Organizing on different platforms: Pros and cons

The following page responds to a request asking for advice on switching organizing platforms. This question has also been raised by others around the world to meet various activist needs. The original request to the HUB was regarding intergenerational challenges when choosing a platform, thus, lived experience is welcomed to improve this page. This page compiles content on general organizing platforms, and a quick note on platforms for online documentation. The information included comes from reviews of each platform, plus the HUB team's personal experience using each for organizing purposes.

We have included suggestions for encrypted (secure) and open platforms. Security may or may not be a concern based on the types of actions your group organizes, and who is involved. See our page on Legal information for activists for more on performing a risk assessment to determine which platform is right for your needs.

Onboarding onto a platform

No matter which platform you choose, we highly suggest creating a document, video, or offering 1-1 how-to sessions for people who may need support joining and using the platform you're organizing on. Do not simply offer a video/document that the platform offers to learn it's use; tailor this to how your group uses the platform to improve clarity and comprehension.

You may also consider using the 'buddy system' to pair up new members, or people who are new to using the platform, with someone who is more familiar to support them in learning the ropes.

Organizing platforms

Whats app

Suggested uses:

• Communication with others outside the Global North; one of the more commonly used platform in the Global South
• Quick, secure messaging with those involved in an action while it's happening (if security isn't an issue)
• Good for organizing that requires less frequent communication (i.e. meeting reminders, sharing webinars/training opportunities), or if you have less than 15 or so members

Pros

Cons

Good for worldwide communication; widely used globally Free, and easy to download Can see people's pictures when messaging; gives a friendly feeling Less of a learning curve to learn how to use Can hold video calls with up to 32 people (though you need to manually add anyone after 15) Desktop and mobile apps, plus web version available Can share files up to 100MB in size GIFs, stickers, emoji and message formatting options Can back up data on cloud (not as good for privacy, good to retrieve messages if you need to redownload the app) Can choose between voice or text messages

Not as secure as platforms as signal (most similar alternative). concerns regarding privacy, data sharing, and third-party access to user information Requires an internet connection 256 members limit per chat Can manage notifications to limit overwhelm, but everything being on one channel can become hard to follow/keep up, and can't organize topics/discussions Compatibility with older devices and operating systems can be limited Requires phone number to register

Signal

Suggested uses:

• Good for organizing arrestable actions, or actions that involve sensitive information, or are higher risk for those involved (see our page on Legal information for activists for more on risk assessment)
• Quick, secure messaging with those involved in an action while it's happening
• Good for organizing that requires less frequent communication (i.e. meeting reminders, sharing webinars/training opportunities), or if you have less than 15 or so members

Pros

Cons

Secure, open-sourced, end-to-end encryption. Metadata information of users is private, does not collect extra data on users.  Can see people's pictures when messaging; gives a friendly feeling Can be used to hold secure video calls with up to 40 people Can create disappearing messages (messages that delete after a certain period of time) Free, and easy to download Less of a learning curve to learn how to use Desktop and mobile apps, plus web version available Can choose between voice or text messages No limit to the number of people who can join group chat

Occasional problems with sending and receiving (though very infrequent) Less well known; may need to convince people to give it a try Requires phone number to register No GIFs, stickers, and message formatting options. Emojis are available as reactions to convey emotion. No cloud backup (good for privacy, bad if you need to reinstall the app) Can manage notifications to limit overwhelm, but everything being on one channel can become hard to follow/keep up, and can't organize topics/discussions

Email/protonmail

Suggested uses:

• Outreach to those outside your regular membership (i.e. those not involved in organizing directly, but that show up to your actions and/or support your group to a less frequent/engaged extent).
• Sending lengthy messages 
• Suggest switching to protonmail if your group is organizing arrestable actions, or actions that involve sensitive information, or are higher risk for those involved (see our page on Legal information for activists for more on risk assessment)

Pros

Cons

Good for sending lengthy information that wouldn't be appropriate to send in a messaging app Good for one-way sending (e.g. mass outreach to an email list) or 1-1 conversations  Can send file attachments that are large in size

Not good for frequent communication of short messages/with multiple people; harder than other platforms to go back and view previous messages. Easy for messages to get lost in email chains. Can manage notifications to limit overwhelm, but can become hard to follow/keep up, and can't organize topics/discussions Written communication only; no option for emojis to personalize or convey emotion, no option for voice messaging or video calling Many people's emails are flooded with messages for other obligations (business, appointments, subscriptions, event reminders etc). Being unable to designate a specific channel or filter can mean messages are easily missed/forgotten.

