UnionBook 2.0 - The Facebook for trade unionists!

[Q]

UnionBook is the social network for trade unionists and is a project of LabourStart. You can join it here (http://unionbook2.ning.com/).

As was posted in the LabourStart circular:

The current version of UnionBook - the social network for trade unionists established in late 2008 - is costly, clunky and ineffective. It's been buggy and very hard to fix.

At the LabourStart conference in Canada last month we talked about ways to improve it.

Today I'm proud to anounce the launch of UnionBook 2.0 (http://unionbook2.ning.com/).

The features available are better than what we currently offer. It is much easier to fix, configure and add things to. It also looks a lot better.

But we need to test it in practice, to see if we can get a Facebook-like experience for UnionBook.

Please sign up for an account today here (http://unionbook2.ning.com/) and then take the new UnionBook out for a test drive:


post your photos, videos and music
join existing groups and create new ones
add comments to other people's content
add events to our online labour calendar
post entries to your blog
update your status
make friends
use the online chat to talk with other trade unionists online
invite friends and fellow union members to sign up too
send us your questions, comments, and suggestions - use the special group called "UnionBook Help and Support Network (http://unionbook2.ning.com/group/unionbookhelpsupportnetwork)" to do so


In joining the new UnionBook, you'll be helping us create a powerful tool, an online global community of trade unionists. And I hope you'll also have fun doing so.

Thanks very much!

Eric Lee

[Widerstand]

Sounds cool. What about their privacy policy though?

[Q]

Sounds cool. What about their privacy policy though?

As they are using Ning, I think this applies throughout the site and all social networks (http://about.ning.com/legal/privacy.php). I could be wrong though.

Also, everyone join the Revolutionary Trade Unionists group (http://unionbook2.ning.com/group/revolutionarytradeunionists)! :p

[Q]

Maybe this thread was missed by readers. It certainly deserves another look and some more discussion.

So, *poke*.

[meow]

whoo! yay! or rather who cares? what is the point for us? it is just another social network site. what does it offer?
ooh a "online global community of trade unionists" wow. i so excited.

i think that this is not useful for revolutionary leftist actually. my quick look suggests not useful for any radical political activity.
people wanting real radical action will not organize on that site for security reason. for everyone else its just well. well.

[DaringMehring]

whoo! yay! or rather who cares? what is the point for us? it is just another social network site. what does it offer?
ooh a "online global community of trade unionists" wow. i so excited.

i think that this is not useful for revolutionary leftist actually. my quick look suggests not useful for any radical political activity.
people wanting real radical action will not organize on that site for security reason. for everyone else its just well. well.

You don't have to "organize" on a site, in the sense of forming an organization or planning tactics, for it to be useful.

[Q]

whoo! yay! or rather who cares? what is the point for us? it is just another social network site. what does it offer?
ooh a "online global community of trade unionists" wow. i so excited.

i think that this is not useful for revolutionary leftist actually. my quick look suggests not useful for any radical political activity.
people wanting real radical action will not organize on that site for security reason. for everyone else its just well. well.

What a sad cynic you are.

These aren't the 1970's anymore, the internet exists and is a tool which offers many new possibilities that is being used by the class to create many horizontal links, share experiences, etc. You either face that fact or you'll be considered irrelevant by the class.

In the week it exists it has already linked up over a thousand trade unionists. This UnionBook thing has the potential to link up many tens of thousands (the LabourStart newsletter is sent to around 70 000 receivers worldwide) of trade unionists in the first go. This could very well grow to millions in the longer term. Such a vast network and you're simply ignoring it? K, have fun with your confessional inner circle of "true revolutionaries" I guess.

[The Idler]

Your trade union involvement is the last thing you should be publicising on the internet. If comrades in South America joined up, they'd likely be hunted down and killed.

[Q]

Your trade union involvement is the last thing you should be publicising on the internet. If comrades in South America joined up, they'd likely be hunted down and killed.

I don't expect people using their real names. Those that do are naive or stupid.

... Maybe it's a good idea to make a group about that subject.