[free-sklyarov] just a small idea

[Peter A. Peterson II]

Quoting Bob Smart:
> On Monday 30 July 2001 09:52, you wrote:
> > I think that writing individual letters is not very effectful.
> > Instead, we should come up with one letter which we can call a press
> > release or protest letter of the Free-Dmitry Community.
> 
> Everything I've always heard about effective activism is just the
> opposite: that when companies or elected officials receive a bunch of
> copies of a single form letter, they tend to DISCOUNT it.  What really
> gets their attention is individual letters from distinct parties.  Two
> letters that are just duplicates with different signatures show that
> at least those two people were committed enough to sign their names
> and pay for a stamp...but two separate letters show a higher level of
> commitment and carry more weight.

Definitely. Write your own letter -- how can that possibly be worth LESS
than a form letter?

> That's not to say mass mailings are useless.  We should do exactly as
> you say: come up with a consensus letter, have local parties to gather
> as many signatures as we can, and send them all in on the same day to
> make a dramatic statement.  However, we must ALSO do the individual
> letter-writing effort, or we reduce ourselves to the same level of
> credibility as all that junk mail you throw away every day without
> even opening it.  It serves its purpose, but it's no substitute for
> personal communication.

Yep.

> It's probably also not too soon to start thinking about setting up a
> speaker's bureau.  At least in my area, our Big Media have mostly
> ignored us, and the only reporters I've seen have been from things
> like trade papers.  That's good, and we need to keep in contact with
> those people--but eventually, maybe Real Soon Now, even, the big news
> organizations are going to notice us.  When they do, we should be
> ready with press packets, people who are willing to go on talk shows
> and give interviews, and so forth.  We should have lists of contact
> names and phone numbers for people who are prepared to do that, so
> when a reporter or professional society asks for a spokesman, we can
> seize the opportunity.

I would say that freesklyarov.org would be a good place for this info.
maybe a "local contacts" list that is separate from the links to local
sites and includes names and contact info for the organizers or other
qualified parties. This should not be a mass list of individuals, but
rather a select few in each geographic area. This is not to be elitist,
but to really give the press people who can effectively and eloquently
present our case, so to speak.

pedro