Facebook messanger

Suggested uses:

• Good for organizing that requires less frequent communication (i.e. meeting reminders, sharing webinars/training opportunities), or if you have less than 15 or so members
• Quick, secure messaging with those involved in an action while it's happening (if security isn't an issue)
  

Pros	Cons
Can see people's pictures when messaging; gives a friendly feeling Easy to reply to people's messages directly GIFs, stickers, emoji and message formatting options Can send files up to 25MB Can choose between voice or text messages Can hold video calls with up to 50 people	Need a facebook account to join a chat Can manage notifications to limit overwhelm, but everything being on one channel can become hard to follow/keep up, and can't organize topics/discussions One of the least secure options (facebook collects a lot of data from it's users) 250 members limit per chat

Discord

Suggested uses:

• Frequent communication/multiple discussions going, or if you have over 15 or so members
• When working in multiple working groups, or if you have many different parts involved in your structure (i.e. social media, wellness, outreach etc).

Pros	Cons
Can be used to hold video calls with up to 25 people Keeps multiple discussions organized to make it easier to keep up and keep track of topics/discussions Free to use Can see people's pictures when messaging; gives a friendly feeling Can create free, private, or public servers Desktop and mobile apps, plus web version available Can hold video calls with up to 50 people	Can be overwhelming to some; many messages, servers, and channels to keep up with. There are options to limit notifications to reduce overwhelm. Requires payment for higher-quality video and audio A bit of a learning curve when getting started. See discord's beginner's guide.

Slack

Suggested uses:

• When working in multiple working groups, or if you have many different parts involved in your structure (i.e. social media, wellness, outreach etc)
  
• Frequent communication/multiple discussions going, or if you have over 15 or so members
  

Pros

Cons

Keeps multiple discussions organized to make it easier to keep up and keep track of topics/discussions Can see people's pictures when messaging; gives a friendly feeling Free to use (unless you'd like messages stores more than 90 days) Ability to save and archive conversations and messages (in paid version) Ability to integrate with other tools, apps Desktop and mobile apps, plus web version available

Fees involved for use if you'd like messages stored for more than 90 days, and fees increase the more people you have active in your workspace. A bit of a learning curve when getting started. Slack offers an extensive tutorials page, with video tutorials, to support this.

Keybase

Suggested uses:

• Organizing arrestable actions, or actions that involve sensitive information, or are higher risk for those involved (see our page on Legal information for activists for more on risk assessment)
• When working in multiple working groups, or if you have many different parts involved in your structure (i.e. social media, wellness, outreach etc).
• Frequent communication/multiple discussions going, or if you have over 15 or so members
  

Pros	Cons
Keeps multiple discussions organized to make it easier to keep up and keep track of topics/discussions Can see people's pictures when messaging; gives a friendly feeling Free to use Can create disappearing messages (messages that delete after a certain period of time) Desktop and mobile apps available	Not very familiar; may need to convince people to give it a try More difficult to install due to encryption features A bit of a learning curve when getting started

Tools for online documentation

The most commonly used option for creating and storing documents is google drive. This may be a suitable option that has the benefit of many people being familiar with it, if you are not dealing with sensitive information. However, privacy concerns for google are increasing. Even if you are not dealing with sensitive information, it may be worth switching to a more secure alternative. We recommend trying cryptpad, which is the most similar to google drive, or Skiff (fewer document types). Both are end-to-end encrypted, so they are more secure than google.


If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

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