In Argentina, Greenpeace has been using text campaigns with hundreds of ‘movile activistas’ to pass local legislation and engage in actions to protect wildlife. In Saudi Arabia, women got out the vote in the first-ever election they could participate in in large measure through text messages and email.

We describe one after another at www.mobileactive.org.

Numerous countries now have more cell phones than people - and with 2.5 billion in the world there is a spread and potential there for mass communications, peer-to-peer communications, rapid action, and mobilization that is unparalleled.

Because mobile phones are such a just-in-time medium, because they are so personal, so ubiquitous, inexpensive, and lend themselves so much to immediate response and immediate action, organizers better figure out how to use them in their work. I believe that sooner rather than later they will be even here in the US the medium by which people are best and most immediately reached. Do I have data here? No, not reliably. But I see the increase in texting, the decrease in email open rates, the pervasiveness of cell phones, and the fact that people who have no Internet access have cell phones all over the world, and my organizer heart perks up.

Do I see the handwriting on the wall in relation to what is happening elsewhere? Absolutely. And we would be foolish not to get creative about it very quickly.

We are publishing a five-part series of Strategy Guides for Mobile Activists starting nest week, so if you are interested to get a pre-release copy, email me at katrin at mobileactive dot org and I’ll send you one the day before the first one is released (focused on elections, getting out the vote, and voter registration.)

Here are some other links that might be useful or inspiring:

http://www.mobileactive.org/wiki/index.php?title=MobileActive_Stategy_Guide_to_Using_Mobile_Phones_in_Civic_Campaigns
A Mobile Strategy Guide for Campaigners

http://www.mobileactive.org/mentengro_election_monitoring
Mobile phones in systemic election monitoring in Montenegro earlier this year (Ohio, anyone?)

http://www.mobileactive.org/node/1310
Protest stories from around the world– powered by SMS

http://www.mobileactive.org/cell_phones_stories_from_the_field
A slew of stories we compiled a while back.

http://www.mobileactive.org/node/3570 — mobile health advice for teens in the UK (ok, not exactly organizing, but once you have their numbers, you could…)

http://www.mobileactive.org/justiceforjessicalal
http://www.mobileactive.org/JessicaLal_SMS_Update
More on Jessica Lal and the hundreds of thousands of text messages her murder generated

Political jokes via text for organizing under repressive regimes
http://www.mobileactive.org/sms_jokes

We want to hear from you if there are other stories, campaigns, organizing efforts, and mobilizations. Contact me at katrin at mobileactive dot org.

I think the organizers are right. How does the number of campaigns that have successfully used text messaging compare to the existing 10,000-100,000 (or more?) campaigns for social change that are doing fine using traditional methods?

You cannot predict trends reliably unless you have a large enough sample size.

Text messaging might be useful in some instances, but unless I’m mistaken and that there are systematic uses of it within dozens or more of social movements, the verdict is still out.