On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 8:35 AM, Mathias Schindler < mathias.schindler@wikimedia.de> wrote:
2014-03-07 17:25 GMT+01:00 Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org:
We could obviously have generated many more responses if we had wanted
to.
Any thoughts on when/how we should do that, if ever?
DG MARKT has not released any statements on the methodology of the consulation analysis. According to Kerstin Jorna from the commission, the methodology will be developed "on the fly" while they are reading the responses. Most likely, similar/identical statements will be considered as one statement. Multiplying the number of responses to the commission will most likely not have a beneficial effect in this case.
Aye, the norm in the US (and I assume Europe but correct me if I'm wrong) is to give people a script/sample letter to write. This is considered 'best practice' but I know from my time in the MA state house we counted them in a very different way, sending off a form letter/email and checking off a box. More personalized responses got significantly more attention though. The same thing could be said for the 'regulars', many of the people who sign and send in a form letter or post card are the same people who will do that over and over again.
The biggest take away I remember hearing from people in Washington after the SOPA protest was that they didn't see that with us and that's what got their attention so much. We gave people the contact info for their representatives but we never gave them a script (or even, really, talking points). They got massive amounts of phone calls and emails they attributed to our campaign but those emails and phone calls were from people they had never heard from before and they were personalized, in the voice of the person calling. It's that type of person who remembers it when they vote later, and so elected officials listen.
In the end I think we could likely do something similar again, making sure that we get the word out but that we don't direct people on what to say, let them do it if they feel it's important. We can only do that so often, but I do think it's a very valuable tool in our back pocket.
James
James Alexander Legal and Community Advocacy Wikimedia Foundation (415) 839-6885 x6716 @jamesofur