[Lnc-business] Social Media Messaging Recommendations

Wed Apr 19 06:24:22 EDT 2017

My concept of what the scope of the committee does is to examine the process of how our social media is disseminated.  It also should be what to do when it is disseminated, the PR relative to the reactions of our target audience and beyond.

What exact name for the committee was on the motion?  At this point I have the preference for calling it the Social Media Process Review Committee.   Social Media Review Committee gives the wrong idea of what the scope of this committee is.  Such a committee could come out of the recommendations of this committee I would guess but that remains to be seen.

I nearly hit send before I wrote this. Notice I had not mentioned messaging yet?  Right now I am focused on scope.

Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member
LNC Social Media Something or other Committee

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 19, 2017, at 12:46 AM, Caryn Ann Harlos <carynannharlos at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I would agree with some fine tuning to social media realities, but it is bold, it is libertarian, it is worth having.  But let me raise two issues (one that has bothered me since the meeting and one raised here):
> 
> We were exhausted on Sunday and I came in late to the discussion (the amount of time for people to check out was NOT long enough - I have a bad back and going down with two pieces of luggage, a line at the front desk, and then stowing the luggage with the attendant was not speedy speedy for me) - I am unclear and I think the committee itself is unclear on what its scope is.  I hope next time we give a larger window of time to check out.  Women in particular *generally* need longer.  We have earrings and other misc item that we need to make sure are not left in the room and are often in heels.  
> 
> My understanding - the committee scope is to recommend *oversight* only NOT to determine our messaging strategy.  Three LNC members and two non-LNC members have not been empowered to determine our messaging strategy.  Though I have gotten an impression that some think that is not what is happening.  The immediate crisis was oversight - a post that most of us believe should have not went through, went through.  Our system failed.  The messaging strategy is a larger issue that the oversight will serve.  Nick is already taking decisive steps on instructions to the volunteers.
> 
> If we are going to have a strategy discussion, this needs to be the full LNC.  Perhaps... it *gasp* needs to be a special meeting.  In person or online I don't care.  Arvin is doing the precisely right thing by making this a full LNC discussion.  
> 
> But if we followed this never have one kind of libertarian against another is impossible.  Rather than wording it that way, let's word it to the end game of the Statement of Principles must never be contradicted. Government must never grow.  But sometimes there are disagreements on paths, and that is okay.  Our bylaws don't place the arbiter on whether or not libertarians may disagree.  It places it on the Statement of Principles.  That is the reality of our Purpose per our Bylaws- to implement and give voice to the principles in the Statement of Principles.  I know some people prefer the much more malleable (and I don't mean that in a positive way) of "moving policy in a Libertarian direction" (also in the Bylaws but subservient to the Statement of Principles) which has been massaged by some (not saying here, I am speaking of the wider world) to mean sacrificing the rights of the few for the benefit of the many in some kind of net utility calculator when our Statement of Principles says we defend the rights of the individual.  Not just ones we deem expandable for the good of the collective.
> 
> ;tldr I like what Arvin said.  Messaging strategy is not the job of the committee this weekend (it was OVERSIGHT and it was in oversight that failed this past week).
> 
> -Caryn Ann
> 
>> On Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 11:13 PM, Arvin Vohra <votevohra at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi All -
>> 
>> As we look to revamp our social media in the context of greater exposure, here are my recommendations for messaging strategy for facebook and other forms of social media. This also applies to traditional media. Most of this is based on the Libertarian Solutions model created by Carla Howell.
>> 
>> 1. Set the debate.
>> 
>> We can set the debate topic. We can make it minor, esoteric stuff around the edges of liberty. Or we can go for the heart, and make a debate worth having.
>> 
>> Examples of debates worth having: Government out of education, government out of healthcare, end the drug war, end the income tax, military for defense only, end the patriot act, abolish the FDA, end corn subsidies.
>> 
>> Yes, we'll get pushback, but that's the whole point. The pushback turns it into a debate, and makes the question about the very existence of, for example, government schools, rather than something minor.
>> 
>> We're going to get pushback on everything now. We're in the mainstream. So let's make the debate worth having.
>> 
>> 
>> 2. Give your team the ammunition to fight the battles they actually want to fight.
>> 
>> The ammo we post on social media is what Libertarians use in their personal debates. If we give the right ammo, we'll help the win the debates they want.
>> 
>> For example, anyone who wants to End the Fed actually wants to end the income tax. The latter is a harder debate to have, so they go with the easier one. Since no statist knows what the fed is, they don't push back. Similarly, it's easier to argue in favor of charter schools than in favor of abolishing government schools entirely. But the debate worth having (and the one set forth in our platform) is abolishing government schooling. We'll get the same pushback either way. Let's make the pushback worthwhile.
>> 
>> Ammo, btw, isn't just a funny meme. It's a meme, essay, or video that people can use as part of a debate. It's not just for morale boosting; it's ammo to actually use. Don't worry - winning a debate boosts morale plenty.
>> 
>> The ammo should target the end goal. There are many brilliant people who have written about ending government schooling. Many are former government school teachers. Finding them and quoting relevant parts is the type of research we can do that will help our people spread real liberty.
>> 
>> 3. Stay on the offensive.
>> 
>> It's not enough to block new government. We should be blocking and attacking. Instead of "No new wars," it should be "No new wars, shut down foreign military bases, bring the troops home, cut military spending by 60%, and cut taxes accordingly." Instead of, "Don't raise taxes", it should be "Stop this tax increase, and also eliminate the income tax, which will grow the economy, increase the number of jobs, and attract entrepreneurs to America."
>> 
>> 4. ABC - Always Be Cutting
>> 
>> Every image, essay, video, should have at least one cut, and it should be big, bold, and comprehensible. You can post them in the comments. The cut can be eliminating an agency or tax, or simply reducing the size of an agency or tax. Not every cut needs to be enormous, but it does need to be a cut.
>> 
>> 
>> 5. NBG - Never Be Growing
>> 
>> Huge one: a cut should be a cut only, not a cut here with a growth here. "Lower property tax and increase sales tax" is not a cut. "Lower property tax" is. 
>> 
>> "Cut military spending to spend more on government schools" is not a cut. "Cut military spending and cut taxes accordingly, so people can pay for better education" is.
>> 
>> 
>> 6. Avoid grey areas.
>> 
>> Grey areas are interesting late night discussions. They are terrible political strategy. If there is no obvious libertarian fact of the matter, skip it. There are plenty of things that can stir up controversy. Ending government schools, ending the FDA, ending all censorship, getting the government out of marriage are all obviously libertarian. Let's create controversy where it's libertarian vs. statist, not libertarian vs. a slightly different libertarian.
>> 
>> 7. Benefits.
>> 
>> Always mention benefits to normal people.
>> 
>> WRONG: "Ending the war on drugs will lower the price of cocaine, so you can sprinkle it on your pancakes."
>> 
>> RIGHT: "Ending the war on drugs will reduce violence since drug businesses will be able to settle disputes by using dispute resolution services from companies like Amazon, eBay, and Visa instead of resorting to violence."
>> 
>> In Liberty,
>> 
>> Arvin Vohra
>> Vice Chair
>> Libertarian National Committee
>> 
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>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> In Liberty,
> Caryn Ann Harlos
> Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Harlos at LP.org
> Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
> Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus 
> Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee
> 
> A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
> We defend your rights
> And oppose the use of force
> Taxation is theft
> 
> 
> 
> 
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