David Weller's Public Library

A State Department travel advisory, gaining attention as the spring break ritual heats up at high school and college campuses nationwide, warns that visitors to Mexico have been injured and killed in public places, and "dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped across Mexico."

The advisory specifically cautioned against excursions to Matamoros and Nuevo Progreso — "popular destinations for spring breakers to South Padre Island" — and to Tijuana and Rosarito Beach in Baja California.

12:14 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org So my first experience using Facebook in that way was in 2005

12:14 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org The Genocide Intervention Network was just getting off the ground

12:14 JoeSolomon @vangogh This is our first Change the Web conversation, Thanks for your patience!

12:15 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org Our network of activists was trying to move a particular bill on Darfur through Congress. We knew we had the votes in the full Senate, but one particular senator was holding it up in committee

12:15 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org So we used Facebook to identify Darfur activists in that senator's home state

12:16 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org Then, we gave them all a training on how to use the website OpenSecrets.org, which lists publicly available campaign contribution information

12:16 Gian okay turned sound on but not hearing anything. so I wil just read

12:16 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org And we had them contact that senator's highest donors

12:16 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org And ask *them* to contact the senator and request that the Darfur bill be moved through the committee

12:17 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org We had a few dozen students participate, and while it's hard to measure reliably, two weeks later the senator did indeed move the bill, after several months of not doing anything

12:17 JoeSolomon That's an amazing story!

12:17 @keka_marzagao wow, amazing Ivan!

12:17 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org The bill ultimately passed and became the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act

12:17 Ivan Boothe, Rootwork.org I've got more stories, but I'll leave it there for now

12:17 bethP Sounds like you successfully mobilized a community of supporters using the Facebook platform in a relatively short amount of time.

12:17 bethP Thanks Ivan