6. Skillswaps It now seems easier to share ideas, free tools, helpful websites and trade secrets through online and in-person skillswaps. These sessions might get folks in the same room or they might just get a group of experts on a conference call, but they enable us to swap our good finds for others. Skillswaps can be extremely helpful in training new staff, developing the skills of current staff, and meeting new people and groups. Sometimes you need to be invited but sometimes you can just join in. One group that holds swillswaps: OneWorld U.S.
7. Webinars Technology leaps and bounds let us now meet on the web instead of meeting face to face. Suddenly it's easier to make a sale, show off a new tool, host an online media event, make a pitch or even conduct trainings as you can invite folks to attend your session through an Internet browser. You can even allow your web-guests to watch streaming video of you, view documents and applications and even mark up materials and make edits in your live session. These meetings are often called webinars and are made possible through vendors like WebEx, GoToMeeting, and MS Live Meeting.