Click on a question below (or scroll down) to find the beginning of each answer.
Click ">> more" to read the full answer for each question.
See also:
- Overview of the New Tactics Online Community Features
- Using the New Tactics Resources
Still not finding what you need? Use the Contact Us form to send a message to the New Tactics project.
Creating and Editing Content
Finding Resources
- What is the "New Tactics Workbook", and what does it include?
- What are the Tactical Notebooks?
- What is the Tactics Database, and how do I use it?
- What kinds of training workshops has New Tactics held, and what can I still learn from them online?
- Do you have suggestions on how to use New Tactics resources?
- What are the Training Tools and where do I find them?
- What are "tags" and what are they used for?
Participating in the Community
- How do I translate the website into another language?
- How do I contact a community member?
- How do I participate in the online dialogues?
- What if I don't want to "Participate by Email" anymore? I am getting too much email!
- What does "participate by email" mean in New Tactics dialogues?
- Why am I asked to "Please log in"?
- Why should I register for an account in the New Tactics Community?
- What is the difference between "subscription" and "email notification" in a group?
- Too many email notifications - how do I stop (or start) receiving them?
Strategy and Tactics
Creating and Editing Content
- How to Log into New Tactics for the First Time
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Go to the New Tactics Website. http://www.newtactics.org
- What is "My blog" and what can I use it for?
The blogs are for New Tactics members to share their thoughts, reflections, or questions with the world. A "web log" or "blog" is an online journal or diary. Blogs are a very individualized form of communicating with others. Collectively, member blogs make up the New Tactics dialogues area.
- What is the difference between "blogs", "dialogues", and "biographies"?
Your blog is your own place to publish news, reflections, or
other announcements- How do I add an image to my text?
Depending on the size of the file, adding a image can take a few minutes to process. You can compress and reduce image size using various programs (such as "photoshop elements".)
Finding Resources
- What is the "New Tactics Workbook", and what does it include?
New Tactics in Human Rights: A Resource for Practitioners is a compilation of innovative tactics.
- What are the Tactical Notebooks?
Tactical notebooks are first-person, in-depth case studies that provide a detailed look at how a tactic was implemented and the challenges that were faced along the way.
At present there are more than 45 tactical notebooks covering five continents.
- What is the Tactics Database, and how do I use it?
The New Tactics database is currently a collection of 160 tactics, summarized (approximately 700 words) to help human rights advocates think about new ideas for tactics they can apply to different situations.
Each tactic includes a summary of….
- What kinds of training workshops has New Tactics held, and what can I still learn from them online?
To read about training workshops and review the resources available, Click the “Resources & Tools” tab.
- Do you have suggestions on how to use New Tactics resources?
These resources were developed to help advocates interested in New
Tactics to share the project with others. Currently, users can choose
to view the "Using the New Tactics Resources" tool in English, French, or Spanish.- What are the Training Tools and where do I find them?
Training Tools provide exercises, worksheets and articles designed to help advocates think about their work in terms of strategy and tactics.
You will find featured here:
- What are "tags" and what are they used for?
In several locations around this website, you will have the opportunity to "tag this page" a page or yourself. A "tag" is simply a keyword or phrase you would use to mark or identify a resource.
Participating in the Community
- How do I translate the website into another language?
Thanks to Google, you have the ability to translate this website into one of several different languages. In the box below, choose the language that you would like to translate the website into. You will then be able to navigate throughout the website in the language you have chosen.
Please note that you will not be able to translate external documents or websites.
- How do I contact a community member?
Each person that is a member of the New Tactics website has the ability to contact one another through this website. Here are the steps that you can take to contact a community member directly:
- How do I participate in the online dialogues?
How to participate in New Tactics online dialogues
The first step in particpating in a dialogue, is to make sure that you are registered as a New Tactics community member and logged in to the website. If you are not logged in as a member, you will be able to read the comments of the dialogue, but you will not be able to add your own comments to the dialogue.
- What if I don't want to "Participate by Email" anymore? I am getting too much email!
New Tactics dialogues include the option to participate by email. If you've selected this "Participate by email" button, you will receive new comments posted to that discussion as email messages. If you want that email to stop and no longer wish to participate by email, you need to go back to the dialogue and select that button that
- What does "participate by email" mean in New Tactics dialogues?
The "Participate by email" button gives you a two-way communication channel (via email) to a given dialogue on the website, without actually having to stay online to contribute.
This is useful for those who aren't or can not be online all the time, but like to participate in a discussion; hence the name "participate by email".
- Why am I asked to "Please log in"?
The New Tactics Community is designed to be a place for human rights advocates around the world to gather, share thoughts and reflections, hold discussions, and collaborate with others. Some content may be designated as private by the author (allowing specific groups to view the content, but not all members or the general public). To respect this privacy, and to maintain the New Tactics Commun
- Why should I register for an account in the New Tactics Community?
Get involved with human rights advocates around the world! Meet and interact with activists, educators, students, and other practitioners. Share ideas and seek feedback, join discussions and collaborate with colleagues.
- What is the difference between "subscription" and "email notification" in a group?
If you click on "My groups", you will see a list of every group to which you belong. Every registered user is automatically a member of the 'New Tactics Community Members' group, but you may create or join as many other smaller groups as you like.
- Too many email notifications - how do I stop (or start) receiving them?
As a member of the New Tactics community, you can choose to receive email notifications when new posts are added to the website. You may, however, chose to limit the messages you receive in various ways.
Strategy and Tactics
- What is a tactic?
A tactic is a specific action taken to address a specific situation. A tactic is part of a specific plan or strategy. Tactics take different shapes and forms. A tactic can be as simple as wearing a particular color, or as involved as bringing formal charges against government officials in an attempt to remove them from office.
- What is a strategy?
A strategy answers the question "What?" What do you hope to accomplish? What is the goal? A strategy involves a gathering many ideas and making decisions toward a plan. Factors considered in developing a strategy include:
- How does a tactic differ from a strategy?
Tactics consist of how to make a change, while strategy is deciding what change
to make. Tactics are about 'the how,' and strategies are about 'the what.' In
other words, a strategy is an approach that makes the best use of resources and
other factors to secure advantage for an organization's goal. Tactics are the- Why is a wide range of tactics important?
What we know how to do influences what we think is possible to do; the
tactics we have available to us can determine the strategy we choose. [more]Tactics have different effects on different targets. [more]
- 'Tactic' isn't a human rights term, is it?
Twenty years ago, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) resisted the word 'strategy,' which is now commonplace in NGO language and planning. Strategic planning has helped human rights organizations and other NGOs become more effective. We believe the human rights community will also benefit from incorporating 'tactics' and tactical thinking into its language.
- How long have tactics been around?
