By Alex Schlotzer:

There is little doubt that the iPhone is a very popular 3G mobile phone. Its popularity is likely to increase on the back of Apple’s launch of the iPad. It is also a mobile phone that is gaining popularity among activists in Australia for a variety of reasons.

The top three reasons given by activists for investing in an iPhone ?(these are not listed in any particular order)

• Access to email
• Access to social media/web
• Has camera and iPod included

Note: “Access to iPhone applications” was very close to being in the top three and it probably won’t be long before it ties with the other reasons.

There are some excellent apps for the iPhone, and it seems that the number of apps is growing exponentially. However there are a number of these kinds of applications that can really assist with organising around and engaging with other activists and sympathetic audiences with your message, event or overall campaign. And the best thing is many of them are free.

Apart from the Facebook or Twitter applications (apps) what other iPhone apps should activists download?

Recommended iPhone apps

It is true that there are some very good applications around to assist with task management, blog/picture publishing and social media. There is plethora of options to choose from when to comes to these kinds of applications. Many of them can be used for activist purposes.

The 7 iPhone applications I recommend, with a brief review and whether they are free or not, are:

Audioboo: This application allows you to record sound and then publish it to your Audioboo account directly from your iPhone. The application is supported by Audioboo.com where you need register for a free account. It has its own categorized community of others’ boos you can listen to, follow and favourite.  In addition the site provides you with embed codes for audio players for each boo so you can embed them anywhere the code is supported.

The application comes in handy when you want to conduct a vox pop or perhaps record what is being said at a rally or in a meeting with politicians.  However, it is limited by the fact that you cannot edit the audio before it is uploaded, so it is important to know what you want to ask or say before you begin. An additional limitation is that there is no way of saving the audio file to upload Audioboo application and site registration is free.

Documents 2: This application lets you use your iPhone as a storage device so you can carry documents with you. In addition to having a storage device you can download documents from your Google Documents account, through a WiFi connection or an FTP account. It’s handy when you can send emails with the necessary documents when you’re not at your desk or in front of your laptop. Not having the right documents at hand could cause a delay in distributing key information through email or even through blogs and social media.

The application however is limited by the iPhone’s capabilities.  You can download a free version but it comes with advertisements, which are not overly annoying.

Flickr (or Photobucket): Sharing your photos through Facebook and Twitter is great but it probably isn’t reaching your entire network; or even the widest possible audience.  Using applications like the one from Flickr to upload photos to your account can help increase the visibility of your photo(s).  The application gives you the option of adding a title, description, tags and assign pictures to albums; as well as the picture size.  There is the option to upload multiple pictures.  The interface is simple to use however, it can be confusing as to how you upload a picture the first time you try.

The application is free but requires a Flickr account, which is also free. If you’re using Yahoo!7 mail or have an account then you’re ready to go.

Photobucket is another photo sharing and networking site. It’s application is sophisticated and easy to use, with options to add a title, description, tags and assign pictures to albums. Like the Flickr application, you need to have a Photobucket account to use the application.  It’s free to download and to register a Photobucket account.

Google: As the name of the application suggests, it gives you access to the suite of Google tools.  It links directly with your Google account and enables you to have access to important tools like Google Docs and Google Reader.  It is Google Gears for the iPhone and provides an easy to use interface. All you need to do is tap the tool you want to use and it directs you to a mobile web page for the tool.  Having access to these kinds of tools means you can keep track of documents, integrated with Documents 2, as well as monitor your RSS feeds for information and details relevant to your message, event or campaign.

Unfortunately it does not take you back to the application when you close the web page. It also requires you to have a Google account. The application and Google accounts are free. [Read more about my thoughts on the Google application?]

Skype: This is an excellent application to access your Skype account from your iPhone. It makes it possible to utilise your contact list on Skype, start conversations and even call people. The application also enables the user to make free Skype calls to other Skype users as well as call contacts in their address books.  It is also possible to conduct a telephone conference (aka teleconference or phone hook-up) while on the go. Combined with Documents 2, you’re able to effectively deal with situations and matters as they arise, and share the relevant documentation, without being tied down to your desk or the laptop.

It is an excellent application however it does affect your iPhone’s ability to recognise incoming calls whether from people in the address book or from unrestricted/public numbers.  This can be frustrating especially if you’re waiting for specific calls or want to screen out who is calling.

The application is free but requires a Skype account, which is also free.

Photo Lab Daily: On most occasions the pictures taken from an iPhone are not that fantastic. Sometimes it would be great to touch up a few pictures before you uploaded them to Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.  This application does just that. It gives you the ability to touch up your pictures with basic techniques like cropping, colour and mono manipulation and conversion to a line drawing.

