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Everything is 2.0 these days. Web 2.0. PR 2.0. And it seems like there needs to be some exploration of Advocacy 2.0 in the association world.

Campaigns - for both social issues and political candidates - are largely being fought (and won or lost) online now. Web sites, blogs, vlogs, mashups, video sharing, photo sharing, social networks, mobile messaging, mapping. These tools are now being used by the candidates. It's time for the advocates to catch up.

More than 1,600 candidates for office around the country posted profiles on Facebook, according to Dan Solomon in Online Media Daily. Many candidates have also taken to MySpace to interest a younger demographic in volunteering and contributing to campaigns. And it seems to be working.

Solomon remarks that any organization with a political or social agenda should be doing the same. Kind of sounds like an association, doesn't it?

And Advocacy 2.0 is not Web only. Two hundred and twenty million Americans now use cell phones, PDAs, BlackBerries and other devices every day. In August, I mentioned TxtVoter as a free tool that your association could use to allow members to register to vote via mobile phone. Mobile Voter offers a similar service. The New York State Democratic Party has just created a Mobile Action Network to connect with its most dedicated activists.

At the Mississippi Hospital Association, we use One Fast Call to give our members the option to receive our advocacy alerts via cell phone. (Many of our members who work in hospitals are not sitting in front of a computer. We had to find a solution for a fast response when needed.) I record one voice mail message into the system, select the groups I want to send it and it goes to all selected. We promise members that we will only use this method to contact them when the issue is very important and time-sensitive.

Charitable organizations are now exploring ways to collect and process donations from cell phones. Association PACs should be doing the same.

In the coming weeks, I am going to seek out tips and tools for associations to expand their advocacy programs to encompass new media. When possible, I will use the tools myself and tell you how they work. If you have any suggestions of tools you've used or if you would like more information about a certain program, leave a comment here or e-mail me at slea@mhanet.org and I will look into it.