Building a Buzz: Creative Ideas
As we count down the days till the International Week of Actions, December 27th to 31st, now is the time to take to the streets to build the buzz for your action. Here are simple ideas for creative ways to get people interested. Doing things creatively and differently gets people's attention, and makes them want to know more about the event. Hopefully they'll get you thinking about what new and different tactics might capture the attention of your community!

Just to be clear, we do not advocate any illegal graffiti or other defacement of private property. 

• Flier a local event: head to concerts, festivals, and other celebrations with fliers about your action in hand. It's a good way to find new volunteers and have fun while you're at it!

• Sidewalk chalk: ask a question? in sidewalk chalk all down a Main Street and get people thinking.

• Poster the town: print out posters or make your own, and then head to local coffee shops, bulletin boards, and anywhere else you can put up posters in town.

• Fun with stencils: print out this on sturdy paper, find scissors or an exacto knife and make your own stencil. You can then get some paint and anything you want to stencil, and create your own materials! Good things to stencil include bags, t-shirts, hats, and signs.

• Public art: if there's a way to incorporate your banner message into a public piece of art such as a mural, this can be a great way to inspire and spread the word.

• Build the Buzz on-line: post it to your Twitter feed, Digg it, update your Facebook status, or your personal blog.

• Make posters: Hand made posters stand out and help grab attention - especially if they are colorful. They can be made by simplying using housepaint on newspaper. Posters can be put up around town using wheatpaste - a natural, washable glue made from flour. You can also print out these posters and paste them up.

• Make signs: You can easily create big words out of cardboard and they can be easily painted with house paint. These are great for public places - parks, malls, shopping centers, universities - because it makes people curious about whats going on. So they walk right up and ask. Painting these is great, because you don't have to worry about staying in the lines! (Tip: Mounting the cardboard on a piece of wood makes it more sturdy and easier to hold).

• Garbage Instruments: You can make musical instruments out of anything! Find two sticks and a bucket and you have a drum. Find 5 of these and you have a marching band (Tip: attach a string to the bucket to go around your neck). Shakers can be made by filling empty soda cans with rice or gravel and taping the top. You can even use pots and pans to make sure you get noticed, and can be used again at your action! Make few of the instruments, and create a small procession to get some extra attention as you spread the word.

• Headbands: This is a quick and easy way to make your group look united as you pass out flyers or approach people to tell them about your action.

• Newspaper Event Calendars, Craigslist, & Bulletin Boards, Local Community Organizations: Every community has an array of different ways and opportunities to promote local events - and that's a good thing. Chances are your local newspaper has a community calendar. Usually, you can submit your event for free on their websites - with about two weeks lead time. You should find instructions on their sites for submitting your action in the 'calendar/events' section. Local organization newsletters can also be a great way to get the word out. Nonprofits, civil society, church groups, school boards, have community newsletters (online & off) and may be more than happy to promote your action. All you gotta do is ask!