Using Social Media to Save Lives

With my communications and special projects director, Rose Vines

It took me a long time to “get” social media. I figured it was complex and difficult and an imposition on people. It was noise and clutter and baggage that would make it more difficult for folks to hear the story I wanted to share, the story of what the death penalty is like in reality.

Boy, was I ever wrong! It took ten years of persuasion by my incredibly persistent communications director plus two campaigns that saved the lives of Richard Glossip in Oklahoma and four men in Arkansas, for me to realize how wrong I was. During those two campaigns, social media was critical in deepening and widening the impact of our work. Social media was our storytelling vehicle. Social media helped us save lives.

So now, I’d like to share the story of what we’ve learned about the power of social media. The power it can give a small outfit like ours, the Ministry Against the Death Penalty (MADP). The power it can give to save lives.

Using Social Media to Save Lives and Change Hearts and Minds was written by the aforementioned “incredibly persistent communications director”, Rose Vines, to help educate MADP’s board. We wanted them to understand how social media has become the core engine of our work. Rose then took that original document and developed it to present to the Council of Europe’s conference on the death penalty.

Read it, share it. I think you’ll find it fascinating.