10 suggestions the israeli government could use to lead a better war on the net

Like i said, the Israel government for the first time has realized the importance of the web and is using it to distribute information on several platforms. It is part of what we call in Israel Maharekhet Hasbara (the explanation system). The problem is that there are things it is impossible to fight and that will surely always win: intense propaganda and, unfortunately, pictures of people hurt/killed and destructions.

Israel goes with 2 handicaps: inner censorship (they don t want to endanger their own people/army and also do not allow journalists on the field) and respect to privacy for victims (opposite of palestinians that showcase their dead peole). Results: most of what you see on TV are pictures from the other side. By Far. And they win in quantity and impact. Period

You can see here and there initiatives that are trying to re-abilitate the truth. I think it is unlikely Israel will ever win the war on the net. There is too much hate (and underlying historical anti semitism) and too many strong pictures over-fed by the media against this country, no matter what the justification is. But there are things you can do better on 2 fields: more transparency and more facts. Those are the only 2 weapons that can "euducate" better people who claim they know. This assume Israel would allow better ressources (meaning real community/web managers) to the web (both human and financial):

1. Change that IDF Youtube channel: i saw many youtube movies made by the army. conclusion: they suck. They may be good on the field but have no idea how to talk in front of the camera. Testimonials of military people does not work. not like that. Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi as we call it here) is doing it a little better because is a communication machine. But check that one.
   
2. Bloggers on field: Israel does not allow journalist on the field. but i would take 5/10 bloggers willing to do it and bring them as close as possible to the reality. i garanty their will be more noise around that than any news paper cover. I would also encourage citizens from the south to blog as much as possible and upload as many material as possible on the net
3. War facts portal: a portal gathering all the material that is here and there distributed. a one stop shop for finding all the facts (facts only not propaganda) someone needs to know on the war. HelpUsWin is a private initiative going that direction, but that could be more powerful
   
4. Daily Podcast with citizen from the south. Testimonials are stronger than any interview. Distribute them on iTunes.
   
5. Online Security assistance: Israel has been victim of hackers. Israel should show better support to any site owner offering extra service in security (Advice, software...)
   
6. Online support actions: engage people to show their support with polls (like here) have a better system to donate to families in the south and support them...
7. Online demonstrations: people are lazy. Those who like to shout in the street are the minority but they are the only one we see. Most people who want to show they support in the big majority are at home. let s give them stage. Second Life if you want, or just create a group on Facebook or whatever else
   
8. Several twitter specific accounts to track specific facts in near real time: The attention is on twitter. Israel should be more present. All politicians should have an account (not just Bibi). An account for all major cities. An account for the army. An account for humanitarian support (yes there is one)...And i am referring to active accounts (meaning dialog with users) not bots.
   
9. Live streaming for some events: more transparency, unfiltered news. This one is delicate because it should not endanger people on the field. but there are areas where this could happen (at the border, in the preparation camp, in secured area, in all attacked cities...). This week Israel showed how a school was booby trapped. Would have been more powerful if that was being streamed in real time (no lack of solutions here...)
   
10. Everything in arabic: i was surprised to see that on TV some officials starting to communicate in arabic. I would extend that to the web and subtitle or translate as much as possible in arabic. Ignorance is often the worst ennemy. Let people know

Eventually i would create a video channel (maybe using Seesmic) asking people what they would do. Most people claim they want peace. OK. this is quite obvious. But how? Video is a natural filer for trolls. Would be a great way to show the world we are ready to dialog.

This is not only a war on terror, but a war on ignorance. I hope one day we won t need to use those tools.

Any other idea?

update 20 january 2009 : this post was translated and added on TheMarker. Thanks to them for the interest. I just wished they could put the links to make the context clearer...



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