OACRS - The voice for children with multiple disabilities

Use the News

15 ways you can ‘use the news’ to your benefit.

1. Know Your Story: Your news site is a daily record of your organization's history. Cull through the stories. Become familiar with the history of the people involved. Learn about the names, the stories, the challenges and the triumphs. Read through the news departments, scan over the story archives, use the search function to research themes of interest to you. If you know your organization's story you can better understand the current environment and what needs to be done next.

2. Print Out the Stories that Mean the Most to You. Share Them.: If a story you read inspires, teaches, angers, print it out, put it somewhere you can see it to remind you why you are involved in the change making process. Carry copies in your briefcase to give away when the subject material comes up in conversations.

3. Use 'Email This Page' to support a friend: If someone you know is struggling with circumstances and you know of a story that would help them better understand those circumstances send the story along with a personal note of support. The stories published on your news site can help them gain conceptual control over their environment, reduce fear, and provide guidance.

4. Use 'Email This Page' to Recruit a Friend: Do you know someone who would like to work for your organization? How about volunteer, raise money, provide care, transportation, do committee work. Your news stories are easy to circulate by email.

5. Use 'Email This Page' to Reach Policy Makers: If its government officials, your local representative, your boss, your board, send stories to them by email with your personal comments on the story. By sending the stories to decision makers you show them you are engaged, that you care, that it's personal. If they get enough emails from people like you they'll have to take notice. They'll also visit your news site and learn more about the people affected by the decisions they make.

6. Build an Advocacy Email Directory of Friends and Colleagues: When you care about something one of the most powerful things you have to contribute is the relationships you have with other people who care. Build a list of people you know who are, or could be committed to making the kinds of changes you believe in. Then, when stories appear on your news site that you know speak to your friends and colleagues you can bring them up to speed with a few clicks of your mouse. Personally encourage them to get involved.

7. Send Stories to Your Local Newspaper Editors: When your organization is mobilizing to serve a human need, newspaper editors are going to be interested, especially if they are receiving emails from their readers suggesting story possibilities. Use the stories on your news site, email them to editors with your own take on the story and see if they pick it up. If you are sending a letter to the editor send a copy of your news stories with it. Your news stories will always include other members of your community or story lines that are also unfolding in your editor's community. Most editors have the best interests of their community at heart and will welcome your ideas, and in some cases assign someone to follow up with their own story. Let them know they are welcome to use the story on your news site as is!

8. Find Knowledge You Need: Every story contains organizational knowledge. A vast knowledge database exists in your news site. You can use the search function to research a best practice, a delivery model or to find people who know how to do the things you need done. Every story includes the byline of the person who originally wrote the story and they may be able to help you find someone that is willing to help you out.

13. Refer to stories when you are trying to illustrate a point.: If you have a copy of a story that illustrates a point you are trying to make that's great. But even if you don't have a hard copy, tell people the story you read about and refer them to the news site to read it for themselves. If they check the story out they'll probably follow it up by taking a look at related stories, and learn even more about the point you were trying to make. Who knows, in the process they might get hooked and start innovating on their own.

14. Cut and Paste these Stories into other Newsletters or Web sites: If you are a newsletter editor you know you've got a steady source of stories. News site archives and search functions are a gold mine of suitable stories for you. You can cut and paste right from your browser and drop ready-made articles into your newsletter. Same goes for websites.

15. Start Your Own Clipping Service: If you are responsible for a project and have a team that needs to be in the loop about changes to their project environment collect the links to stories of relevance to them, as stories unfold and paste them into an email. That collection of stories serves as a project related clipping service for your team. The stories will give your team common reference points, vocabulary and knowledge base.