Online campaign to honour war dead
The Royal British Legion is launching a major campaign to extend Remembrance Sunday’s two-minute silence to the online community.
Thousands of Facebook and Twitter users will be encouraged to observe the silence using a new social media tool.
The charity is the first in the UK to employ Thunderclap, a US invention which allows participating users to issue a message simultaneously across social media channels.
The Royal British Legion is asking people to go to its website at www.britishlegion.org.uk and click on the link to the Two Minute Silence Thunderclap page.
They can show their support by clicking to authorise their Twitter and Facebook accounts to send the tweet or message that reads “I’ll be remembering the fallen at 11 o’clock #2MinuteSilence #LestWeForget” at 9am on Sunday November 11.
When they sign up, their Twitter or Facebook feed will automatically display the message “I won’t forget to Remember on 11.11.11 Will you? #2MinuteSilence”.
It is hoped that through retweets and online “liking” and sharing of the message it will reach many more of the UK’s 10 million Twitter and 33 million Facebook users.
Helen Hill, head of remembrance at the charity, said: “We hope to create the largest ever show of online remembrance by using the communicative power of social media to remind millions of Britons that they have a very personal opportunity to honour the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Thunderclap is the first “crowdspeaking” platform that allows a charity or cause to produce a single message that can be mass-shared simultaneously. It is the brainchild of New York studio De-De, a spin-off of advertising agency Droga5, and was developed with the aim of getting important messages to stand out above the babble of social media.
Chief executive Hashem Bajwa said: “Twitter is a wonderful way to say something, but it’s difficult to be heard. Thunderclap lets people be heard by saying something together.”
Will you be joining in online with Thunderclap?
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