A Revolution YouTube..

Sean McCann
Ogra Shinn Fein

With the ever increasing use of the internet, republicans need to be exploring and utilising every aspect of the web and multimedia.

The internet has many advantages. It is instant, it can be widely accessed, it is free or at worst minimal costs and there is virtually no censorship.

We have already developed a few short films and in a small scale tapped into YouTube, and Googlevideo. Activists are also setting up websites, blogs, and discussion forums.

We need to continue doing this and more, we need to also develop pod casts and internet radio.

The majority of Ógra cumann already have a bebo page which can be easily accessed by the thousands of bebo members; it can be used to promote events, post news, internal communication and even recruitment.

Every cumann should also aim to set up a website, which can add to the above.

In a world where press and print media is ever on the decline, the internet and multimedia formats present an opportunity for us to take the lead and start engaging the thousands of Irish people who ‘surf the web’ every day.

We need to be creative and imaginative; one great example of ingenuity recently was the setting up of irishrepublican.net by a Meath comrade.

Not only does the site contain the usual republican debating forum, it also has an internet radio and a games section. This attempts to promote the site to a broader range of people than on other political forums. It also prides itself on being an open forum, for open discussion and as a result has a lot of heated yet interesting debates.

Ideas such as this need to be further developed in order for us to utilize this free, instant and uncensored platform for promotion.

At present we have activists, who can work on these projects, but we need more, we need to make use of the already skilled activists to train up others in all levels of multimedia design.

We need more web designers, film producers, graphic designers and radio enthusiasts.

In all of this it is very important not to be consumed by the internet, while it is a useful vehicle of promotion, the most vital of our work is action on the ground, and engaging with people in the streets and countryside.

We also have to recognise that while the use of the internet is hugely soaring, there are many who do not and will never use the internet, and this is exactly why the action on the ground and the already available avenues of promotion are so important.

So, I am clearly not advocating we spend all our time on computers, replacing other essential work; I am simply saying we need to develop our computer skills in addition to the great work we already do. It is a tool that can greatly assist the republican struggle.

A republican voice needs to be heard, it is our job to promote it. The revolution will be televised…