[ILUG] [OT] The IrelandOffline Blackout

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[This is kind of disjointed. I'm tired and I couldn't be bothered correcting
it. Sorry!]

> Well, as a chap who qualified in PR a few years back, I think you should
get
> an agency on board your campaign.
>
That's kind of ironic really, because before I was invited onto the
committee, they were offered an unlimited tab with the PR company of an OLO
(Other Licenced Operator) I can't name. A decision on this caused much
head-scratching on the committee, however in the end they decided that it
would be too dangerous if it ever got out - the group would be seen to be
taking sides, and although we already do that to some extent, they thought
that it would be the straw that broke the camel's back. They already had a
lot of difficulty getting Eircon - I'll just throw that in because I'm
childish and I like to annoy - into the seminar, because Eircom were "upset"
by some comments on the message board. Which we found pretty funny at the
time to be honest - that they thought so highly of us as to even visit the
message board. :)

Ultimately, we can't really afford to pay for a PR company. The group is an
organisation in name only, an "unincorporated association" of sorts. So we
have no subs, and no money. We are thinking about this carefully, but we
want to see how things progress in the near future first. I do appreciate
the suggestion though.

> One of the things we were taught (if i remember correctly) was that most
> lobbying is done quietly behind closed doors, public acts can sometimes
> actively work against your goal and in my opinion a public demonstration
of
> is sort is a bad tactic which can only backfire
>
I agree, but ultimately the public demonstration is only a part of the whole
thing. We've thought very carefully on how to approach this, such as "should
we organise in-person protests", and if so, how we should go about it - i.e.
where we should go, what we should to. Our key goal here is to educate
though. We're probably not very good at PR, but we're doing the best we can
with the resources available to us, you know?

> but what do I know.
>
Well, if you qualified in PR, you know a hell of a lot more than me! Feel
like volunteering? :)

adam

---
Adam Beecher - Acting PRO, IrelandOffline
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