The Howard League experiment with Social Media

Social Networking and media sites offer great opportunities to campaigning organisations to get their message across and interact with people.

The Howard League, an organisation campaigning around penal reform have come up with an interesting and innovative way of using the social networking service "twitter".

As part of their "Take Action 2010" campaign for "Less crime, safer communities, fewer people in prison." They have instigated a new kind of communication called a "twitchat".

In the "twitchat" they communicate with various people about Penal Reform, on line, in real time, with interested parties able to follow the conversation and even chip in.

The first of these "twichats" happened with Kerry McCarthy MP who is also the Labour Party's "Twitter Tsar". The conversation was interesting touching on topics of vulnerable people, repeat offender and the deterrent effect (or otherwise) of prison.

If you are interested in following the upcoming twitchats then you can follow upcoming ones with the following twitter hashtag:-

#TA2010

And further you can follow the Howard League via @TheHowardLeague also if you are new to Twitter don't forget to follow us via @CWUyouth

Ralph Ferrett
YAC Chair

Plymouth and East Cornwall