You can select pictures from your photo roll; albums synced on the iPhone or take a picture to use.  You can save the results without losing the original picture.

There is no need to have any account online and the application is the free evaluation version – the full version is called Photo Lab. The free version is limited in only allowing you to edit and save one picture per day. However, purchasing the full version only costs $AU2.49

WordPress (or Tumblr): Blogs are included as social media with their ability to provide direct and indirect interaction through the capacity to provide comments on published posts. I personally use WordPress, although there are many others that profess that Tumblr is equal to the task with WordPress. I am not entirely convinced as I use both and find WordPress to be a more powerful blogging platform.

The WordPress application is easy to use and allows you to administer multiple WordPress blog accounts you own.  You are able to utilise pictures from your phone or in your gallery; WordPress code for including things like Youtube clips and include HTML code. The application also gives you access to your categories and lets you save the post either as a draft available through the web interface or as a draft available only through iPhone.

However the application does not give you access to your list of tags or even a list of the most commonly used tags.  This can be frustrating if you can’t remember all the tags you might already have used. [Read more about my review of the WordPress app?]

The Tumblr application is also easy-to-use with an easy-to-understand interface. You can upload pictures, videos, quotes, blogs and range of other media. Through the advanced settings, you can alter things like tags and general settings for your Tumblr feed.

Both applications are free to download but require an account, which in both cases, registration is also free.

BTW: Games are a given, especially “Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution” [read my review] or “iChess”

I would like to add Qik, which is a mobile phone video upload application, supported with a community of fellow Qik’ers and would contribute significantly with the capacity to upload mobile video footage. Unfortunately Qik does not yet support iPhone or iPhone 3GS but they do say they are working on it. I have been reliably informed that Qik does support iPhones, and can confirm this is the case, which is excellent and should be something every activist has on their phones.

BTW: An iPhone application I would love to see developed would be for Cover it Live with a scaled-down version of the full CiL live blog interface.

How do these applications help me undertake activist work using these applications? It’s a good question! I will next describe why I think this combination of applications are useful to mobile online activists.

Using the combination for activism

It may seem like a strange combination of applications to suggest for your iPhone. And it may even be a little difficult to see how these applications will assist you in organising and growing your network; and spreading action items – while taking action yourself.

The kinds of applications that I’ve recommended incorporates ways of engaging and being able to deliver necessary materials and documentation to networks without having to be at a desktop or on a laptop.  This can be extremely convenient when you’re attending a rally or a meeting and can provide on-the-spot information and detail to your networks; in different kinds of forms of media. Pictures and audio can provide an immense sense of disclosure and can help support your message and campaign.

If you’re an activist and have regular access to the Internet and aren’t blogging how are you expanding your network. Australians are the world’s largest users of social media, with, on average, 6 hours and 52 minutes spent per month on social networking sites.  More and more Australians are also reading blogs and subscribing to RSS feeds. Activists can use their blogs to follow the issues they’re working on as well as provide where desired for solidarity with other issues.  They provide ways for activists to spread the word about issues, events and the campaigns they’re involved with in general.  Blogs act as a way of providing a single place for your Audioboos and pictures – excellent things to value-add for your blog and enhance quantity and quality of traffic. It also adds to the visible commentary regarding an issue as well as makes the issue more visible to search engines, and therefore people on the Internet.

It makes sense as an activist to be blogging.

By creating a greater sense of engagement regardless of location, it is possible to improve reach and influence; and the length and quality of online conversations, as audiences become more involved.  This in turn can further improve the sense of involvement in something big. Yet efforts should be placed into on encouraging involvement with on-the-ground events and activities.

Delivering your message and what is happening at a rally or a fundraiser; and even down at the polling booth, are supported through the combination of these tools.

Have other apps for activism?

There may be some other applications that you use or have been told about that you think are equal to the task or more suited to activist work; please share them and leave a comment.

Disclaimer: I am not employed or associated with Apple, iPhone or any other Apple product, merchandise or associated entity; nor the companies (or associated entities) producing the applications mentioned in this post. These are my express opinions based on my use of these, and many other similar, applications for the iPhone.

This article was originally published on Alex Schlotzer’s blog.

Alex Schlotzer is a straight talker when it comes to politics and loves to vent his spleen. Actively involved in Australian and international politics with a keen understanding of the dynamics of the political machine, Alex has a prolific online presence and has been a cyber activist for over 15 years. Managing editor of theangle.org, he can also be found at his blog and his exciting online project Australian Politics TV.

Tags: activism, activist tools, Alex Schlotzer, iPhone, iPhone apps, iPhone review