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As you may know, my work on the blog, and my political advocacy more generally, is subsidized by my consulting work and by you, our generous readers. So let me take a moment to talk about the kind of consulting I do, in case you might be interested in my services.
My expertise is in using the Internet for marketing — I use the Web and social media to sell ideas to the media and the masses. My work has influenced everyone from corporate leaders to members of Congress, and even the President of the United States. And while my focus is usually politics, I’ve also done work for businesses. You can read my resume and a summary of my work over at LinkedIn, including descriptions of my various political advocacy campaigns and video from my TV appearances.
Before I delve into my background and expertise, I can think of a few work areas right off the bat that could be topical:
- Work dealing with these final weeks of the election; and
- After the election, helping organizations come up with online campaigns to influence, support or oppose the next president’s cabinet appointees and legislative priorities.
Me in a nutshell
Originally from Chicago, I moved to Washington, DC to study at Georgetown, where I received a joint Juris Doctor and Master’s in Foreign Service. I went on to work in the US Senate, the World Bank, the Children’s Defense Fund, and then set up my own Internet consulting business that I’ve been running for a good 17+ years now. Two years ago, I moved to NYC to run digital (Web and social media) strategy for the United Nations Development Programme. I am now consulting again. I speak five languages, and have done work in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
What separates me from most in this industry is the extent and breadth of my experience. I’ve been working in online politics for over twenty years, and I have experience in politics, media, grassroots organizing and the Internet.
The type of work I do
Writing. I’m an excellent writer, and in addition to penning nearly 30,000 pieces for AMERICAblog, and editing nearly as many posts by others, I’ve also worked as a stringer for the Economist, and been published in the Daily Beast, the Los Angeles Times, the New Republic, and Salon.
Digital Strategy. I have a track record of successfully making issues go viral online, and have been doing so for nearly twenty years. I work with my clients to find the part of their story, and develop the online presence, that has the most potential to interest and influence the grassroots, the media, and any political or corporate targets. I’ve also helped a large number of organizations, in the US and abroad, fine-tune their digital strategy, including developing and fine-tuning their social media outreach.
Activism/Advocacy. Since 1993, I’ve worked on high-profile issue advocacy campaigns for LGBT rights, women, children, labor, the environment, and privacy, among others. If you’ve got someone you’d like to support or pressure, to do or stop something, I’m your man. An example of my online advocacy work is our successful boycott of Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s television show, StopDrLaura.com. I detail more of my online campaigns in this article.
Public Relations. Part of being a good advocate is understanding how to sell a message to the media and the public. I do everything from writing and disseminating press releases and stories, to creating online media centers and pitching reporters. I also understand how media, grassroots, and online fit together in a campaign, and how each influences the other.
TV & Radio. I’ve been appearing on television and radio for 18 years now. My first TV appearance was on ABC’s World News Tonight, and since then I’ve been on Hardball, the O’Reilly Factor, Nightline, Larry King, AM Joy, and CNN’s Reliable Sources, among others. My radio experience includes guest-hosting a show on Sirius for one week, and appearing on NPR, the BBC, Air America and others.
Trainings & Public Speaking. I’ve done trainings in the US and abroad (in English, French, Spanish and Italian) on various topics, including: how to create and write for a blog, HTML; online advocacy; using the Internet for legal research; and using the Internet for public relations. I’ve also spoken at political conferences and other events in France, Spain, Greece, Sweden, Italy and Indonesia.
That’s me in a nutshell. You can find out more via LinkedIn, or by contacting me directly (email address is below). Thanks all.
JOHN
PS I can be reached by email at JOHN at AMERICAblog dot COM, or via Twitter at @aravosis.
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