You see it with almost every digital campaign – an action directed to government in which you are asked to “email your MP”.

These are usually campaigns initiated by political lobby groups, where many people are asked to write to one or more pollies about an issue. The letters may range from those actually composed by the writer, through to form letters and signed postcards.

Form letters and postcards use pre-generated content that in many instances you can edit, but generally you don’t.

The reason for this is it’s much quicker and easier to enter your details, click send and then be done. You can feel like you’ve taken part and made a stand, but for less time and effort – it’s the lazy-man’s activism.

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Marriage is a deeply personal issue – as it should be. It’s a something couples decide to do, or not to do, for a whole host of reasons.

The problem is that in Australia, in this day and age, not every citizen has the right to make this private, personal decision.

Essential Media was approached by a coalition of community organisations to help broaden the campaign to rectify this injustice, and we jumped at the chance to work on such a fundamental issue of rights.

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We live in an internet age where news knows no borders or boundaries.

Yet most ‘international’ stories still have a strong national focus, such as one country’s sporting prowess, the economic woes of another, or political debates from countries that still dominate the news like the United States.

Recently I moved from Sydney to Brussels. It’s called for a shift in hemispheres and also a re-think of how and from where I get my daily news fix.

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We may live in an interconnected world economy, but there is no reporting of how workers from China to Chile are affected by the second wave of the financial crisis or who is to blame.

This time round the wave is hitting workers with over 205 million people unemployed, and it’s not the bankers and financial institutions. It’s nurses and teachers as public sector budgets are slashed.

After 5 days in the media hub of the annual International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings in Washington DC I’ve been left wondering who rules the world and who is left to write about it. Read more »

A great article about emphasis in web design by Jason Beaird from one of my favourite design blogs (www.designfestival.com).

Emphasis in Design

Closely related to the idea of unity is the concept of emphasis or dominance. Rather than focusing on the various elements of a design fitting together, emphasis is about making a particular feature draw the viewer’s attention. When you design a web page layout, often you’ll identify an item in the content, or the layout itself, that you want to stand out. Perhaps it’s a button for users to press, or an error message for them to read. One method of achieving such emphasis is by making that element into a focal point. A focal point is any element on a page that draws the viewer’s eye, rather than just being part of the page as a whole or blending in with its surroundings. As with unity, there are a few tried-​​and-​​true methods of achieving a focal point.

Placement

Although the constraints of practical web design do not often allow for it, the direct center of a composition is the point at which users look first, and is typically the strongest location for producing emphasis. The further from the center an element is, the less likely it will be noticed first. On the Web, the top-​​left corner of the page also tends to demand a lot of attention for those of us who read from left to right (remember that many languages, like Hebrew and Arabic, are read from right to left) and scan a page from top to bottom. Read more »

The Every Australian Counts campaign is a unique, unified campaign.

People living with disabilities, carers, families, service providers and advocates – have come together to create a movement for change.

The campaign has one common goal. To make sure the federal government accepts the recommendations of the productivity commission and commits to introducing the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

EMC was engaged to develop and deliver the digital campaign strategy, including the campaign website, www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au , campaign videos and materials.

You can check out the presentation outlining the strategy to win, and the overall approach to the campaign below:

This week in Sydney, EMC client Early Childhood Australia launched the report Our Future on the Line examining the progress being made towards the National Quality Framework by every state and territory.

The National Quality Framework is a landmark reform agenda for the early childhood education and care sector.

The report also made a public pitch for the first time to do away with the ‘c’ word.

Of course we’re talking about ‘childcare’, an antiquated term that many involved in the sector feel is outdated and not encompassing of the education and learning involved in this growing industry.

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What do you see in your mind when you’re asked to picture work in the disability and community care sector?

Did your vision include: meaningful and personally rewarding work, flexible hours, on-the-job training, and long-term job security?

No?

You’re not alone. When EMC undertook research for our client, carecareers, we discovered that only 24 per cent of those polled had considered a career in the disability and community care sector.

This was in spite of 63 per cent of those people simultaneously believing that work in this sector would be ‘quite or very rewarding’.

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South Australian unions are campaigning to pressure the State Government into reversing its Budget decisions which will cut more 3,700 jobs and have attacked the negotiated working conditions of South Australian public sector workers.

The unions’ believe that South Australia needs a real Labor Government that will put the interests of working people first, not one which legislates away the entitlements of its workforce.

The unions believe they have an important role to play in the community and in the wider political debate by advocating on behalf of workers when governments make decisions.

EMC was engaged late last year to run the campaign for SA Unions, using digital, advertising and a free media strategy

EMC has developed two television ads, the first of which began screening in early March. This sets the scene for the campaign, with SA Unions State Secretary Janet Giles talking to camera, outlining exactly what the government has done and saying, “It’s time the government put working people first.”

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    Ark Tribe - construction worker

I’m going to Adelaide next week and I’m excited.

Obviously I take some satisfaction in being the first person to ever write that sentence, but I’ll take more if things go our way on November 24.

(Sorry, Adelaide. I understand how it feels to be the lazy gag writer’s best friend. I’m from Canberra.)

The South Australian capital will be the focus of the nation’s attention on Wednesday, because it is where we will finally find out whether the Australian Building and Construction Commission can put an ordinary worker in jail for sticking up for safety.

In 2008, the excellently named Ark Tribe, a construction worker, raised serious safety concerns with his employer on a site in Adelaide.

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