Comments on: Anti-prorogation rally: the left has a party and social media gets the win

By: Norogue All The Rage Across Canada | Unambiguously Ambidextrous

Norogue All The Rage Across Canada | Unambiguously Ambidextrous — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:59:27 +0000

[...] of Parliament march in protest that it will not reconvene on Monday. This may be the most digital demonstration yet, as hundreds of people are either live-blogging, or tweeting as they attend the rallies. [...]

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:48:16 +0000

Source for the Toronto police claiming 2,000? The numbers I have seen from the police are either 7k or 9k. Aerial / high-vantage photos show Dundas Square being pretty much entirely packed, and that place supposedly has a capacity of 7,000.

And why did you use quotation marks for the word “organizers”? They organized it, didn’t they? That is what that word means, isn’t it?

By: Tweets that mention Anti-prorogation rally: the left has a party and social media gets the win | Joseph Lavoie -- Topsy.com

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:52:09 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Joseph Lavoie and Joseph Lavoie, Joseph Lavoie. Joseph Lavoie said: Anti-prorogation rally: the left has a party and social media gets the win: http://bit.ly/5YbE23 #roft #capp [...]

By: Fat Tony

Fat Tony — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:44:24 +0000

I wonder if people in Iran were holding candlelight vigils for the suffering souls in Canada…

By: Alberta Girl

Alberta Girl — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:11:06 +0000

So what about the media also giving the other side some press time…somehow, I missed their advocating visiting the pro- FB group?

If anyone could provide a link…..oh, never mind.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:59:33 +0000

Purely from a marketing point of view, these results are impressive. Do you know how long it takes, how much money it costs to find 200,000 people even willing to raise their hands?

I am impressed.

It seems to me the old ways of doing things, focusing on product and then searching for a market is backwards. With numbers like this, it seems to be more efficient to focus on building movements first and design product later. It certainly makes me question the wisdom of expensive brand-building exercises.

Interesting indeed. Thanks for the post.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:50:59 +0000

Thanks for the comments @wilson. Yes, the crowd I saw seemed to be an anti-Harper gathering, no doubt about it.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:48:59 +0000

Yes, all the msm coverage played a huge role in boosting their online numbers and no doubt getting people to turn out. That said, the story wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the Facebook group. It gave the Star a barometer to measure the intensity of Canadians’ opposition to prorogation, enough, they felt to make a front page story out of it. I disagree with that decision, but if that group hadn’t formed, the Star would have had no story.

By: wilson

wilson — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:48:20 +0000

Neil, there were so many special interest groups and political parties involved in organizing,
imo the prorogation theme got lost in it all.
It was an antiHarper gathering.

By: wilson

wilson — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:45:49 +0000

The social media could not have ‘won’ without the national media giving them/prorogygate the benifit of over 2000 articles.
That’s a lot of ink,
and the response must be disappointing for our msm.

This was national media driven, not a grassroots uprising.
The leaders of the political parties speaking at a ‘non-partisan’ event, spoils some of the effect, imo.