Alex White

Alex’s blog about strategy, campaigning, growth, politics and climate (among other things).

  • The economics of climate change

    The economics of climate change, like the science of climate change, is becoming clearer. The scientific evidence is saying that unless we rapidly and significantly reduce our carbon emissions, we face a climate catastrophe. The economic evidence is also showing that the cost of inaction will far out-weigh the economic costs of action, and more… Read more

  • Upping the ante: Glenn Beck and the limits of satire

    I’ve heard Glenn Beck described as the super Andrew Bolt. He’s an ultra conservative in the US, who has a show on the Fox Network devoted – it seems – almost entirely to attacking the Democrats and Obama. His particular tactic is to make controversial (racist, offensive, etc) statements in the form of a question… Read more

  • Blog Action Day

    Today (15 October) is Blog Action Day – a day when bloggers from around the world commit to promoting a single cause (climate change this year) and thus raise awareness of that cause. Climate change is, simply, the greatest ethical, political and policy problem of our age. Climate change is something that is close to… Read more

  • Featured on Wootheme's Showcase

    Very happy today to discover that Sub Rosa Magazine has been showcased at Woothemes. I’m an enormous fan of Woothemes, and as I’ve said elsewhere, I not only think their theme designs are great, but their support service is awesome and as is the easy theme upgrades. I had a great time customising the Wootheme… Read more

  • Some useful Google tools

    Via Crikey blog The Content Makers, and MEAA, comes some nifty search and news aggregation tips from Google. While intended for journalists (and called “Google School”), the site also has tools and tips for union officials that need to monitor the news. I especially recommend setting up a customised Google News page, and checking out… Read more

  • Upgrades and support is important for online businesses

    Recently I tried to upgrade a website I maintain for my day job. This website is run on WordPress, and for the past 8 months or so, was using a StudioPress theme. When I went to upgrade the site, having shelled out over AU$80 for the new updated theme, I found that there was no… Read more

  • A few changes

    Any regular visitor of my blog would recognise that there’s been another change. I anticipate that this will be the last for a while (although I thought that about the last change). Although the appearance of this site has altered, it still uses WooThemes as its base – basically as I become more proficient in… Read more

  • Interesting use of Twitter in elections

    Via Joe Trippi, the site Tech President reports that the New York City Democratic Primary made heavy and (in some cases) innovative uses of Twitter. Joe asked in his tweet whether Twitter will be used to predict the outcomes of elections and primaries. For example, the initial winner of the NYC primary, Bill DiBlasio, had… Read more

  • The art of writing better union emails

    The art of writing better union emails

    Most unions regularly use emails to communicate with members. This can be responding to emails sent by members, or as email bulletins and newsletters. Many unions do not, however, follow some of the basic email etiquette rules, and often make simple mistakes. Writing effective emails, whether it is a reply to a concerned member, or… Read more

  • We need to Save the VCA

    The University of Melbourne’s corporate PR department has gone into over drive recently, after their proposed changes to the Victorian College of the Arts blew up in their faces. Their latest tactic, after locking down media appearances by gaff-a-tron Sharman Pretty (VCA Dean), has been to misdirect and confuse. For example, rather than addressing the… Read more

  • LabourStart Photo Competition

    For all you inspired unionists out there, I strongly encourage you to enter the LabourStart Photo Competition. It’s a great initiative, and there are already some really good photos that have been submitted. This year I entered the photo you see here. It’s a picture I took in December 2008 of a protest out the… Read more

  • Was Work Choices a Roadblock to Productivity?

    A critical assessment of the Work Choices laws in addressing its stated aims and objectives The 2005 legislation, Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act represented one of the most fundamental shifts in industrial relations laws and Commonwealth-State relations since Federation. With the principle aim of Work Choices to “unleash a new burst of productivity growth”,… Read more

  • Three more Twitter tips for trade unions

    As Twitter has grown larger and faster, more and more unions are starting Twitter accounts. On the one hand, this is a good sign. Unions should exploit social media and tools such as Twitter. On the other hand, many unions are not following the basic rules of social media, or are not following Twitter etiquette.… Read more

  • Why the Save VCA campaign is a great case study

    The Save VCA campaign a few moments ago reached 10,000 Facebook fans. In less than a fortnight, over 5,000 people have signed the paper Save VCA petition. Over 1,000 people attended a rally with Geoffrey Rush as a speaker, after a week of flashmobs and other semi-spontaneous artistic performances. Earlier this week, the Save VCA… Read more

  • A creative manifesto

    Every good cause has a manifesto these days. Here’s the Creative Unions manifesto – the new social venture started by Atosha and myself to promote powerful union design and communications. Check it out. Let us know what you think. Send us a tweet @creativeunions or visit our Creative Unions Facebook page. Read more

  • Why unions should embrace social media

    The new social media is a very powerful thing. It allows unions to have intimate, personal conversations with hundreds, if not thousands of members, potential members and supporters. No longer are unions reliant on the old forms of media (news papers, television, radio), or on face-to-face conversations between organisers and workers. Social media allows for… Read more

  • Clean Energy Jobs and Climate Dinosaurs

    Great video from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as a part of the new ACTU Southern Cross Climate Coalition campaign, Clean Energy Jobs. Read more

  • Six effective print communications tips for union campaigns

    Unions have little hesitation in spending thousands of dollars, in some cases tens of thousands of dollars, on printed communications — leaflets, posters, newsletters, fact-sheets, stickers and so on. At the start of a campaign, the first thing many union officials think is: “we need an A4 leaflet and a poster for this campaign”. Unfortunately,… Read more