Lose the Label
A Student Activist Community

posted by jakethorn on February 19, 2007 - 10:05pm

Originally posted as a blog.

It's a big website. Lots going on. It can be overwhelming for a new user. Hell, it can be overwhelming for an old user.

Here are some tips on how to get started.

1. Don't be shy; post like a mofo. The difference between Lose the Label (LtL for short) is that the people around here actually CARE what *you* think. We're not just looking to argue with you or tell you how stupid you are. We're ACTUALLY CURIOUS about your ideas. There are no haters here.
2. Make proposals. There are experienced activists here just looking for crap to do. In fact, many of us come around just to procrastinate. So if you have an idea, why sit on it? Maybe some bored soul halfway across the country even wants to HELP. Only way to know is if you speak up. 
3. Add total strangers to your friends list. Do you like the blog post that ____ dude from Nebraska just wrote? Then add him. Exchange suggestions and ideas, lend encouragement, whatever. This is an add-friendly environment.
4. Comment often. Feedback encourages. It's also a good way for you to get to know the community. Who knows, a comment on someone's Darfur blog today could strike up a friendship that turns into you and them organizing a fundraiser 4 months from now.
5. Hang out in threads full of ideas you support, not ones you dislike. Part of keeping #1 in order means making a Free Speech friendly environment, to encourage people to express themselves. There are thousands of websites devoted to criticism. This is one devoted to organizing. If you see something you don't like, find something better to look at, or better yet, POST IT YOURSELF.
6. Chip in wherever you can. The thing to remember about Lose the Label that separates us from other websites is that this isn't just a website; it's an experiment and a project. We're trying to do something that's never been done before: create a way for activists from all over the country to communicate and self-organize. To do that, the site needs to stay active and fresh, something that just can't happen on its own. We need things to talk about, ideas to latch onto, information to work with, encouragement to keep going. A blog post here, a comment there, it all helps.

If there was a 7th tip, it'd be DIY. When in doubt, do it yourself.