SV 2.0 – Using Web 2.0 Tools to Address Emerging Issues in Sexual Violence

Marianne Winters is a leader in the movement to end and address sexualized and domestic violence and is passionate about progressive movements that are visionary, inclusive, current, responsive and proactive. Some would say that she’s “all over the place”. She prefers to say that she thrives on variety and is energized by the multi-faceted, never ending, interconnected and always exciting work of social change. She is the Project Diva for Graphix for Change and consultant and trainer for Praxis for Change.

Musing About Tools

Recently I asked a random question on Facebook – What do people think are the most pressing issues facing nonprofit organizations today? I got many of the expected responses, most started with the phrase “not enough” – money, time, support, staff, diversity, information - all good answers and key issues.

One of the most compelling responses gets to the core of the issues of SV 2.0. Here it is "when people think they are doing social change because they have a Facebook page." It made me LOL because I could relate. I had to think about the many useless and trivial status posts (my own FB BFF’s excluded, of course) that we all have to weed through to get to the things that really matter.

Tools are just that – tools. I have a bunch of tools in my basement – hammers, saws, hardware, paint supplies, you name it. Yet, I still have some unfinished projects in my house – a hallway that needs to be painted, a floor that squeaks, an empty spot on my kitchen wall where a cabinet would be useful. I have the tools to do all of these things, but so far these things are not done. So, there must be more to getting the job done than just having the tools. Web-based tools have similar qualities. You need to have them, know how to use them, know what you want to accomplish by using them, and know how you’ll be able to tell what you’ve accomplished. That’s why we coined the term SV 2.0. We think of SV 2.0 as the bridge between the tools we can use thanks to Web 2.0 and the movement to address sexual violence.