1. New Website
• Launching in May
• New website will have
issues and topic pages
• Interactive content built
around actions, articles,
news items, external links,
blogs from staff/
groups/networks/ – and
YOU (hopefully) !
• Country specialists blog
space

2. Writing for blogs
Blogging for human rights
impact

3. Why blog?
Expected & understood format
Up-to-date
Matches our content
Easy to use
Personal & Flexible
Provides a space for feedback
Can be more personal
Opportunity to reach an audience
wider than committed activists (UAs)
or the media (press releases)

4. You’ll be joining…

5. You’ll be joining…

6. Blogging – make it current

7. Blogging – tell a story

8. Blogging – it’s OK to have a little fun!

9. Blogging is now a key part of our
campaigns

10. Writing: the basics
• Short – about 500 words
• Concise, active language
• Personal – blogging should show a personality
• A jargon-free zone
• Break up text – use subheadings, bullets and use
short paragraphs
• Clear title
• Don’t be coy about calls to action
• Images and videos are great!

11. Writing: make it easy to read
• DON’T WRITE TITLES OR SECTIONS IN ALL-CAPS
• Copy newspapers in their approach
– A clear, simple title
– Get your key points across in the top paragraphs
– Go into more detail further down
• Don’t use internal jargon (Amnesty not AI)
• Speak to your reader directly (hundreds of you
wrote… not Amnesty members wrote…)
• Put yourself in the readers’ shoes – what inspires you
to read about subjects you’re not an expert in?

12. Writing: links in your blog
• Link to other sources often
– Other blogs on the subject – written by you, us or others.
– News items
– Background on the AIUK or IS website
– Actions
• Link the important phrases:
– Join our call for clemency not we’re calling for clemency,
click here to take action.
• Avoid linking general phrases
– Click here
– Read this
– Find out more

13. Blog titles
• Keep titles clear, concise and interesting
• Make it findable – use words in your title that people
might use in Google to search:
– 20,674 reasons to bring Shaker Aamer home from
Guantanamo
– The secret world of Uganda’s LGBT activists
– California remains on death row
• Be careful with puns
Search engines won’t understand them, and readers scan
things very quickly – they might not get it.

14. Check your working!
• Stay credible – check your grammar and spelling
– No Americanizations
– It’s easy to lose flow as you edit your post, read it back and
check
– Get someone else to proof-read, it’s very hard to spot your
own mistakes
• Aim to use 50% of your time to write 90% of the post,
and 50% to polish it
• Check again – is it engaging?

15. Try it yourselves
How would you use your UA or press
release to create a short, interesting
blog?
Amnesty International

16. NEXT STEPS
• We need a few volunteers who would
be able to start the blog
• Migration of content from existing
website (actions, news items ect)
• Blogs user guide and video for training
Any questions?